How to: Force Download Windows 10 Fall Update

Infopackets Reader Frank T. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

Thanks for your ongoing coverage on Windows 10. My question is: how can I download the Windows 10 Fall Update (version 10586) to my machine? It downloaded automatically onto my laptop, but not my main PC. I searched online on how to download Windows 10 Fall Update but came across conflicting reports, some of which worked and some that don't. Can you help? "

My response:

I also did some research on this as I was having the same issue. My server PC downloaded Windows 10 Fall Update but none of my other PCs did, even though everything was current. A few sites I came across stated that in order to receive the new update, you had to clean out your Windows Update download folder, while other suggested using the disk cleanup in order to download the fall update. However, the findings were inconclusive.

How to: Force Download Windows 10 Fall Update

What worked for me was using the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to force the Windows 10 Fall Update to download as an .ISO file.

Here's what I did:

I downloaded the latest version of the Media Creation Tool; I ran it and it came pre-selected with all the options I needed to download the same version of Windows 10 running on my machine. Since I wanted both 64 and 32 bit versions of Windows 10 Pro, I selected that instead; the Media Creation Tool then downloaded a 5.7GB file to my hard drive in .ISO format.

I verified that the version of Windows 10 that I downloaded was in fact version 10586; to do so: I used Daemon Tools Lite to mount the .ISO image, then right clicked over top of the setup.exe file and looked at the Details tab, which said that the setup.exe was version 10.0.10586.0.

I closed out that window and double clicked the setup.exe file and upgraded my PC to Windows 10 10586. I then used the same .ISO image (and Daemon Tools Lite) to upgrade 2 other PCs on my network without any issues.

Here are the steps in detail:

1. Go to Microsoft's website and download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool (click the "download Tool now" button). Note that Microsoft has done away with the download links to the both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Media Creation Tool on this page; now there is only one link to download the proper version.
    
2. Double click the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool executable after it has downloaded to your PC. Choose the option to "Create installation media for another PC" and click Next.
    
3. The proceeding window will be entitled: "Select language, architecture, and edition", and there will be options that are pre-selected for you based on the current version of Windows 10 that is running on your machine. If you have other machines that have the same version of Windows 10, you can re-use the download and upgrade other machines. If your other machines are using a different version of Windows 10, then you may have to download separate copies using the Media Creation Tool. Once you have the proper version selected, click Next.
    
4. The next window will be entitled "Choose which media to use". If you are downloading only 1 version of Windows 10 (x86 or x64) and you intend to burn it to disc, then you can use a single layer DVD (4.7GB); if you selected both x86 and x64, then you will need a dual layer DVD to save both versions on one disc. If you are using a USB drive then you will need at least 4GB for one version and 8GB for both versions. Either way, select "ISO file" as media to use as it will work for both DVD or USB, and click Next to continue.
    
5. The Media Creation Tool will then ask you were to save the file. Save it wherever you want (preferably either on the desktop or in your download folder).
    
6. Once the download is finished, the Media Creation Tool will run some checks, then ask if you want to burn the ISO file to DVD. I suggest you choose not to do that and instead close out the program, and proceed to the next step.
    
7. To burn the DVD, I suggest you use CD Burner XP (free) - don't forget to choose the option to burn ISO image so that it writes ISO properly to DVD. To write the ISO to a USB thumb drive, I suggest you use Rufus (free). Once the media has been created with either program, you can upgrade your machine by launching the setup.exe on the media.
    
8. OPTIONALLY: if you don't want to burn the .ISO and would rather run the .ISO as a file, then I suggest you use Daemon Tools Lite (free) to mount the .ISO as a virtual DVD and run it that way. The benefit to using Daemon Tools Lite versus writing the media to DVD or USB is that you don't waste any media, plus it's generally faster to run the upgrade from hard drive (especially if you own an SSD).

Additional 1-on-1 Support: From Dennis

If all of this is over your head and you need help upgrading your machine (or machines), I can do it for you. Simply contact me and we can set up a time to meet online using remote desktop support.

Got a Computer Question or Problem? Ask Dennis!

I need more computer questions. If you have a computer question -- or even a computer problem that needs fixing -- please email me with your question so that I can write more articles like this one. I can't promise I'll respond to all the messages I receive (depending on the volume), but I'll do my best.

About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.