BitLocker - Jet Mariano

*When the upgrade sits at 99%… don’t panic. Go offline and run the ISO upgrade the smart way*

Windows 10 reaches end of life on Oct 5, 2025. After that, it won’t get security updates. If you stay on Win10, your machine is a sitting duck for malware and attackers. Don’t procrastinate.

If Windows Update keeps failing—or hangs forever at 99%—use this clean, offline upgrade that skips the flaky “checking for updates” step.

1) First, confirm your PC is Windows 11–ready

Use Microsoft’s official checker:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/check-if-a-device-meets-windows-11-system-requirements-after-changing-device-hardware-f3bc0aeb-6884-41a1-ab57-88258df6812b

Important: The most common blockers are the CPU and motherboard (TPM 2.0, UEFI/Secure Boot). If your device doesn’t meet Windows 11 requirements, it’s unsupported after Oct 5, 2025. Treat that Windows 10 PC as unsafe for internet use—either upgrade/replace the hardware, reassign it to offline tasks, or retire it.

2) Prep (5–10 minutes)

Unplug non-essential USB devices (drives, printers, docks).
Ensure ≥30 GB free on C:.
Suspend BitLocker (if enabled): Control Panel → BitLocker → Suspend.
Temporarily disable third-party AV/VPN.
Clean Boot: msconfig → Services → Hide Microsoft services → Disable all; Startup → disable everything.

3) Reset Windows Update & appraiser caches (PowerShell)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptsvc

ren "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution" SoftwareDistribution.old
ren "C:\Windows\System32\catroot2" catroot2.old

rd /s /q "C:\$WINDOWS.~BT"
rd /s /q "C:\$WINDOWS.~WS"
rd /s /q "C:\Windows\Panther"
md "C:\Windows\Panther"

net start cryptsvc
net start bits
net start wuauserv

Then heal the image:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

4) Run the upgrade offline from ISO (no update checks)

Download the official Windows 11 ISO (same edition/language/arch) from Microsoft.
Right-click the ISO → Mount → note the drive letter (e.g., E:).
Disconnect the network (unplug Ethernet / disable Wi-Fi).
In elevated PowerShell, launch Setup with Dynamic Update disabled:

Start-Process -FilePath 'E:\setup.exe' -ArgumentList '/auto upgrade /dynamicupdate disable /copylogs C:\$UpgradeLogs' -Verb RunAs -Wait

(Optional quick blocker scan without upgrading):

Start-Process -FilePath 'E:\setup.exe' -ArgumentList '/compat scanonly /dynamicupdate disable' -Verb RunAs -Wait

5) If it still stalls

Drivers (most common):
- Storage: Device Manager → Storage controllers → switch to Microsoft Standard controller (Update driver → Let me pick).
- Display: use Microsoft Basic Display Adapter temporarily.
- Remove extra language packs, old VPN clients, and heavy OEM utilities.
BIOS/Chipset: update from your PC maker’s support page.
Rerun the offline setup command.

6) Pinpoint the exact blocker (2 minutes)

If it fails again, run Microsoft SetupDiag and read the summary:

mkdir C:\SetupDiag; cd C:\SetupDiag
.\SetupDiag.exe /Output:C:\SetupDiag\SetupDiagResults.log

Codes like 0xC1900101-0x… usually name a driver (oem*.inf)—remove/roll it back and retry.
Dynamic-Update/Appraiser errors → repeat Step 3 and ensure you’re truly offline with /dynamicupdate disable.

7) After success

Re-enable BitLocker, AV/VPN, and normal startup apps.
Reconnect the network and run Windows Update to pull fresh drivers and features.

Jet Mariano

Tag: BitLocker

Beat the 99% Wall: Upgrade Windows 10 → 11 the Easy Offline Way (Do This Before Oct 5, 2025)