Windows 10 May Update still won't install from USB sticks

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by Milan Stanojevic 

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Windows 10 v1903 blocks USB devices

Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 KB4497935 on May 29, 2019. This update was released to fix various issues in Windows 10 version 1903 and Windows Server 1903.

If we have a look at the complete changelog, Microsoft claims to fix the following bug in the operating system.

Addresses an issue that may cause an external USB device or SD memory card to be reassigned to an incorrect drive during installation. For more information, see “This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10” error on a computer that has a USB device or SD card attached.

However, it is surprising to see that the bug is still there and it was not actually resolved in the first place.

Recently, one Windows 10 user who attempted to install the update via a USB drive failed to do so. The OP described the issue in the following manner:

According to the description of the fixes in KB4497935 the bug with the USB devices should have been fixed, but it still does not allow updates with installation media on a USB stick. I tried to do an update with installation media build 18362.145 on a system already at 18362.145 and still gets the error message below:

Windows Upgrade error

The user added that the update from Windows 10 version 1903 to a preview 20H1 build 18908.1000 via a USB drive completed successfully.

The Media Creation Tool is the culprit

This issue is pretty frustrating for many who installed the latest feature update on their production machines. Microsoft’s employee described a potential reason behind the issue.

Media creation tool isn’t updated immediately. It might take a while for the fix to get it corrected in the installation media.

We’ve written extensively on how to fix frequent Media Creation Tool bugs. This guide may help you fix the issue.

Check the product version

Some people pointed out that you need to check the version of your Setup.exe file. The changelog suggests that this update bumps the existing version to OS Build 18362.145.

Therefore, the Setup.exe file should have the same number. You can check the version by following these steps.

  1. Right-click the Setup.exe file and select Properties. setup.exe properties
  2. Navigate to the Details tab and check the value against the Product version.

This clearly means that Microsoft forgot to update the installer for KB4497935. Unplug the SD Card/USB Stick and manually update your system by copying the installation media to the hard drive in this case. However, you can also rollback to a previous stable build.

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More about the topics: USB flash drive, windows 10

Milan Stanojevic

Milan Stanojevic Shield

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He's a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology. Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he's one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.