SOLVED Update to 1903 impossible, possibly problem with old data from a PC relocation

[frittz]

Hello everyone

I cannot install the update for Windows 10, version 1903. I get a message from Windows Update saying "Disable Bitlocker. It is not supported by the version of Windows you are installing" (Bitlocker is not active on this laptop, though). If I click on deactivate, I get an error message from control.exe "number 753 was not found in DLL 'C:\windows\system32\inetcpl_fromOld-Laptop.cpl'".
The file inetcpl_fromOld-Laptop.cpl seems to come from the file transfer when moving files from an older computer to the new one. There is also a file "inetcpl.cpl" with a more recent date.
What I find very interesting is that if I rename the file "inetcpl_fromOld-Laptop.cpl", Windows still tries to read it. I get the same error message, simply with the filename as I renamed the file - like "ordinal number 753 was not found in the DLL 'C:\windows\system32\somehow_renamed_file.cpl'".
How does Windows connect to this file? Can I tell Windows to read the new file inetcpl.cpl instead of inetcpl_fromOld-Laptop.cpl?
The laptop is a Surface Laptop 2.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do to fix this problem and continue updating Windows?

 

[davehc]

Not something I use, but, I suggest, you look in the Taskbar - Task manager. First, under the startup table, see if Bit locker is there. If so, disable it. Look under the processes and, again, if you see it disable or remove it.

 

[frittz]

As said, I am positive Bitlocker is not enabled in the new installation.

 

[Regedit32]

I get the feeling the message you are seeing is a red herring.

Inetcpl.cpl is a Control Panel shortcut for accessing Internet Explorer's properties.

How much free space do you have available on the partition your Windows is installed on?

 

[davehc]

Yes. Googling reveals the message is, for some unknown reason, an error. I have just read a comprehensive post on another forum which, after reading the event log, states the available space is insufficient.

 

[frittz]

Thanks for your inputs.

The messages about Bitlocker being active and the error message for the inetcpl file eventually really turned out to be a red herring. The problem was a lack of disk space, caused by a faulty application which generated tons of .evtx files filling up the whole disk. It seems to be a not unknown problem for Users of Surface Laptops. This thread discusses that problem: https://superuser.com/questions/1497919/appx-deployment-for-microsoft-surfacehub-fails
After cleaning up the Temp folder and uninstalling the Surface app everything is back to normal.

 

[Regedit32]

Glad you sorted it. It's a pity one application can cause so much mess though.

Hopefully, the app creator can resolve that for anyone who uses the particular app, to prevent this happening again.