Question Can't Install Windows, Can't Use Keyboard in Windows Recovery Environment

[basspig]

System: Supermicro X10DRi, USB Keyboard, RTX3090Ti GPU

Problem: recently had to connect PC to internet to update a software license for a new program I'd installed in April. After that, Windows Update occurred. I began having problems with USB devices failing at random. Tried SFC and the repair system commands, but system only got worse to the point where it seemed like GPU was failing, would crash on renders in Blender and Furmark would crash within 10 seconds.

As a last ditch, I decided to restore a recent system image backup, so I shut down windows with the shift key to bring up recovery environment. Normally I can just enter my password and select a recovery file, but now the keyboard shuts off and I cannot type the password.

I was told my MS to just boot from an installation media, so I tried that next, but the same thing happens. Keyboard stops working!

Then I tried to install Windows from scratch and as soon as the welcome screen appears, the keyboard stops working.

I've tried experimenting with BIOS settings, turning on and off XHCI EHCI, Legacy USB mode, etc. but I shouldn't have to change anything as it was working for ten years in the state it was in so I'm baffled as to why suddenly the keyboard won't work in a Windows Recovery Environment. That goes for USB boot sticks, with WRE and even a third party backup restore tool.

I've tried everything I could research online, but there's not much because this problem is rare--almost no one has run into it. Makes the PC a doorstop if I can't do another in place install of Windows, which is what I ended up doing. But if the system becomes unbootable, it's going to be impossible to load an OS onto it.

 

[Lutfij]

I'm baffled as to why suddenly the keyboard won't work in a Windows Recovery Environment
Just curious but were you able to verify what was updated in that Windows Update process? Perhaps a BIOS update? have you tried every USB port at your disposal, including the USB 2.0 ports so as to get functionality before you can install chipset drivers?

 

[basspig]

I'm baffled as to why suddenly the keyboard won't work in a Windows Recovery Environment
Just curious but were you able to verify what was updated in that Windows Update process? Perhaps a BIOS update? have you tried every USB port at your disposal, including the USB 2.0 ports so as to get functionality before you can install chipset drivers?

Yes, I've tried multiple keyboards, multiple USB ports and still the same problem. It's exasperating to watch the lights turn off on the keyboard as WinPE starts up.
The BIOS update procedure requires booting the motherboard through the IPMI interface (a second computer that manages this motherboard, within the motherboard itself) and running the BIOS update there, so I don't think MS could update the BIOS remotely. But something certainly seems corrupted because it no longer works properly in WinPE. Doesn't matter the source, could be USB boot drive, or the recovery partition. Could be 3rd party utility like Disk Genius. Any of them that use WinPE environment shuts down the keyboard. I've never seen anything like this before, and apparently neither has anyone else as there is next to nothing about this, save for the Microsoft thread I started last month, coming up in a search.

 

[basspig]

I'm trying Disk Genius now. It's more mouse-driven. Only issue is it's 600% slower than Windows Image Backup--taking forever to back up my C: drive. But it seems that it has a disc image recover option while running IN Windows. So perhaps I don't have to exit Windows to recover my C: drive.

 

[basspig]

I spent 3 hours earlier this evening, disconnecting the workstation, getting it onto a table, disassembling it and removing the GPU to gain access to the CMOS battery. I jumped the reset CMOS and put a new battery in. Put the GPU back in, reassembled machine, placed under desk, reconnected about 30 cables to it and booted it up.
Right away, my primary monitor didn't wake up. I had to move it to another port to get it to work at all. Once in Windows, all my applications would launch and cause the Wacom cursor to go off screen. I had to reprogram all my tablet mappings for each application,
But hey, it's all worth it to be able to restore Windows, right?
Wrong! I shift click on restart and go into the restore system image and.... the keyboard shuts off.
Adding insult to injury, I measured the ten year old Panasonic lithium CR2032 battery and it reads 3.23 volts--basically like an almost new battery!
I found one way to access the backup, by deleting the admin password I found I could click though with my serial mouse, to get the the restore menu. Only problem is that drive shares are unavailable on other PC. So I had to put the password back to get my drive shares to be seen.
What final workaround I found was not to use the USB stick with Windows, but a DVD-ROM of Windows. I was able to boot off the DVD-ROM, go to Repair Windows, then choose the recovery environment and it went right to locating most recent backup. I could navigate it fine with the serial mouse I've got connected to the machine.
It's still a mystery as to why the keyboard shuts off in recovery/WinPE, when for ten years prior, it always worked fine. I can only assume Windows update last month corrupted the BIOS somehow.