Dell Venue Pro 11 7130 Strange Upgrade Issues

Ed Tittel

I’ve owned a Dell Venue Pro 11 Model 7130 with keyboard dock since 2013. For a 5-year-old hybrid tablet, it still works and runs remarkably well. I’ve used it as a test machine for Insider Builds since the first Technical Peview of Windows 10 appeared in October 2014. Until recently, it’s been more or less trouble-free in that role. I did have a spate of issues with its built-in Dell Wireless 1537 WiFi adapter back in 2015/2016 but that was easy enough to fix with a USB GbE adapter to regain network access. I’ve been unable to install the last three Builds (17704, 17711 and 17713), though. At the same time, though, a long-standing gotcha on that machine has fixed itself. As I explain further, you’ll understand why Dell Venue Pro 11 7130 strange upgrade issues are on my mind.

The Venue Pro 11 is a good, small tablet with a decent detachable keyboard dock (that also doubles battery life).

What Are My Dell Venue Pro 11 7130 Strange Upgrade Issues?

Simply put, I can’t get the upgrade to complete all the way. I can download the upgrade and get all the way to the final boot screen. When I attempt to reboot into OOBE (Out Of Box Experience), it fails and rolls back to Build 17692.1000. On my last such attempt, I couldn’t boot the OS and had to run the reset option. At that point, although the reset was an apparent success I found myself stuck in a loop. Winver reported that the PC was running Build 17692, but Settings/Update reported I needed to reboot to finalize that upgrade. But alas, multiple restarts didn’t clear the message.

My next step was to run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter. It found no problems, despite the “stuck restart” status. So I switched to the online version of the Windows Update Troubleshooter next. It found what it identified as “Windows Update Database Corruption” (makes sense, given that with 17692 installed, it wants me to restart to install what’s already there). Then, it goes off to check for pending updates. After it reports successful fixes across the board, I return to WU in Settings to check status one more time. Still stuck at restart for a transition from 17692.1000 to 17692.1004. Only now, I recall this was a feature upgrade disguised as a minor upgrade.

When in Difficulty, Try WUMT

Next, when I run into problems with the built-in Windows 10 update (WU) functions, I switched to the Windows Update MiniTool (aka WUMT). It downloaded 17692.1004 pretty quickly, once I switched from the WiFi NIC to my ASIX USB GbE interface instead (though the download size shows up as 73.73 GB in WUMT, the actual download is only 2.94 GB). WUMT launches the installation process, and completes the 17692.1004 update. That’s when I figure out I’ve somehow gotten reset to the slow ring on this machine which is why the WU shows my machine as current. A change to the Fast ring, and presto! I’m now downloading (and hopefully installing) the latest build 17713.

I’m not exactly sure where Dell Venue Pro 11 updates went wrong. But I’m glad that by following the usual methods for WU repair I was able to put it back into what passes for normal behavior. Just another day at the office, here in Windows World!