Boot problem since Windows 10 update

26dipp · 30 Oct 2017

For a few months now I have been having problems with the boot. I normally shut down Win 10 fully. I cannot say after which update it was, but suddenly Win 10 was reporting errors when booting which is followed by the diagnostic and repair routine. Sometimes it manages to fix the error but occasionally it suggests a restore or reset. Then I manually navigate to start Windows 10 as normal and surprise surprise it starts just fine.

For a couple of weeks now ONLY when I first switch the PC on it misses and does not display the windows 10 selection to decide which partition you want to load and it misses - I guess - some drivers and it goes straight to a very pixelated blue windows logo with the circling dots. After a few seconds the monitor turn itself off because there is no more input.

What happened to the boot sequences? All diagnostics for hardware errors are negative. I am running a firewall and antivirus plus antimalware.

dalchina · 30 Oct 2017

Hi, please first check your disk using Hard Disk Sentinel (trial) (download, install and run it) and post a screenshot of its GUI.
To post a screenshot please use the Insert Image icon above your post to the left of the video icon. Then Browse to your image, select it and upload it. E.g. png, jpg. Thanks.

What is your Windows build? (Windows key + R, winver).

Please post a screenshot of your Update History.

when I first switch the PC on it misses and does not display the windows 10 selection to decide which partition you want to load

I'm wondering why you see such a prompt- that is not the default case. Have you modified the boot sequence in some manner?

E.g.
Add Safe Mode to Boot Options in Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials
- or are you dual booting?

(I'm wondering if perhaps you have upgraded to the FCU build 1709, and fast startup is now enabled and whether that might partly explain what you're seeing).

26dipp · 30 Oct 2017

Thanks for the reply. I used to use dual boot and it is still setup in MBR, but I have not actually selected it for a while and the old win 7 does not have an activation key since the upgrade to win 10.
Sentinel seems quite happy - see screenshots.
I have attached the pixelated windows icon on boot up, a sentinel screen shot,the Win 10 version and the update history.

I used to have fast startup activated but it created some problems where I had to frequently restore/reset the PC.

dalchina · 31 Oct 2017

Hi, summarising:
- was dual boot
- MBR
- Creator's build
- Windows update is functional

You were expecting a prompt screen after booting which you describe as "display the windows 10 selection to decide which partition you want to load" - I'm guessing you mean the OS selection screen.

Could you please post a screenshot of your partitions using Minitool Partition Wizard, making sure columns are expanded to show text as necessary?

Assuming you have an old Win 7 installation as well as Win 10, would you be happy to lose the old Win 7 installation?
I think the problem is you have something amiss in the boot area, and if it's possible, getting a clean Win 10 only configuration is the way forward.

26dipp · 31 Oct 2017

I had kept win7 after upgrading to win10 with the idea of going back if any problems occurred. Win10 is working o.k., BUT I am still using an old PDA - Dell Axim X51V. This syncronized without problem on win7, but win10 did not seem to allow proper synchronization with MS Outlook. Until June (last time the PPC made a sync attempt on win10) I could at least see the PPC in explorer and transfer files between PC and PPC in win10. In win7 I could sync as usual to MS Outlook. Win7 was not activated though because of the upgrade. I tried a win7 activator program for the dual boot once, but that seemed to interfere with the win10 MBR and I dropped it. In my OS selection screen I have Win10, win10 recovery and win7 with win10 set as default. Ideally I would like to keep win7 and am thinking of reactivating it.

Barman58 · 31 Oct 2017

Sorry that we have a strict policy here that we will not assist with any illegal methods of activating Microsoft or any other software as this is basically Theft

The only way we can suggest that you "Re-Activate" windows 7 (either in a Dual Boot or virtual machine ), is to purchase a new licence.

With the current price of legitimate Windows 7 licences it would very likely to be cheaper to replace the PDA with a new one that supports Windows 10

26dipp · 31 Oct 2017

I am not asking for help to "reactivate" Win7 legally or illegally. At present it is just sitting on my hard drive UNactivated anyway.
I only added this to explain my original multi boot setup.
The original question was completely legitimate and simply about MS win10 playing up again and suddenly not supporting the Dell X51V. Something must have happened with the MS updates.

Can I setup a Virtual machine within win10? would I need to install a whole new OS in it? AND would that support the old PDA?

dalchina · 31 Oct 2017

Yes, yes -but it would still need to be licensed long term within the VM.

26dipp · 31 Oct 2017

O.k., thanks, but win7 is a building site for the future now.

Is there anything that I can do to fix this boot behavior, other than a complete reset?

dalchina · 31 Oct 2017

Yes, assuming you are happy with your existing Win 10 then what I'd do personally is
a. Create a disk image of your existing Win 10 system partition.
b. Download a disk imaging program such as Macrium Reflect and create its boot disk, and create a bootable medium for installing Win 10.
c. Wipe your disk
d. Reinstall Win 10, making sure the system partition is larger than the used space on your old system partition plus free space.
e. Check that boots and Safe Mode works e.g.
f. Boot your PC from the disk image program's boot disk
g. Replace the newly created Windows partition by restoring the image of your existing one.
h. Reboot, and if automatic repair doesn't resolve the startup, try Startup repair from a Windows installation disk.

That way you get a clean set of partitions with your existing Win 10.
(This has been used by a number of people, including me)