Windows 7: Windows doesn't boot after Updates, tried a lot...

starstuff · 14 Jul 2013

Hey there.

So I was trying to update my Windows 7 Home Premium on my rather dated Asus A6JA notebook but after installing updates through Windows Update the system fails to boot anymore, it simply freezes just before showing the Windows boot logo or text, thus a black screen (just after BIOS check it freezes with no message displaying).

NOTE: The system works flawlessly after installing W7 Home Premium with SP1, error only happens when updating packages through Windows update afterwards. It's over 100 updates, so I cannot really pinpoint the culprit, alas!

Things I've tried so far:

- Trying to boot in Safe Mode => same freeze
(Halts after loading/displaying CI.dll)

- Trying to set an earlier restore point before the Updates took place via Recovery console but I get an error 0x80000FFFF that the system failed to restore to a previous point.

- Ran sfc /scannow through the Command Prompt in Recovery console but I get a "system repair pending which requires reboot" message, thus failes, since I cannot successfully (re)boot the system.

- Ran bcdboot C:\Windows, bootrec /FixMBR, bootrec /FixBoot => didn't help, boot freeze remains.

- Tried booting with log files enabled but Ntbtlog.txt is NOT being created to check :/

- Did a full wipe and format, fresh Windows install with only SP1 installed (again, system boots and works flawlessly at this point) but once hitting Updates and rebooting = system freezes again.

- Updated BIOS and Mainboard Intel Chip drivers, updated graphics drivers etc to the latest versions and trying updating Windows updates afterwards, again same freeze.

- Tried Startup Repair through Recovery, says it didn't find any boot errors.

- Ran a chkdisk with all possible flags, no errors found.

- Checked for faulty RAM and HDD, no errors found.

I know for certain the ASUS A6JA does work with Windows 7 but I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I figure a particular Windows update is messing with the drivers but I don't know how to pinpoint it.

I didn't install any software, just a clean Windows 7 install incl. SP1, nothing more.

Any ideas?

starstuff · 14 Jul 2013

UPDATE:

a "DISM.exe /image:C:\ /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions" run via Commant Prompt does allow me to reboot the system successfully afterwards but of course, reverts all Windows Updates again, so I'm back to square one :/

I guess I'll have to update the packages one by one and see which one prevents the system from restarting?
So there goes 110 reboots, ha!

starstuff · 14 Jul 2013

UPDATE:

Okay, it seems it is not tied to a particular Windows Update package but to "random" ones.
So far Updates that do not require a system reboot run fine. Once I have to reboot after an update the freeze occurs.

I'm at a loss.

starstuff · 15 Jul 2013

Anyone got any idea?

As long as I do not run several updates from Windows Update the system runs fine, for hours...
I doubt the hardware is faulty and so far no hardware diagnostic tools found any errors.

Reverting pending actions always makes the system boot fine again but I can't seem to update without the aforementioned freeze.

It's not always freezing at the same driver but it seems it generally freezes when loading (newly installed or updartes) drivers at bootup.

Diosoth · 15 Jul 2013

My idea is that this recent batch of updates broke too much stuff or is too incompatible with too much stuff, because far more people than normal are having severe issues. Skip the updates for now, wait and see if Microsoft pulls some and replaces them in a week or so.

I know a fair number of posters here have had success with this batch, but too many have not had success for my comfort level and I'm actively refusing to install these updates because of the issues. I'm aware there's a risk involved of not patching but the risk of a bricked computer is too great for me to update.

starstuff · 15 Jul 2013

Quote: Originally Posted by Diosoth

My idea is that this recent batch of updates broke too much stuff or is too incompatible with too much stuff, because far more people than normal are having severe issues. Skip the updates for now, wait and see if Microsoft pulls some and replaces them in a week or so.

I know a fair number of posters here have had success with this batch, but too many have not had success for my comfort level and I'm actively refusing to install these updates because of the issues. I'm aware there's a risk involved of not patching but the risk of a bricked computer is too great for me to update.

Thanks, I see.

For some reason I doubt it's related to new patches though, as I'm having problems to install patches that were released right after SP1, for example.

But I'll wait and see, some patches run through just fine, even after rebooting, it is weird.