New laptop - problem with windows update

That's ok. To defend yourself against anything from disk failure to bad updates and even -er- your own mistakes- which can happen! we urge users to routinely use disk imaging (Macrium Reflect (free) - or others- +external storage for disk image sets).

Given a disk image, you can restore Windows, your disk or partitions to a previously known working state quickly wthout technical help. This can save clean installing Windows.

Yup I agree totally.

A week ago I did a dumb move and updated the bios on my HP-15 laptop... this bios deals with spectre. It turned my laptop into something unusable... very noisy fan, running hot and slow.

So I decided to rollback/downgrade the bios (which I thought was an option) and it turns out HP does not allow it with their bios in general especially if they have security fixes and this is a major critical security fix. In troubleshooting the issue initially, I tried to re-image the laptop but the image failed... it was missing something but as far as I recall when I tested it after doing it it was fine. So my Macrium backup failed - most likely I did something wrong. I keep all my files backed up on USB flash drive separate from this so this was not the end of the world in any case.

So in the end, I determined that the issue was either the new bios, hardware failure or dust but latter most unlikely. Could not disassemble laptop because could not undo screws near dvd drive....did compressed air.. tend to doubt that is issue because it came on suddenly coinciding with bios update.

So after a few windows resets, clean installs, downgrades to 8.1 and back up...and even trying to hack the earlier bios bin file to make it downgradable... spending probably 20 hours on it... I bought a new laptop... at first a lenovo.. returned it and got an HP again (this one that had windows update issue - I hadn't backed it up yet because it was so early in the setup).. the cheapest one they have with an AMD processor.. and I love it. I will make sure that backup images are correct this time and I will never update the bios again which is my usual rule.

Hmm.. a bad experience you really don't want. My worst of 4 laptops now since Win 98 days was with Asus- mother board failed under warranty, then shortly afterwards. My current one (see specs) is actually by Clevo - designed for easy access with big removable back and good vents. Just don't like the USB slots on the right (vs mouse, and DVD drawer also on that side).