14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8.1 was officially launched in October 2013, and while some had really big problems when trying to install the update in the first months of availability, others managed to deploy it quite fast, with no issues whatsoever.
A third category of users are still experiencing problems with Windows 8.1, and complaints published on Microsoft’s Community forums confirm that Redmond is yet to address the problem.
The first message reporting the issue was posted on October 17, 2013, soon after the public launch of the operating system.
Users were quick to confirm the problems on various hardware configurations, and although Microsoft tried to address the issue with various workarounds, no solution worked for everyone.
What causes the issue?
The answer to this question is pretty much unknown, and not even Microsoft can tell what goes wrong with Windows 8.1 on some Windows 8 computers.
Here is the message posted by the user who started the thread and detailing the issue:
“I have downloaded the Windows 8.1 update from the store but cannot get it to install. Each time I try, I get to the point where it is ‘getting my devices ready,’ then the PC restarts to a blue screen with error message. It then tries to recover the installation, fails, then restores Windows 8. When the system boots up after this, I get a message saying: ‘Couldn't update to Windows 8.1 Sorry, we couldn't complete the update to Windows 8.1. We've restored your previous version of Windows to this PC. 0xC1900101 - 0x40017.’”
One year later, still the same error
At this point, the Microsoft Community thread where users are complaining about this issue counts 77 pages, and many claim that all workarounds make absolutely no difference, no matter if they come from Microsoft or other sources.
One of those who tried to install Windows 8.1 with no success claims that formatting all drivers and installing Windows from scratch doesn’t work either and deploying the OS update is still impossible.
“I have reformatted my PC. Installed from scratch. Installed no software. Works with win 8. But once I try upgrading to 8.1 proper, it fails. I tried all ways, update drivers then upgrade. I have stripped the PC to barebones with only graphics card and a normal HDD. Get this error too. Seems like I am stuck with win 8. Ot is frustrating. And the PC is only two years old. Works perfectly fine. Throwing it out just doesn't cut it for me,” he posted.
Of course, everyone is still hoping that Microsoft would at some point come up with a fix, even though the company is already gearing up for the release of another OS version.