System update, now laptop stuck on please wait screen

[fitchick1961]

My grandson has a toshiba satellite c55, he said a window popped up that said " system update, if you don't do it, it will be done automatically, or something to that effect, he's 11, and I wasn't there. Now, it will power on, but it's stuck on please wait screen. It runs windows 8. My grandson doesn't even know what type of update it was. Whether it originated from windows or not. I have tried turning it off and back on, and pressed all the function keys. I can't get it to go past this screen. Can anyone help. Windows came pre-installed and I do not have a recovery disk.

 

[Carobthomp]

It sounds perhaps like it might just be a large updated on the computer itself. The pop-up you described is typically normal, but of course I'm sure there is malware out there made to look like it. If time doesn't allow it to resolve the update I would try booting it into safe mode and seeing if you can review in more detail the Windows Update programs and potentially find what is slowing it down.

I've previously had this issue and ended up having to disable it updating IE and that resolved it, but just a thought.

 

[fitchick1961]

Yes, it may have been a regular system update, and as he plays games, and likes to download all kinds of crap he thinks is safe, I have Norton and hit an pro, Installed on his laptop. The problem is I can't get it into safe mode, I have hit every function key on startup, any suggestions would be appreciated. It gets past the, toshiba leading innovations screen, but that's it, stuck on please wait

 

[Carobthomp]

In that case if time doesn't resolve it then I would probably seek some recovery options (ideally a secondary recovery partition if the device is a laptop). At the very least if you can get to a restore point you can still view what update had the issue.

The only other suggestion I would have is in the off chance that it's network related, you could try hard-wiring the device as opposed to using wireless (assuming that is the current connection) to see if it allows the update to complete.

 

[fitchick1961]

In that case if time doesn't resolve it then I would probably seek some recovery options (ideally a secondary recovery partition if the device is a laptop). At the very least if you can get to a restore point you can still view what update had the issue.

The only other suggestion I would have is in the off chance that it's network related, you could try hard-wiring the device as opposed to using wireless (assuming that is the current connection) to see if it allows the update to complete.

 

[fitchick1961]

He said that the update finished, and then the computer restarted and it started the please wait stuff.

 

[Carobthomp]

Ah, my apologies. In that case, there may be another solution (just nothing I know of), but seeing as safe mode fails the restore might be the best bet.