Question PC Won't Boot Windows 10

[dgscwhite]

The last thing I did with my PC the other night was update W10 as it shut down. Now it won't boot. I can't get past the windows 'preparing automatic config' screen. Locks up everytime. Booting from USB doesn't work. Removing the m.2 that has the OS on it and booting from USB doesn't work either (I have an SSD in my system with various backup files which I was hoping the OS would install on). The PC POST's and I can access the BIOS so I am struggling to believe it is the MOBO that has failed.

Anything else you can think of that I haven't tried?

 

[Colif]

why doesn't booting from USB work? did you try boot override? its on the save and exit screen of bios, if anywhere will let you boot off USB its there.

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

Do you have a spare hard drive lying around? If so, could try installing windows on that and see if it works? If it does, could just be that your win installation on orig disk has cirrupted itself. Also, while in bios, might be worth doing a hardware diagnostics to rule out hardware issues if you have that option.

 

[dgscwhite]

why doesn't booting from USB work? did you try boot override? its on the save and exit screen of bios, if anywhere will let you boot off USB its there.

Haven't a clue?! That is what is most disturbing about it all!!
When I boot override or just chnage the boot order I get the same issue where it locks up on the windows loading screen.

 

[dgscwhite]

Do you have a spare hard drive lying around? If so, could try installing windows on that and see if it works? If it does, could just be that your win installation on orig disk has cirrupted itself. Also, while in bios, might be worth doing a hardware diagnostics to rule out hardware issues if you have that option.

I have a spare SSD in the machine already. Tried removing the m.2 that has the OS on it so that it was just the SSD in the machine. Tried to boot from USB and it still wouldn't boot.

 

[Colif]

Haven't a clue?! That is what is most disturbing about it all!!
When I boot override or just chnage the boot order I get the same issue where it locks up on the windows loading screen.

is that with the NVME in or it doesn't matter?

could try making this on another PC and see if you can run off it instead of trying windows - https://itsfoss.com/create-live-usb-of-ubuntu-in-windows/

 

[dgscwhite]

is that with the NVME in or it doesn't matter?

could try making this on another PC and see if you can run off it instead of trying windows - https://itsfoss.com/create-live-usb-of-ubuntu-in-windows/

I get the same result with it in or out unfortunately.
In desperation I have just used the Secure Erase+ feature in my BIOS to erase the m.2 and still it won't boot from the USB. Will give ubuntu a shot..

 

[Colif]

could try resetting bios as well, just to clear it out.

 

[dgscwhite]

is that with the NVME in or it doesn't matter?

could try making this on another PC and see if you can run off it instead of trying windows - https://itsfoss.com/create-live-usb-of-ubuntu-in-windows/

Success, I Have managed to boot into Ubuntu. However I can't help but ask, what now? One thing that has given me food for thought is that my m.2 is in the machine but ubuntu only lists the USB and SSD as drives. It isn't seeing the m.2 drive.

 

[Colif]

So if the nvme is dead, it explains why it won't boot from it,
but not why it won't boot from windows 10 USB.
You sure the USB has windows 10 on it?

curious it let you secure erase the drive if it is dead.

what make/model is m.2? if linux can't see it, not sure if we be able to test it at all. Wonder if it can't see it because it was erased and currently not formatted? https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/disk-partitions.html.en

 

[dgscwhite]

So if the nvme is dead, it explains why it won't boot from it,
but not why it won't boot from windows 10 USB.
You sure the USB has windows 10 on it?

curious it let you secure erase the drive if it is dead.

what make/model is m.2? if linux can't see it, not sure if we be able to test it at all. Wonder if it can't see it because it was erased and currently not formatted? https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/disk-partitions.html.en

Indeed, the nvme is either dead or unformatted so no way really to test it. If I could get windows to boot onto the SSD I would be having no issues at all.

I downloaded the windows media creation tool from microsoft and created the bootable usb. A process I have done many times over the years and this is the first it hasn't worked! The question is, now that ubuntu booted successfully why won't windows boot?

 

[Deleted member 2849646]

I have a spare SSD in the machine already. Tried removing the m.2 that has the OS on it so that it was just the SSD in the machine. Tried to boot from USB and it still wouldn't boot.

Maybe the usb is faulty/usb bootup drive not correctly set up? Have you got any other pcs and usb's available to create a new usb boot up drive and try it on the suspected faulty pc?

 

[Colif]

Maybe the usb is faulty/usb bootup drive not correctly set up? Have you got any other pcs and usb's available to create a new usb boot up drive and try it on the suspected faulty pc?

depends which USB op used to boot Ubuntu. If same USB would put into doubt it being a bad USB.
If they used another one, maybe.
If they used same USB, it could have been a bad installer