"Windows could not complete the installation..."
Solved
Hp
-
gugu01 Posted messages 15669 Registration date Status Contributeur Last intervention -
gugu01 Posted messages 15669 Registration date Status Contributeur Last intervention -
Hello everyone,
I am seeking your help regarding the famous Windows message that appears when there is an update bug. First of all, please know that I have consulted many forum pages to find a solution to this problem (in the case of HP), but I am reaching out to you because I absolutely did not understand the existing solutions to KEEP the files apart from those I have tried and detail below. I am quite troubled because there are Word documents and photos that I absolutely need to recover; I don’t care about the rest.
The PC: My computer is a HP Pavilion ultrabook, model 14-n200sf. Bought in the summer of 2014, it is no longer under warranty. Out of the box, the operating system is Windows 8. I had upgraded to Windows 10 the year it was offered for free.
The problem: The last time I used the PC, I chose the “Update and Shut Down” option, which did not pose any problems apparently. But when I turned it on today, while the computer displays the blue HP logo and the loading circle (which is usual before accessing the password page), an error message box named “Installing Windows” appears and tells me: “Windows could not complete the installation. To install Windows on this computer, restart the installer.” One clarification: NOTHING ELSE appears before or during the appearance of this error message, so I do not have access to the password login screen or any menu. I am writing to you from another PC.
My goal: to recover my files above all, I absolutely do not want to risk losing them.
What I have tried:
I) When I confirm the message (“OK”), the screen goes black, reloads with the HP logo, and the same error message reappears. This happens infinitely...
II) If I forcefully shut down the computer by holding down the power button on the keyboard (I have tried four times), always the same thing.
III) I tried the F11 key at startup, to access the system recovery menu and tried the different options available to keep my files... This menu appears fine, no display issues. When it starts, I have two initial blue pages asking for my language and then my keyboard layout. Then, a third blue page displays: “Choose an option” with “Continue. Exit and go to Windows 10”, “Troubleshoot. Refresh your PC or reset it, or use advanced tools”, “Turn off your PC”.
I tried both possibilities:
(1) By clicking on “Continue”, the PC restarts and goes back to square one.
(2) By clicking on “Troubleshoot”, a new page displays four choices: “Refresh your PC (restore its performance without losing your files) / “Reset your PC (if you want to remove all your files) / “Recovery Manager. Backup and recovery HP or contact HP support” / “Advanced options”. I tried option 1 which shows me “Choose a target operating system” and only offers “Windows 10”, but when I confirm, I am informed that “an issue has occurred while refreshing your PC. No changes were made” and from then on I can only cancel the operation. Option 2 does not suit me because I want to keep my files. Option 3 works like option 1, I selected the only proposed target system, namely Windows 10, and a box offers me to restore the device to an earlier date (among several options), which I choose to do, but an error message indicates “No restore point has been created on your computer’s system drive. To create a restore point, open system protection” (when I click on “system protection”, it tells me that it is only available on a functioning operating system). Option 4 opens a box with various options: system restore (use a restore point) / system image recovery / system reset tool: fix problems preventing Windows from loading / command prompt / change UEFI firmware settings. Results: system recovery takes me back to the same point as option 3; I did not try system image recovery because I doubt I have a backup and besides, I am afraid of losing my files; the system reset tool does not diagnose any issues and hence leads nowhere; I did not touch the command prompt since I have no experience with it; same for UEFI firmware...
If you’ve been following along, you’ll understand that I have tried all the possible options offered by this menu and nothing I tried has worked... I read somewhere that it might be useful to reinstall Windows 10; but I do not have an installation file because I had performed the free installation offered at the time directly through a dialog box on my HP... I also read on forums things like “download the Windows 10 installation ISO, create installation media with Media Creation Tool” but I know nothing about all this and I do not understand the procedure at all, I have not found any clear information, every time there is a hint of a solution, users refer their explanations to other pages, leading me to get lost and there are often outdated or non-existent pages; in short, I am relying on your valuable help...
What do you advise me: can I restore a previous version by myself in order to best keep my files, and if so, what step-by-step procedure should I follow given everything I have already tried? Or should I rather hand the computer over to a computer technician to recover the files himself (is it still even possible?...)?
Finally, please note that I have a Windows 7 installation CD: is it possible to reinstall it over the current system to recover the files, even if the factory version of the PC is Windows 8?
Thank you in advance for your responses...
I am seeking your help regarding the famous Windows message that appears when there is an update bug. First of all, please know that I have consulted many forum pages to find a solution to this problem (in the case of HP), but I am reaching out to you because I absolutely did not understand the existing solutions to KEEP the files apart from those I have tried and detail below. I am quite troubled because there are Word documents and photos that I absolutely need to recover; I don’t care about the rest.
The PC: My computer is a HP Pavilion ultrabook, model 14-n200sf. Bought in the summer of 2014, it is no longer under warranty. Out of the box, the operating system is Windows 8. I had upgraded to Windows 10 the year it was offered for free.
The problem: The last time I used the PC, I chose the “Update and Shut Down” option, which did not pose any problems apparently. But when I turned it on today, while the computer displays the blue HP logo and the loading circle (which is usual before accessing the password page), an error message box named “Installing Windows” appears and tells me: “Windows could not complete the installation. To install Windows on this computer, restart the installer.” One clarification: NOTHING ELSE appears before or during the appearance of this error message, so I do not have access to the password login screen or any menu. I am writing to you from another PC.
My goal: to recover my files above all, I absolutely do not want to risk losing them.
What I have tried:
I) When I confirm the message (“OK”), the screen goes black, reloads with the HP logo, and the same error message reappears. This happens infinitely...
II) If I forcefully shut down the computer by holding down the power button on the keyboard (I have tried four times), always the same thing.
III) I tried the F11 key at startup, to access the system recovery menu and tried the different options available to keep my files... This menu appears fine, no display issues. When it starts, I have two initial blue pages asking for my language and then my keyboard layout. Then, a third blue page displays: “Choose an option” with “Continue. Exit and go to Windows 10”, “Troubleshoot. Refresh your PC or reset it, or use advanced tools”, “Turn off your PC”.
I tried both possibilities:
(1) By clicking on “Continue”, the PC restarts and goes back to square one.
(2) By clicking on “Troubleshoot”, a new page displays four choices: “Refresh your PC (restore its performance without losing your files) / “Reset your PC (if you want to remove all your files) / “Recovery Manager. Backup and recovery HP or contact HP support” / “Advanced options”. I tried option 1 which shows me “Choose a target operating system” and only offers “Windows 10”, but when I confirm, I am informed that “an issue has occurred while refreshing your PC. No changes were made” and from then on I can only cancel the operation. Option 2 does not suit me because I want to keep my files. Option 3 works like option 1, I selected the only proposed target system, namely Windows 10, and a box offers me to restore the device to an earlier date (among several options), which I choose to do, but an error message indicates “No restore point has been created on your computer’s system drive. To create a restore point, open system protection” (when I click on “system protection”, it tells me that it is only available on a functioning operating system). Option 4 opens a box with various options: system restore (use a restore point) / system image recovery / system reset tool: fix problems preventing Windows from loading / command prompt / change UEFI firmware settings. Results: system recovery takes me back to the same point as option 3; I did not try system image recovery because I doubt I have a backup and besides, I am afraid of losing my files; the system reset tool does not diagnose any issues and hence leads nowhere; I did not touch the command prompt since I have no experience with it; same for UEFI firmware...
If you’ve been following along, you’ll understand that I have tried all the possible options offered by this menu and nothing I tried has worked... I read somewhere that it might be useful to reinstall Windows 10; but I do not have an installation file because I had performed the free installation offered at the time directly through a dialog box on my HP... I also read on forums things like “download the Windows 10 installation ISO, create installation media with Media Creation Tool” but I know nothing about all this and I do not understand the procedure at all, I have not found any clear information, every time there is a hint of a solution, users refer their explanations to other pages, leading me to get lost and there are often outdated or non-existent pages; in short, I am relying on your valuable help...
What do you advise me: can I restore a previous version by myself in order to best keep my files, and if so, what step-by-step procedure should I follow given everything I have already tried? Or should I rather hand the computer over to a computer technician to recover the files himself (is it still even possible?...)?
Finally, please note that I have a Windows 7 installation CD: is it possible to reinstall it over the current system to recover the files, even if the factory version of the PC is Windows 8?
Thank you in advance for your responses...
3 réponses
S O L U T I O N
I am summarizing here the solution for internet users who might encounter the same problem (to be highlighted at the top of the topic if possible).
/!\ The error message "Windows could not complete the installation" means that there was a bug during the update. In other words: your PC is not dead. The only question that might trouble you concerns the backup of files that were present on the PC, but aside from that, the PC is fine, and the files are still inside (stored on the hard drive).
Start by trying everything I personally tried in the first message. Then, if nothing worked:
- If you don't mind losing your files, you can restore your computer to factory settings by pressing the F11 key as soon as you turn on your PC - regarding HP (for other brands, check a search engine to know the name of the key). Returning to factory settings will cancel the Windows updates, and therefore there will no longer be any error messages. This key will take you to the "Recovery System"; just follow the procedure. Note: by reverting to factory settings, your computer will revert to the original operating system, so if you had Windows Vista, 7, or 8 at the time of purchase, you will lose Windows 10, and you will need to reinstall it if you prefer it over the others.
- If you want to ensure that you recover all of your files, there are 2 absolute and inexpensive solutions that you can do yourself with a little patience: you need to disassemble the PC, which is doable yourself with a screwdriver suitable for the size of the screws contained in the PC and a "spudger" or any similar piece of stiff and thin plastic. For disassembly, watching a tutorial video on YouTube is the bare minimum for getting advice and avoiding breaking everything (e.g., search on YouTube: "disassemble HP Pavilion 14"). The goal is to remove the hard drive because that is what stores all data such as "Word documents" or "photos." Depending on the PC configuration, you will need to disassemble more or fewer components; you can see for yourself what you have in front of you (to recognize the hard drive, know that it is generally a rectangular metallic casing, about 12x8cm I would say). Once the hard drive is removed:
Solution 1 = use a "hard drive enclosure" to place the extracted hard drive in, which will allow you to connect the hard drive to another computer via a USB cable as if it were an external hard drive! This costs around €10. Be sure to get an enclosure suitable for your hard drive type (SATA/IDE/SSD); you can find out the type in the technical specifications of your computer that you should have read when you purchased it and/or that you can easily find online by doing a quick search on the exact "model" of your PC (name that is often printed very small on the back of your PC). Also beware: some hard drives have a black rubber protection that needs to be removed for the hard drive to fit into the enclosure.
Solution 2 = do exactly the same manipulation but with a "USB adapter for hard drives" instead of an enclosure. This is essentially the same thing. I believe that you don't need to remove any rubber protection in the case of the adapter.
With these two solutions, you can transfer all your files to the connected PC. Once you've recovered everything, you need to reassemble the PC by doing exactly the opposite of the movements made during disassembly and then follow the method given by gugu01 to eliminate the error message; or go through the Recovery System (F11 = first bullet solution) to revert to factory settings (PC like new so again, no message).
/!\ The best thing, before considering purchasing any product, is to disassemble the computer before any purchase to check if you can successfully remove the hard drive without breaking or endangering your PC; if you don't feel capable, move to the solution provided below.
- If you hope to keep your files without disassembling the computer and just want to eliminate the error message, refer to the solution as explained by gugu01 with the "data recovery" option via Linux, or the more direct option of reinstalling Windows 10, which usually preserves files (even if there remains a risk of corrupted, unreadable, or lost files). In any case, it seems that the guarantee of recovering files is still lower than in the previous solution because you're not directly extracting the information from the hard drive: you remain on your "sick" computer's interface, and it's unknown if the Windows update bug and/or a reinstallation on top of it has possibly altered files, damaged their access, etc.
I am summarizing here the solution for internet users who might encounter the same problem (to be highlighted at the top of the topic if possible).
/!\ The error message "Windows could not complete the installation" means that there was a bug during the update. In other words: your PC is not dead. The only question that might trouble you concerns the backup of files that were present on the PC, but aside from that, the PC is fine, and the files are still inside (stored on the hard drive).
Start by trying everything I personally tried in the first message. Then, if nothing worked:
- If you don't mind losing your files, you can restore your computer to factory settings by pressing the F11 key as soon as you turn on your PC - regarding HP (for other brands, check a search engine to know the name of the key). Returning to factory settings will cancel the Windows updates, and therefore there will no longer be any error messages. This key will take you to the "Recovery System"; just follow the procedure. Note: by reverting to factory settings, your computer will revert to the original operating system, so if you had Windows Vista, 7, or 8 at the time of purchase, you will lose Windows 10, and you will need to reinstall it if you prefer it over the others.
- If you want to ensure that you recover all of your files, there are 2 absolute and inexpensive solutions that you can do yourself with a little patience: you need to disassemble the PC, which is doable yourself with a screwdriver suitable for the size of the screws contained in the PC and a "spudger" or any similar piece of stiff and thin plastic. For disassembly, watching a tutorial video on YouTube is the bare minimum for getting advice and avoiding breaking everything (e.g., search on YouTube: "disassemble HP Pavilion 14"). The goal is to remove the hard drive because that is what stores all data such as "Word documents" or "photos." Depending on the PC configuration, you will need to disassemble more or fewer components; you can see for yourself what you have in front of you (to recognize the hard drive, know that it is generally a rectangular metallic casing, about 12x8cm I would say). Once the hard drive is removed:
Solution 1 = use a "hard drive enclosure" to place the extracted hard drive in, which will allow you to connect the hard drive to another computer via a USB cable as if it were an external hard drive! This costs around €10. Be sure to get an enclosure suitable for your hard drive type (SATA/IDE/SSD); you can find out the type in the technical specifications of your computer that you should have read when you purchased it and/or that you can easily find online by doing a quick search on the exact "model" of your PC (name that is often printed very small on the back of your PC). Also beware: some hard drives have a black rubber protection that needs to be removed for the hard drive to fit into the enclosure.
Solution 2 = do exactly the same manipulation but with a "USB adapter for hard drives" instead of an enclosure. This is essentially the same thing. I believe that you don't need to remove any rubber protection in the case of the adapter.
With these two solutions, you can transfer all your files to the connected PC. Once you've recovered everything, you need to reassemble the PC by doing exactly the opposite of the movements made during disassembly and then follow the method given by gugu01 to eliminate the error message; or go through the Recovery System (F11 = first bullet solution) to revert to factory settings (PC like new so again, no message).
/!\ The best thing, before considering purchasing any product, is to disassemble the computer before any purchase to check if you can successfully remove the hard drive without breaking or endangering your PC; if you don't feel capable, move to the solution provided below.
- If you hope to keep your files without disassembling the computer and just want to eliminate the error message, refer to the solution as explained by gugu01 with the "data recovery" option via Linux, or the more direct option of reinstalling Windows 10, which usually preserves files (even if there remains a risk of corrupted, unreadable, or lost files). In any case, it seems that the guarantee of recovering files is still lower than in the previous solution because you're not directly extracting the information from the hard drive: you remain on your "sick" computer's interface, and it's unknown if the Windows update bug and/or a reinstallation on top of it has possibly altered files, damaged their access, etc.
Note: this solution is valid for an HP Pavilion 14 and probably for all HP ultrabooks, at least from the same range. For other brands, this is not guaranteed.
To do this:
- At the startup of the computer, press the F11 key
- In the displayed menu, choose "Troubleshoot. Refresh your PC or reset it, or use advanced tools"
- Choose "Recovery Manager. HP Backup and Recovery or contact HP support" (and not directly "Reset your PC"!)
- Select the option to return to factory state (column 1). Normally, the HP Recovery Manager will warn you about file loss and offer to back them up.
The process was quite long for me (a little over two hours) and at the end, the PC asks for a CD, USB drive, or external hard drive to save the files. After which it initiates the return to factory state. Once your PC restarts, it's up to you to transfer your backed-up files back to your PC.
/!\ The error message "Windows could not complete the installation" means that there was a bug during the update. In other words: your PC is not dead.
WARNING, you cannot generalize a solution to a problem like this which can have a multitude of possible causes and therefore a multitude of possible solutions.
If you want to be sure to fully recover your files
Yes, 3 possibilities:
With the disk disassembled and connected externally to another PC.
or
Without disassembly, we explore and recover the data using a live Linux USB stick.
(Windows remains in sleep mode)
or
Without disassembly, we do an upgrade while backing up the files from a Windows 10 installation USB stick.
(small risk because we are working with a damaged Windows to begin with, and you never know with Windows, hence the Linux first for security)
"Warning: by reverting to factory settings, your computer will revert to the original operating system, so if you had Windows Vista, 7, or 8 at the time of purchase, you will lose Windows 10 and will need to reinstall it if you prefer it over the others. "
False and true, we go back to the old original Windows but we don’t really lose Windows 10 (I’m talking about the license)
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My opinion
Factory restoration is the worst solution when you have a PC that has transitioned from an old Windows to Windows 10.
Why:
> Chances of losing your data depending on the PC
> Duration of the procedure can be very long (here 2 hours)
> You end up with an old Windows 8 in that case (which was not great)
> You end up with all the crap software from the manufacturer, which unnecessarily slows down the system.
> Your system has old drivers....
If you want to go back to Windows 10 later
> go to the Microsoft upgrade page and start the process to revert to Windows 10.
No license key needed, since you have already had Windows 10 on the PC, the key is stored in the BIOS (motherboard) and Windows finds it by itself and activates it.
> You are therefore starting anew from old, not great because the system is not at its cleanest.
> this procedure can be long, sometimes hours.
Conclusion for factory restoration and reverting to Windows 10:
Hours and hours for a not-so-great result and risks of crashing or losing data during all these steps.
+ the time spent searching for this solution.
Preferred solutions when you have a PC that has moved from an old Windows to Windows 10:
> data recovery as mentioned, three possibilities (some additional security)
> create a Windows 10 installation USB stick from another PC. (if you don’t have one, go have an aperitif with a friend)
(30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the PC and connection)
> once done, start your PC to repair from the USB stick.
Depending on the case, we either repair
(15 minutes)
or
upgrade while keeping the files
(30 minutes this restores a new Windows without touching the rest)
or
customize
(30 minutes this installs Windows without keeping anything on the chosen partition, as clean as possible.
You choose to put it on the main partition, the other partitions if there are documents on them will not be affected
or
you can even delete all of them, only those necessary for Windows will be recreated, no more factory partitions so you won't be tempted anymore lol
In both cases, a windows.old file will be created and you also have a chance to find your documents in it)
Conclusion:
Time for creating the USB and repair or installation, count 1 to 2 hours.
Clean system.
Once you’ve tried this method, you will know very easily how to do it again next time and faster.
For the record, I've been quite "broad", it's to give you an idea because you understand many solutions exist depending on the specific case.
Details here > https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-35353217-windows-n-a-pas-pu-terminer-l-installation#8