Question Windows 10 laptop upgrade question

[Muse]

I have two similar Lenovo P1 laptops, a P1Gen1 and a P1Gen3. Both run Windows 10 64bit ATM. So, having been busy with other concerns I've declined the MS prompts to "upgrade" to Windows 11, but am aware that support ceases on Oct. 14.

Both these machines have had issues for years.

The Gen3 machine doesn't suspend. I forget exactly how this manifests, but it's been a few years since this cropped up. My workaround is to use hibernate, which does work. I close the lid, it hibernates. I open the lid and it takes maybe 20-30 seconds before the browser (default now is Firefox) to wake up and function, other programs less time.

The Gen1 machine's problem is more challenging and is the reason I'm posting this. I can't get a USB storage device to come up in File Explorer. This has been consistent for years. If I connect a USB cable to one of my LG phones, it is seen in File Manager, but no storage device is seen. Disk Management sees a USB HDD or a flash drive but won't assign a drive letter. I've followed directions to fix that to no avail. I've figured all along that a clean install of Windows would probably fix this but haven't tried it.

Now, a search says to clean install Windows (right now I suppose it should be Windows 11) I'd need to create a bootable USB storage device after downloading an MS utility that I'd use to create it. Well, since the P1Gen1 machine isn't currently able to do anything with a USB storage device in Windows itself, I figure I might not be able to do a Windows 11 clean install.

Should I create a bootable flash drive and see if the machine will boot to it? Is there another workaround for this problem?

Suggestions welcome!

 

[Muse]

Online research yesterday suggested try Fortect and I've been running the 24 hour free version, on both laptops, actually. Maybe a waste of time. Same problem with the P1Gen1 machine, haven't checked on the other. Fortect Free is extremely annoying because it makes you run every little thing manually and it throttles the download speed of drivers tremendously, Fortect itself says 10x! They try to get you to pay for the "Premium" version by boring the hell out of you.

 

[bba-tcg]

I have two similar Lenovo P1 laptops, a P1Gen1 and a P1Gen3. Both run Windows 10 64bit ATM. So, having been busy with other concerns I've declined the MS prompts to "upgrade" to Windows 11, but am aware that support ceases on Oct. 14.

Both these machines have had issues for years.

The Gen3 machine doesn't suspend. I forget exactly how this manifests, but it's been a few years since this cropped up. My workaround is to use hibernate, which does work. I close the lid, it hibernates. I open the lid and it takes maybe 20-30 seconds before the browser (default now is Firefox) to wake up and function, other programs less time.

The Gen1 machine's problem is more challenging and is the reason I'm posting this. I can't get a USB storage device to come up in File Explorer. This has been consistent for years. If I connect a USB cable to one of my LG phones, it is seen in File Manager, but no storage device is seen. Disk Management sees a USB HDD or a flash drive but won't assign a drive letter. I've followed directions to fix that to no avail. I've figured all along that a clean install of Windows would probably fix this but haven't tried it.

Now, a search says to clean install Windows (right now I suppose it should be Windows 11) I'd need to create a bootable USB storage device after downloading an MS utility that I'd use to create it. Well, since the P1Gen1 machine isn't currently able to do anything with a USB storage device in Windows itself, I figure I might not be able to do a Windows 11 clean install.

Should I create a bootable flash drive and see if the machine will boot to it? Is there another workaround for this problem?

Suggestions welcome!

You could download the Windows 11 ISO to the desktop, mount it and run setup from there. No USB required.

 

[Muse]

You could download the Windows 11 ISO to the desktop, mount it and run setup from there. No USB required.

Would that give me a clean install, completely. No remnants of anything before? Would it reformat the disk?

 

[bba-tcg]

Would that give me a clean install, completely. No remnants of anything before? Would it reformat the disk?

If you tell it to. Obviously, you can't format the disk, but you can tell it not to save anything.

Edit: and if you're correct about the USB issue being windows related, you could always format and reinstall afterwards. Or, you could make the flash drive on the other laptop and see if the laptop in question can boot from it.

 

[Muse]

If you tell it to. Obviously, you can't format the disk, but you can tell it not to save anything.

Edit: and if you're correct about the USB issue being windows related, you could always format and reinstall afterwards. Or, you could make the flash drive on the other laptop and see if the laptop in question can boot from it.

Yup, will need a bootable windows flash drive anyway for the other laptop. See if the P1Gen1 will boot from it.

Another problem cropped up this afternoon while running Fortect on both laptops. The P1Gen1 (same as can't deal with USB storage devices) has no sound now. I am almost positive that just happened today. Tried everything, can't get a peep from speakers or headphones. I suppose a clean install of Windows 11 will resolve that.

I did the whole 99 yards with Fortect trial version, quite tedious but I can't see a thing that I neglected to do.

I also ran sfc /scannow on both laptops. Don't know that it did anything, however the problem laptop reported it replaced corrupt files. I didn't look at log(s) to try to find out what.

Another development, the P1Gen3 machine that seemed pretty OK except wouldn't go to sleep is now evidently not having that problem.

Fortect reported that there was no malware on either machine.

Windows Defender has never said it found any threats on either machine. The good machine is my everyday laptop.

I don't understand how Fortect found so many drivers to update. There were probably upwards of 25 on each machine that it said needed updating and I just went along with the whole process but I had to initiate every action. It throttled the download speed by at least 90%. Lenovo, however, consistently reported that my drivers were up to date, as did Windows Update.

 

[bba-tcg]

Yup, will need a bootable windows flash drive anyway for the other laptop. See if the P1Gen1 will boot from it.

Another problem cropped up this afternoon while running Fortect on both laptops. The P1Gen1 (same as can't deal with USB storage devices) has no sound now. I am almost positive that just happened today. Tried everything, can't get a peep from speakers or headphones. I suppose a clean install of Windows 11 will resolve that.

I did the whole 99 yards with Fortect trial version, quite tedious but I can't see a thing that I neglected to do.

I also ran sfc /scannow on both laptops. Don't know that it did anything, however the problem laptop reported it replaced corrupt files. I didn't look at log(s) to try to find out what.

Another development, the P1Gen3 machine that seemed pretty OK except wouldn't go to sleep is now evidently not having that problem.

Fortect reported that there was no malware on either machine.

Windows Defender has never said it found any threats on either machine. The good machine is my everyday laptop.

I don't understand how Fortect found so many drivers to update. There were probably upwards of 25 on each machine that it said needed updating and I just went along with the whole process but I had to initiate every action. It throttled the download speed by at least 90%. Lenovo, however, consistently reported that my drivers were up to date.

Most of those drivers were probably okay to start with. I shun driver update programs.