I didn’t expect my last Windows 10 upgrade to turn into a troubleshooting marathon—but here we are. With the October 14, 2025 end-of-support deadline looming, I figured I’d do a final round of upgrades for a few legacy machines in my lab. Nothing fancy—just a couple of Intel NUCs and an old ThinkPad X1 Carbon running Hyper-V. I’ve used Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool (MCT) for years without issue. This time? Total failure.
Why I Chose This Setup
I’ve always preferred using MCT for clean installs and upgrades. It’s straightforward, doesn’t require third-party tools, and usually plays nice with corporate environments. Plus, I had a few devices that didn’t show the Windows 11 upgrade prompt via Windows Update, so MCT felt like the safest bet.
What Actually Happened
I downloaded the latest MCT from Microsoft’s site—version 26100, I believe—and ran it on a fully patched Windows 10 Pro machine. The tool launched, but the moment I selected “Upgrade this PC now,” it threw a generic error. No code, no explanation. Just a vague “Something went wrong.” Tried it again on a second device—same result. On a third, it launched but reverted back to Windows 10 after the first reboot. It was like the tool had stage fright.
Most guides still recommend MCT as the go-to method, but in my case, it was dead on arrival.
Workarounds That Actually Worked
Not gonna lie, I was winging it at first. Eventually, I switched gears:
- Windows Update: On newer hardware, this worked fine. If your device meets the Windows 11 requirements, this is still the cleanest path.
- Rufus + ISO: For the stubborn machines, I downloaded the official ISO from Microsoft and used Rufus to create bootable media. Rufus even lets you bypass TPM and Secure Boot checks if needed—though I only used that on test rigs.
- Manual Mount: On one VM, I just mounted the ISO directly and ran setup.exe. Surprisingly smooth.
Lessons Learned
- Don’t wait until the last week of support to upgrade. Seriously.
- Always have a backup tool. MCT is convenient, but when it breaks, you need a Plan B.
- Rufus is underrated. I used to avoid third-party tools for production environments, but this one’s earned its place.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Breaking MCT days before Windows 10’s EOL feels like a cruel joke. I get that bugs happen, but when millions rely on a single upgrade path, you’d expect better QA. If you’re managing multiple endpoints, I’d recommend scripting ISO deployments or using Endpoint Manager instead of relying on MCT.
Have you run into the same issue with MCT? Did Windows Update bail you out, or did you have to go the Rufus route too? Drop your setup or workaround below—I’d love to hear how others are navigating this mess.
