[SOLVED] Windows 10 rebooting in a loop

[0Dunxter0]

As the title says, my PC suddenly restarts without any arror showing up during the Windows 10 boot (when the balls are swinging). I can boot into safe mode though, and i've tried several things such as the following:

• Disabling automatic restart on sysdm.cpl
• Trying out the startup repair tool
• Uninstalling recently installed software
• Updating the BIOS
• Removing any ID with ProfileImagePath from the ProfileList path on the registry (the second workaround from this guide: https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/windows-10-reboot-loop.html)
• Changing energy plan
• Changing display port to HDMI
• Changing display
• Unplugging any usb devices
• Checking the pc hardware and its connections
• Booting the system without services nor items through msconfig
• Using CCleaner on safe mode to clean the registry

One odd thing i've found is that the win 10 automatic repair ui detects my Windows as 8.1, since it says "Exit and continue to Windows 8.1" as an option, instead of Windows 10. The msconfig boot tab also identifies my OS as Windows 8.1 (there is no other and displays this one as active and default), and the sysdm.cpl detects win 8.1 as my only OS too. This is really werid since some days ago after the problem started (the problema started about a week ago) i remember seeing Windows 10 in these same situations instead of Windows 8.1, maybe I messed up in something, but can't find what i did wrong. To bring some context, i used to have Windows 8.1 installed in this same drive like a year ago, and I don't know if this is maybe what's causing this problem.

Also, some other rellevant context that might help this issue, i changed my motherboard, CPU and RAM this christmas without any clean install or anything, i just changed the hardware and didn't have any boot problems at all. One thing though, i had a problem related to the ATA / ATAPI IDE drivers which lagged my video and audio imput at random intervals and during like 20 minutes after booting the PC. It was pretty annoying but since it wasn't that serious i didn't try to solve it until now, after being unable to boot to my PC, since i thought maybe this was related to it. Now i finally solved this latency problem, after finding out it was related to the ATA / ATAPI IDE drivers and a conflict produced by the AMD drivers. Switching to the regular Microsoft ones it finally stopped lagging.

Leaving this aside, i'm really concerned about this issue, since i've got many audivisual work to do for my high school, and i've already spent a couple dozens of hours investigating and trying things out. Altough i'm not even close to sure, i think the problem might relate to a Windows 10 corruption, to a disk issue or even to a malware problem, which im really vulnerable as i can't run any antimalware scan on safe mode, since MalwareBytes can't run on safe mode and the regular windows scan doesn't seem to work (i click the scan button and nothing happens).

Also, is there an way to backup my files, programs and system in general in safe mode? AOMEI backup doesn't seem to work.

Here's my specs:
Windows 10 Pro V 10.0.18363 compilation 18363
MPG X570 GAMING PLUS
Ryzen 7 3700X
VENGEANCE LPX 2x8 DDR4 3200mhz
XFX Radeon R7 370 4gb GGDR5
wdc wd10ezrx-00l4hb0 (main disk)
kingston sa400s37 480g (ssd for projects and work)
Fractal Integra M 650W PS

(I have recent chipset drivers, sound drivers and GPU drivers)

Thanks in advance! Sorry for my english, i'm not a native speaker!

! Update ! Now I can't even boot to Safe Mode, since every time the automatic repair kicks in after consecutive reboots it automatically skips to the startup repair screen without the option of going to cmd promt or safe mode. Normally, if I just followed with the startup repair it would eventually crash and reboot, as always, but now, it says that I have no administrator account and thus I need to restart the pc. After doing so and running into the automatic repair again I will loop again with the startup repair, ending my hopes of getting into Safe Mode. I've tried pressing F8 but it doesn't seem to work even if I spam it as fast as I can. I runned into this problem after pressing shift + restart in safe mode in order to run the windows repair thingy and tried doing the startup repair front there, hoping maybe that it would be getting better results, but now I'm stuck here with apparently no options to boot into safe mode. I really need help.

 

[techgeek]

That is a lot to read. Just a thought, the latest MicroSoft update

KB4535996 cumulative update for Windows 10 Issues

If you have this update, try removing it from Safe Mode.

 

[wpgwpg]

If this happened to me, I'd restore from a recent full system backup I made. Since you apparently don't have a backup, boot from a repair disc or flash drive and try the repair that way. If you didn't make a repair disc or flash drive, you can make one from any Windows 10 running system.

 

[0Dunxter0]

If this happened to me, I'd restore from a recent full system backup I made. Since you apparently don't have a backup, boot from a repair disc or flash drive and try the repair that way. If you didn't make a repair disc or flash drive, you can make one from any Windows 10 running system.

Thanks for answering! Will this procedure erase my files / apps or will it be safe to use?

 

[0Dunxter0]

That is a lot to read. Just a thought, the latest MicroSoft update

KB4535996 cumulative update for Windows 10 Issues

If you have this update, try removing it from Safe Mode.

I actually can't access to safe mode, as the last paragraph says, is there any way around it? Thanks!

 

[techgeek]

I actually can't access to safe mode, as the last paragraph says, is there any way around it? Thanks!

Do you have access to another working computer? Or better yet, do you have access to your install media (USB presumably)? If you have or can make one, you can boot from it.

 

[wpgwpg]

Thanks for answering! Will this procedure erase my files / apps or will it be safe to use?

Yes it's safe. It might not be able to fix your problem, but it won't do any damage to your files.

 

[HotelCharliHIll]

Came here from another forum which apparently has very little traffic and must have paid google to show up at the top of the search results XD...

I'm not getting a boot-loop, but I'm not booting, TLDR; was it windows updating last night or my RAM adjustment? (shouldn't be as I was only 'unthrottling' the default settings from factory meant to make the sticks "universally compatible" AND it rebooted fine after that and I used my PC for a dozen hours with no probs). Here's what I posted:

-----

PC was running beautifully yesterday. Shutdown with a windows update. Today it won't boot up, can't even see the ROG bootup emblem, no power to peripherary devices such as mouse keyboard (power to Astro Mixamp, but that's always powered up via usb….) No signal to monitor. PC DOES NOT stall and restart in a boot - loop, but it quietly ticks away as if thinking... eventually stops....

Without keyboard I can't enter BIOS/EUFI. Without display I can't see if anything's happening.

Read some articles saying latest windows update ( I think... Updated yesterday, March 11, 2020) is prohibiting booting, causing hangs.

Followed instructions to make a bootable USB to enter safe mode and revert to last windows version, but it's not being read either (tried front ports and rear ports).

Tried Windows 10 disk, would not read.

Neither caused USB devices to power up (no lights on keyboard/mouses) or monitor to achieve signal (it's connected by display port into GPU)


I DID however change my EUFI settings to XMP to make my GSkill ripjaws 3200 MHz sticks (2x 16 for 32GB) properly run (throttled to 1033MHz from factory by default)…. BUT the computer worked FINE after that for over 12 hours (and I think I even rebooted a couple of times). So I doubt it's the problem. BUT if need be I'm willing to reset my bios by taking out the battery (that won't ERASE my profiles right? I have my CPU oc'd from 4.2 GHz to 4.9 and I don't want to lose all the tinkering I did to do that because I don't remember how and don't want to spend the hours relearning it).
---

Thanks

 

[0Dunxter0]

Do you have access to another working computer? Or better yet, do you have access to your install media (USB presumably)? If you have or can make one, you can boot from it.

Unfortunately I have no access to my install media, although I have access to another pc and I could do a boot repair flash usb from there. Is there any difference between using the original one from my pc and using one from another system? Thanks!!

 

[techgeek]

Unfortunately I have no access to my install media, although I have access to another pc and I could do a boot repair flash usb from there. Is there any difference between using the original one from my pc and using one from another system? Thanks!!

Do you know what version of Windows you are running 1909?

 

[0Dunxter0]

Do you know what version of Windows you are running 1909?

What do you mean with 1909? My faulty pc is running Windows 10 Pro V 10.0.18363 compilation 18363, and if you're asking for the system I could make the bootable flash USB with, then it's running Windows 10 Home 10.0.18362 compilation 18362.
Thanks again!

 

[0Dunxter0]

Yes it's safe. It might not be able to fix your problem, but it won't do any damage to your files.

Okay, i've managed to boot the troubleshooting utility from a repair flash USB drive and tried to Startup repair from there, but got no satisfactory results: "Startup Repair couldn't repair my pc".

What should I try?

Also, is there any way through the CMD prompt from the USB drive troubleshoot utility to create an administrator account for my normal drive? I'm still stuck (when running Windows from the usual drive and not through the flash USB) at the Startup Repair screen telling me I need an administrator account, and if I could get past this screen I think I could be able to access the automatic repair utility from my usual drive again, and thus I could finally run Safe Mode again.

Thanks!

 

[techgeek]

I copied and pasted this form this Link

1. On a working PC, go to the Microsoft software download website.
2. Download the Windows 10 media creation tool and then run it.
3. Select Create installation media for another PC.
4. Choose a language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit).
5. Follow the steps to create installation media, and then select Finish.
6. Connect the installation media you created to your nonfunctional PC, and then turn it on.
7. On the initial setup screen, enter your language and other preferences, and then select Next. If you don't see the setup screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer's website for info on how to change your PC's boot order, and then try again.
8. Select Repair your computer.
9. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot. From there, you can:
   • Restore from a system restore point by selecting Advanced options > System Restore. This will remove recently installed apps, drivers, and updates that might be causing your PC problems. Restoring from a restore point won’t affect your personal files.

https://support.microsoft.com/

 

[0Dunxter0]

I copied and pasted this form this Link

1. On a working PC, go to the Microsoft software download website.
2. Download the Windows 10 media creation tool and then run it.
3. Select Create installation media for another PC.
4. Choose a language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit).
5. Follow the steps to create installation media, and then select Finish.
6. Connect the installation media you created to your nonfunctional PC, and then turn it on.
7. On the initial setup screen, enter your language and other preferences, and then select Next. If you don't see the setup screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer's website for info on how to change your PC's boot order, and then try again.
8. Select Repair your computer.
9. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot. From there, you can:
   • Restore from a system restore point by selecting Advanced options > System Restore. This will remove recently installed apps, drivers, and updates that might be causing your PC problems. Restoring from a restore point won’t affect your personal files.

https://support.microsoft.com/

Oh, I see! I've tried using System restore but a pop up displays me that I should specify the installation of Windows that I am willing to restore. It also says that I should restart the system, select an OS and then select System Restore.

How do I "select" an OS? Is there any way to do that on the BIOS menu or on the CMD Prompt from the flash USB repair menu?

Also, is there any way for me to boot to safe mode from this Repair flash USB drive? Since there's no startup settings as the regular WinRE, is there any way to use the CMD Prompt to force a safe mode boot? I would like to save some files just in case.

Many thanks, I really appreciate your effort!

 

[0Dunxter0]

Oh, I see! I've tried using System restore but a pop up displays me that I should specify the installation of Windows that I am willing to restore. It also says that I should restart the system, select an OS and then select System Restore.

How do I "select" an OS? Is there any way to do that on the BIOS menu or on the CMD Prompt from the flash USB repair menu?

Also, is there any way for me to boot to safe mode from this Repair flash USB drive? Since there's no startup settings as the regular WinRE, is there any way to use the CMD Prompt to force a safe mode boot? I would like to save some files just in case.

Many thanks, I really appreciate your effort!

!Update! Nevermind the last paragraph about trying to backup from Safe Mode, i'll instead try to use the AOMEI bootable USB drive utility (in another PC) in order to make a backup of my faulty C drive before trying to restore my system. This way I don't even need to boot into Safe Mode.

 

[0Dunxter0]

Okay, i've managed to avoid the System Restore error I was talking about and managed to get a succesful recovery, but the problem persists, I still cant access to Windows, and when the WinRE kicks in i'm immediately stuck at the Startup Repair screen, displaying that I have no administrator account, and that I should restart, and thus the loop starts once again. I don't know what to try anymore.

For those wondering how I did it, I runned the following command on the CMD Prompt from the Repair USB flash drive: "rstrui.exe /offline:c:\windows". After I typed that out and hit enter the System Recovery procedure started.

One thing that has me worried though is that my system drive used to be the C: drive before the motherboard change, and now, it is displayed as the D: drive, although in file explorer I still saw my system drive as the C: and the SSD as the D:. Maybe the restore failed (even though it said it was succesful) because i typed "c:windows" instead of "d:windows" or something? I really have no idea, since the pop up said that the restore was succesful, and during the procedure I selected the correct drive, D: ( it even displayed that it was the one running the system, so I couldn't make a mistake). Please, I really need your help, I ran out of possible solutions.

 

[0Dunxter0]

More experiments: I've tried the third workaround from this guide (https://www.digitalcitizen.life/4-ways-boot-safe-mode-windows-10) which consists on using a Windows 10 installation drive and its Command Prompt utility in the repair section in order to run the following command; " bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal" This commands enables safe mode, but it didn't work out for me, and I got an output text saying it was not possible to open the boot configuration data storage and another saying that it was not possible to find the requested system device. One thing to notice is that I'm in the "X:\Sources" directory, and not "X:\windows\system32", as the guide shows. Does anybody know how to solve this?

 

[Dwin1992]

"I got an output text saying it was not possible to open the boot configuration data storage and another saying that it was not possible to find the requested system device. One thing to notice is that I'm in the "X:\Sources" directory, and not "X:\windows\system32", as the guide shows. Does anybody know how to solve this?"

You recently stated that you moved your drives to a new motherboard/computer, and there are several hints being dropped like windows 8.1 being detected instead of 10 at the start, and also that when you enter the recovery cmd prompt you are in "X:\sources". It is possible that your motherboard UEFI/BIOS does not know where your operating system is?

I suggest just booting into your BIOS and looking in the boot tab, and checking if "Windows Boot Manager" is somewhere on the list.

I would also try using your recovery USB, going back to troubleshoot -> cmd prompt, and typing "bootrec /scanos" (Ignore "x:sources" for now). It should scan the hard drives for an operating system. Tell us if it successfully identified any operating systems and any error messages.

 

[0Dunxter0]

You recently stated that you moved your drives to a new motherboard/computer, and there are several hints being dropped like windows 8.1 being detected instead of 10 at the start, and also that when you enter the recovery cmd prompt you are in "X:\sources". It is possible that your motherboard UEFI/BIOS does not know where your operating system is?

I suggest just booting into your BIOS and looking in the boot tab, and checking if "Windows Boot Manager" is somewhere on the list.

I would also try using your recovery USB, going back to troubleshoot -> cmd prompt, and typing "bootrec /scanos" (Ignore "x:sources" for now). It should scan the hard drives for an operating system. Tell us if it successfully identified any operating systems and any error messages.

Thanks for helping me out!

I haven't found any "Windows Boot Manager" option on my BIOS, although I've found these two options that may be related: "Boot mode select: [LEGACY+UEFI]", which was found inside the "Settings\Boot" menu, and "BIOS UEFI/CSM Mode: [CSM]", which was found inside the "Settings\Advanced\Windows OS Configuration" menu. Should I try to change from "[LEGACY+UEFI]" to only "[UEFI]" (in the boot mode selection) and / or change from "[CSM]" to "[UEFI]" (in the bios uefi/csm mode selection) or will this be destructive?

Also, I don't know if I was clear about this, but I only get "X\Sources" directory on the CMD Prompt from the Windows 10 installation Media drive, not from the Recovery drive's CMD Prompt, on this one I have the "X:\Windows\system32" directory.

If I use the "bootrec /scanos" command on the Windows Installation Media drive I get the following output (translated):
"Windows installations scanned successfully."
"Total identified Windows Installations: 1"
"[1] D:\ Windows"
"The operation was completed successfully"

I really appreciate your help!

 

[0Dunxter0]

Okay, good news! It was the AMD display drivers the one which caused my issue, after disabling or uninstalling them, I can boot to Windows 10 normally.

The thing is that I can't install any AMD driver, if I do so it will start the problem again. I've tried installing both the latest recommended driver and the latest optional one, and still encounter issues. I've tried using the DDU and the clean install option when installing new drivers, but nothing seems to fix this.

Any ideas?

(I will probably open a new thread since I finally found what was causing the problem)