Windows 11 upgrade

Question

For 3 months I have been getting notices from Microsoft to update to Windows 11 before 10/14/25. I finally tried to update today and the download started immediately, however, it got as far as 95% downloaded and everything froze up. Even the clock on my laptop froze. I restarted the computer and I then got a blue screen with this message: STOPCODE CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT. I clicked on RESTART and the Windows 11 download started up again but once it reached 95% it stopped again.

MS says my laptop is compatible for windows 11.

Any ideas as to what I do now?

Answer 1

It is a Dell Inspiron 3583 with Intel CORE 13 8th Gen.

FYI - I run the Dell Support Assist at least once a month and it always says there are o issues.

I have also ran the Microsoft Trouble Shooter and it says there are no issues with the hard drive.

When I was on the Dell support page it said t make sure drivers for BIOS/UEF1 were updated to the latest version. My laptop says the latest version is 4/10/24 but Dell says the latest is 6/2024. I was going to download the latest version but it also said that if you do this to be very careful because it can mess up a lot of things. So that kind of scared me off. I would have thought that the Dell Support Assist would automatically update those drivers when I run it each month.

Answer 2

Hi, thank you for that information. Yes, it is better if you can update the BIOS and UEFI with the help of Dell support, so they can guide you. Moreover, kindly follow the steps below for us to fix the issue:

 

Method 1. Run the Intel Diagnostic tool:

 

Go to this link: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/15951/19792/intel-processor-diagnostic-tool.html

Then download and run the tool.

 

Suppose there is a failure on the test. In that case, that means there is a hardware issue with your processor, which you need to contact Intel support or a local technician for the next step, which might be a processor replacement or board, depending on the diagnosis of the hardware.

 

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Method 1. Do clean boot:

A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program.

• In the search box on the taskbar, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.
• On the Services tab of System Configuration, select Hide all Microsoft services, and then select Disable all.
• On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.
• Under Startup in Task Manager, for each startup item, select the item and then select Disable.
• Close Task Manager.
• On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK. When you restart the computer, it's in a clean boot environment.

Troubleshooting reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

Method 2. Run memory diagnostic tool: The memory diagnostic tool is a RAM test to check if there are any RAM issues that cause the processor to malfunction.

• Press Windows key + R, then type in mdsched.exe hit OK, then restart the device.

Note: If the issue persists, I suggest contacting your manufacturer's support to physically check the processor, update the BIOS/UEFI, or do a repasting of thermal paste to optimize the processor.

Answer 3

So I did all of these tests and they all passed with no problems. I won't know right away if the problem still persists because it just randomly happens. If I continue to have the problem I think I am just gong to buy a new laptop and hope that when I retrieve my files and stuff from the cloud the problem won't be downloaded on to my new laptop. Thank you for your help.

Answer 4

This seemed to work as I was finally able to upgrade to Windows 11 without any issues. I have not had any stop code failures since then so I believe all is working correctly. Thank you so much for all your help and patience.

Answer 5

You are always welcome, and I'm glad it is now all good.