When It Comes to the Creators Update, Patience is the Key

By | April 24, 2017
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When It Comes to the Creators Update, Patience is the Key

NOTE: This was written for the April 2017 Creators Update (Version 1703)… but it applies to all Windows 10 Version Updates. Many problems with the update are caused by thinking the update has stopped or frozen and restarting the computer before the update is completed. This ends up causing a myriad of problems. So, patience is the key. This article applies to all version updates including the April 2018 Update (version 1803) released May 1, 2018.

Darcy set up Creators update a week ago, but I decided to wait until the weekend, when not much is going on, to update my work PC. I’m glad I waited.

As most of you know, Microsoft began rolling out the Windows 10 Creators Update on April 11, 2017, and as of today, most Windows 10 users are still waiting for the update. It will eventually be delivered to every Windows 10 user via Windows update, unless the user has chosen to delay the update (available only on Pro and Enterprise editions) or is using the metered connection tip (discussed here) to delay the update.

11:45 AM Saturday

I checked my Windows update, but found that the Creators Update was still not being offered to me via Windows update. So, I downloaded the Windows 10 update assistant from Microsoft (available here).

It was a quick and easy download. I double-clicked on the upgrade assistant and it started downloading Windows 10 Version 1703 (Creators Update). It took a while to download since the file is over 3 GB. Once it had downloaded, the upgrade assistant checked the integrity of the download and all was ready to go. I followed the easy on-screen instructions ( I clicked “Next” a couple of times ) and the installation began.

1:05 PM Saturday

An hour after the update started to install, Windows update assistant told me the update was 17% complete. It was slow going for sure. I looked at the clock and it was now a little after 1 PM. I didn’t feel like sitting around watching the update’s progress, so I went and had some lunch at a cheap 🙂 restaurant about a half hour away from my home. After lunch, I drove home and looked at the clock:

2:40 PM Saturday

I checked my PC and Windows showed that the update was 87% complete. The little circle animation on the screen was spinning around and around so I figured, no problem, it’s still installing.

3:10 PM Saturday

A half an hour later i came back, and it still said it was 87% complete? Was it frozen in spite of the spinning circle animation put there by Microsoft to make me think all is well?

I decided to wait.

3:40 PM Saturday

I came back and checked again – still at 87% complete. Hmmm…I made the decision that I would wait one more hour and, if it still said 87% complete, I would declare it frozen. Then I would shut down and restart my computer… and hope Windows would revert to my previous version of Windows without any problems.

4:10 PM Saturday

Still 87% complete; animation still spinning ’round and ’round.

4:45 PM Saturday

I came back and checked my computer expecting to see 87% complete and, YAY! I saw that progress has been made. Not much progress, but Windows now told me that the update was 91% complete. And the animation was spinning round and round.

Patience is a virtue!

5:10 PM Saturday

Hooray! Windows 10 Creators Update was successfully installed. I was presented with a screen full of privacy options – a list of on / off switches where I got to choose how much data I wanted to share with Microsoft – I turned all the switches off, despite Microsoft telling me how much more wonderful my Windows experience would be if I left them all switched on.

The next screen offered help in setting up my PC, with Cortana ready to “Talk” me through it. There was not much to set up, my computer looked exactly like it did over 5 hours before, when I started this long journey. All my desktop icons were there, all my programs were there, all my files were there, but it was definitely Windows 10 Creators Update. There are some pretty big differences, but no earth-shaking ones, if that make any sense to you.

Darcy updated her PC (clean install) in about an hour. I updated mine and it took over five hours.I have a fast processor and 8 GB of RAM – my work computer, while not a powerhouse, is probably what you’d call a middle-of-road PC.

Here’s the moral to this story: If you are going to do a major upgrade like Windows 10 Creators Update, then allow plenty of time – don’t be in a rush, and do not assume that because the upgrade looks like it’s stuck, that it is.

Be patient, and if your update goes anything like mine, your patience will be rewarded with a hassle-free upgrade, albeit a very time-consuming one.



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12 thoughts on “When It Comes to the Creators Update, Patience is the Key

  1. Mark Bajorek

    Thanks for the tips. You’ve saved me much unpleasant anguish assuming a frozen update!

    Reply
  2. Ron Evers

    I did my update on Monday morning when I had many chores to to. This laptop was purchased with Windows 10 Pro installed. I was prepared for a long download. Time element did not matter because I wasn’t planing on using my laptop that morning. There was a sight delay toward the end of the download but nothing major. The only thing that I lost was my Windows 8 solitaire. Next Monday I update my other laptop that was originally purchased with Windows 7 Pro installed. It will probably take longer.

    Reply
    1. infoave Post author

      Thanks for you input, Ron. We just want people to know it can take one hour or five hours. It doesn’t seem to matter. I read one story from a tech site where they were updating one of their high-end computers and it took them over 4 hours… it stalled at 87% for over 2 hours. So it doesn’t matter what kind of computer or how expensive or how powerful; how long it takes to install the Creators Update varies greatly. We wanted to point out, people may have to give it a lot of time. Patience is key.

      Reply
  3. Jim Bonds

    “Creators”? I’ve known many programmers that are inherently egocentric but this is going a bit too far!
    Does anybody know if God is Microsoft certified?

    Reply
    1. infoave Post author

      I think your Microsoft bias is showing 🙂 It’s called Creators Update not “Creator’s Update”. Big difference. The reason why it is called the Creators Update is because of the new creativity tools like Paint 3D that are included. So, just remember it’s not the “Creator’s” update, it’s the Creators Update. I don’t even think Microsoft thinks they are a god. Windows is not even the biggest operating system anymore, it’s Android. Microsoft is still scrambling to catch up with Google & Apple.

      Reply
  4. D.

    Microsoft is wanting us to do two Windows 10 feature updates a year ( https://blogs.windows.com/business/2017/04/20/windows-office-align-feature-release-schedules-benefit-customers/#xHSP1m3Jg0SsQfEL.97 ).

    If we are doing two full re-installs a year maybe we should be doing a clean install. If you have any thought about that later on bring that up. It might make a difference and it might not. It might be good to do a survey to see how long it took on a clean install an installing on top of, and did they have any hanging on either one. Any problems after, good , few, bad of either one. Use your words. Just a thought. I really appreciate you letting us know how big the download was, and about the hanging of the download especially. It would be interesting to know what was causing you to hang at that number.

    Reply
    1. infoave Post author

      I think “clean installs” have their place, but if you’re doing it because Windows 10 creators update installs faster as clean install than an update, you have to consider the time it would take you to put all your files / folders / data back from a backup drive – then how long it would take to install all your programs, and get everything set up the way you like it? Back in earlier days of Windows, clean installs were vastly superior to update. I’m sure many will argue with me, but Windows 10 Creators Update is not whole new version of Windows, 90% of Windows 10 Creators Update (Version 1703) is installed with Windows 10 and Windows 10 1607 (Anniversary update).

      Everyone has their own way of doing things. Yes, it took me 5 hours to update my work laptop to Windows 10 Creators Update (1703). But, while it was doing it, I went out for lunch and did other things, so it was not as if I were tethered to the laptop for 5 hours. It may be different for but, it would have taken me at least 5 hours to move all my files back, reinstall all my programs, and set up my computer exactly the way I like it. Maybe it wouldn’t take you that long to move all your files back and reinstall all your programs. I don’t know. Even a clean install is most likely going to take you an hour. Then add to that the time it will take to get all your files back and reinstall your programs and get things set up correctly. Then decide. And remember, my experience is not typical, from what I’ve heard from others most of the time even an upgrade only takes a couple of hours – this article was only to remind people to be patient and not get frustrated if it seems to be taking much longer than they think it should.

      Also, if you google it, you’ll see it does not always hang for everyone at that number – and I’m not even sure “hanging” is the right word. Obviously it was still working even though the 87% did not change for a long time. Others are reporting it stalls at 75%, some say 60%, others at 87%. The point is, not to get impatient and restart the PC.

      Reply
      1. D.

        Yes, like you said if it is still working it is really not hanging at some number, but that is what I most hear everyone call it also… hanging. It makes you wonder if it is removing something then going on. Who knows! The most important thing as you were saying though was “not” to restart that PC while it was still working out of all this though. I could see that being done (restart the PC) with that long of wait on some “if” it happened to take that long.

        By what you have wrote I’m just going to install over it. I did not see anything you wrote that would make sense for me to do other wise really. At least for me.

        Thanks for taking the time to write that and explaining.

        Reply
  5. Jason Miller

    I did my update “upon request” and it took 2.5 hours. It did hang up at 87% for about 15 minutes. Everything went smoothly and my laptop looked the same as it did when I started.
    I have not tried out the new Paint program as yet.

    Reply
  6. BILL

    I went with the update assistant and started the download ,it quit after about 15 % with an error message. I checked to retry and the up date took about 7 / 8hours to complete. I didn’t keep watch of the laptop to see if there was any hang ups. This laptop is only used for the purpose of learning Win 10 as I use 2 Win 7 desktops for every day use. It might have been less than 8 hours had I kept track of the download, plus my ISP may not be the fasted downloader on the market.

    Reply
  7. Bill

    I went with the update assistant and downloaded the ISO to a flash drive. It took about 5 / 6 hours. No hang ups as far as I know, but this laptop with win 10 is only used for learning as I use 2 win 7 home ,& pro for every day use. Win 10 indicated that the software removal tool was ready to download, since it was late I turned the laptop off. Will the ISO contain the software removal tool or should I download this update and then install version 1703 ??

    Reply

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