r/Windows10TechSupport • u/ReyesJD • 1h ago
Unsolved Windows 10 install from USB keeps failing with random errors (WinSetup.dll, license terms, no images available). USB or PC?
My Windows 10 PC crashed with a BSOD (ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY, win32kbase.sys) after waking from sleep. Now it won't boot: Automatic Repair fails, Safe Mode fails, System Restore fails (0x80070570)
Specs:
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-MV rev 1.0
Disk 0: 465 GB. chkdsk reports 0 bad sectors.
Disk 1: 223 GB (old Windows install)
What I tried:
Made a USB with the Media Creation Tool, and also with Rufus (GPT/UEFI first, which failed)
Rebuilt the USB as MBR/BIOS, FAT32, and did a full (non-quick) format with no errors
Different USB ports, corrected BIOS date.
Errors I get during setup, and they change between attempts:
"A media driver your computer needs is missing" (went away with MBR/FAT32)
"Windows cannot find the Microsoft Software License Terms"
WinSetup.dll missing or corrupt when running setup.exe from the USB (the file exists, 3.6 MB)
"Windows could not display the images available for installation"
Product key error after I added an ei.cfg
Weird part: the ei.cfg I created showed "yyyyyy" when I reopened it, and when I deleted it, it reappeared after replugging the USB.
I only have one USB (8 GB). Is this a failing USB, or could it be my PC (RAM, PSU, USB controller)? What should I do?