Method 1: Continue installation using Automatic Repair
When your Windows installation process is stopped by the “could not complete” error, one effective method is to continue the process with the help of Advanced Recovery.
This method comes from a comment below left by I1t9t8o8. It is verified by a lot of users as truly useful for fixing the problem.
1) Turn on your computer, and then when your Windows starts to load, turn it off immediately. Do it two to three times until you see a message that says “Preparing Automatic Repair“.
2) Click Advanced options.
3) Select Troubleshoot.
4) Select Reset this PC.
5) Select Keep my files.
6) Click Cancel. (No, you don’t need to reset your computer. Just click Cancel.)
7) Select Continue.
8) If this method works for you, it’ll continue the installation process and you won’t get the error again.
Method 2: Run the Windows account creation wizard
This error may also occur because the Windows account is not created normally. You can run the account creation wizard to see if this fixes the problem. To do so:
1) On the screen with the error, press the Shift key and F10 at the same time on your keyboard to bring up Command Prompt.
2) Type “cd %windir%/system32/oobe/” and press Enter on your keyboard.
3) Type “msoobe” and press Enter on your keyboard.
4) Set up an account and password there on the user account creation wizard that appears.
5) Restart your computer and see if this fixes the error.
Method 3: Reinstall your system without activating it
Sometimes the error occurs when you are trying to install a specific version of Windows (such as Windows 10 Education). In this case, you can try reinstalling your system. But this time you should choose to install the Home version and don’t activate it during the installation. After the installation completes, use the product key to activate your system. It should run fine at this time.
Method 4: Find another source of installation media
The error may result from the system installer you use — maybe it’s corrupted or incorrect. You should make sure that your installation media is from a valid source. If it isn’t, try getting another reliable installation media from Microsoft and running it on your computer. Then check to see if the error disappears.
