Question USB ports not working / no way into safe mode

Notreallysure

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So my USB ports stopped working after an update and now there's no way to get into Safe Mode to undo the retardation as the mouse and keyboard no longer function once the OS boots.
Any ideas?
I can get into bios but there doesn't seem to be a way into safe mode from it.
I really don't want to reformat...

the only thing I can think of is to dock another bootable hd, grab what I can off the main hd and then reformat it...




i hate you win10
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Do you have an installer? Its just a handy boot drive - On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB

I don't think you can get to safe mode from where you are without mouse/keyboard.
its off by default at startup in win 10

if you boot off USB the mouse/kb should work but you can't get into safe mode off USB.

you can save anything on PC or move to another hdd using this
boot from installer
on screen after languages, choose repair this pc, not install.
choose troubleshoot
choose advanced
choose command prompt
type notepad and press enter
in notepad, select file>open
Use file explorer to copy any files you need to save to USB or hdd

once you moved everything, I would try a reset as it will take windows 10 back to last version update but you will lose all programs on C. If you have multiple hdd, it will ignore any others.
boot from installer
on screen after languages, choose repair this pc, not install.
choose troubleshoot
choose reset this PC
2 choices
  1. choose keep files/settings (Files = library folders. Library folders = Documents, pictures, movies, music (the default folders that come with windows). Settings = logins and desktop)
  2. Wipe it all.

I expect you want choice 1 as choice 2 is essentially a clean install.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
If you purposefully fail the system during boot 3 times in a row, this should allow you to access the recovery options/advanced options.

They still can't get into safe mode from here, only ways into safe mode from win start is via logon screen - windows has to be running to this point, and without input devices, that is a waste of time. Booting off USB or getting in via restarting PC 3 times won't give access to the right menus to access startup options.

its a shortcut to menus I showed above, if they don't have a USB.
 

Notreallysure

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Thanks for the replies. It wasn't a windows update that did it. It was a driver update for the ports.
Is there anyway to undo those? I just need to do a system restore, not wipe the c drive. :|
 
Hello Colif. Always learning here, so I have a question related to this if you don't mind.

This assumes the following procedure: This is also assuming you have fastboot option in BIOS disabled so the hardware is initialized and that legacy USB is turned on.

1. Press the computer case's reset key during boot (before getting to the desktop/login) 3 times in row while booting, to fail the boot process 3 times in a row.

2. This take you to "Preparing Automatic Repair" Pick Advanced Options

3. Takes you to "Choose an option" Pick "Troubleshoot"

4. Takes you to "Troubleshoot" Pick "Advanced Options"

5. Takes you to "Advanced Options" Pick "See more Recovery Options" at bottom of page

"System Restore" is also available from this page to get a previous restore point.

6.Takes you to "Advanced Options" Pick "Startup Settings"

7. Once there, you can pick restart, and it will take you to the usual choose your start screen.


Depending on your xHCI handoff, would the drivers issue affect your control here in those recovery options?

Shouldn't you be able to get around that by disabling the xHCI Handoff in the BIOS and letting the BIOS handle the USB until the problem can be fixed? Granted, this assumes your BIOS lets you change the handoff and not just the mode, not all do.

Thank you in advance.
 
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Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
They can try, I have been wrong before :)

What often happens is Step 6 isn't available if you boot off USB. I am not 100% sure if it is there or not using the "start PC 3 times and shut down as win 10 loads method" to get into windows recovery

system restore might help, as I think Windows creates a restore point whenever it runs windows update (I know it is meant to before driver updates) so you might be able to roll back to a date before the update. If the update itself was a version update, there won't be any restore points before it.

not sure about the BIOS thing
 

Notreallysure

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A quick side note:
System restore was available when booting from USB.
Reset PC is not... strange.

Seeing as I can get into cmd prompt, I was thinking pnputil
however,
trying to list 3rd party drivers with pnputil.exe -e or pnputil /enum-drivers returns
"Enumeration of driver packages failed : The parameter is incorrect" or "Failed to enumerate driver packeges: The parameter is incorrect",
depending on which command I use.

This shouldn't be the case... :|
 
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Notreallysure

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Another note:
Reset PC uses the existing Windows installation to re-install itself. You initiate that from within the Windows installation you wish to reset (Windows 10 Advanced Startup Options. Found at Settings > Update Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup).
Booting from the installation USB flash drive or DVD is for doing a clean install, repair or restore from that flash drive or DVD.
No other way out of this mess unfortunately.
 
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Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
reset this PC should be an option on USB, it is possible you don't have a recovery partition so it can't run. I am sure I have seen it show on USB before.

Did you copy everything off PC you want to keep?
I would clean install win 10 since its about only option available.
follow this guide: https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-do-a-clean-installation-of-windows-10.3170366/

the cmd commands might not have worked since you weren't logged in.