L
Luther Maldenadez
TL;DR: Unable to log-in after v1809 update (I'm eternally stuck in the log-in screen), can't get into any safe modes (keyboard(s) not recognized on "Startup Settings" screen), still have the option to revert to v1803, want to know if there is anything I can try to log in before I revert to v1803.
Long and detailed version:
I can't log into Windows since the October 2018 update (v1809). Here's the series of events, starting around 17:30 on Nov 14:
-I downloaded the v1809 installer from Microsoft's website
-I ran the installer, clicked a few continue/next/okay buttons until it begin downloading/verifying/preparing/installing the update
-About ten minutes later, the installer told me that it would restart to install the update in thirty minutes, and gave me the option to "Restart Now"
-I clicked "Restart Now"
-I received a message notifying me that I was about to be logged off, and after about thirty seconds, my computer restarted
-The installation process began, and it went as usual, with a few restarts here and there
-I watched the whole installation, five minutes total, nothing out of the ordinary occurred
-The installation progress hits 100%, and I'm presented with my normal log-in screen
-I typed in my password, and hit "enter"
-The loading animation replaces the password entry box, but suddenly, I'm back at the log-in screen
This is what it looks like:
View: https://imgur.com/a/8zKPRKw
(don't worry, I was planning on changing my password soon anyways, so I might as well do so now that you know it's really just a bunch of dots)
-I'm immediately worried, since I've seen this happen on another one of my computers when I connected it to a 4K TV that wasn't entirely friendly with HDCP. (That story doesn't matter, I'm just telling you this so that you understand why I tried the next step)
-I unplug all but one of my monitors, maybe multiple monitors is causing issues? Try to log in, same issue.
-I start trying a variety of monitors and cables (tried HDMI and DP on each of my monitors individually)
-Attempting the infamous "have you tried turning it off and on again", I click the power icon in the bottom right, and click "Restart"
-My computer restarts as normal, absolutely no signs that anything is out of the ordinary, but once I try logging in again but the issue persists
I know the issue isn't my password, because if I purposely type it wrong, I'm presented with the message I normally get when I typo my password.
-I decide to try safe mode, so I click the power icon in the bottom right of the log-in screen, and hold left shift while I click "Restart"
-I'm presented with the recovery options menu, and I go through a series of menus until I make it to the "Startup Settings" button, and I click it
-My computer restarts into the screen that presents all the startup options
-I see that F5 or 5 correspond to "Enable Safe Mode with Networking", and press the 5 key on my keyboard
-Nothing happens, and I realize that my computer doesn't acknowledge the existance of a keyboard, as no key does anything (not even caps/scroll/num lock) I don't know why, as even my motherboard UEFI accepts my keyboard.
-Thinking it's an issue with the anti-ghosting features of my keyboard, I go and grab a completely different, simple USB keyboard, and plug that in while everything is still on, and no change.
-I power off my PC by pressing the physical power button, start it back up again, and return to the "Startup Settings" screen. I do this a few times, each time with one of my two USB keyboards plugged into a different USB port. I tried each keyboard in every single USB port I have, with no change at all. I even tried unplugging everything except for power, video, ethernet, and keyboard from my computer, and navigated everything with tab, space, and enter, STILL no change on the "Startup Settings" screen. I do have a PS/2 port, but I do not have any PS/2 keyboards/mice. Legacy USB Support and XHCI Hand-off are both enabled in my UEFI settings.
I know my keyboards and/or USB ports aren't the issue because input worked in the login screen before I made it to the "Startup Settings" screen.
-I tried "Startup Repair" from the recovery options, and got "Startup Repair couldn't repair your PC". Nothing changed.
I had run a CHKDSK on my Windows (C
drive immediately before the update, and everything was okay.
So, I'm stuck. From what I've gathered during my time with Windows, not being able to log in is likely an issue with a driver, but I can't boot into safe mode since the "Startup Settings" screen doesn't recognize a keyboard exists, no matter what USB port or keyboard I use. I have the option to use "System Restore" or to "Uninstall Updates" from the recovery menus, but I'm asking here before I do that to know if there is anything else I could try, before reverting to Windows v1803.
This is on my custom built desktop PC, with the following main components:
CPU: Intel i5 7600K
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB
Mobo: MSI Z270-A Pro
RAM: 16GB(2x8GB) DDR4 2800Mhz
Windows (C drive: Corsair MP300 250GB NVMe SSD
4x other HDDs
Continue reading...
Long and detailed version:
I can't log into Windows since the October 2018 update (v1809). Here's the series of events, starting around 17:30 on Nov 14:
-I downloaded the v1809 installer from Microsoft's website
-I ran the installer, clicked a few continue/next/okay buttons until it begin downloading/verifying/preparing/installing the update
-About ten minutes later, the installer told me that it would restart to install the update in thirty minutes, and gave me the option to "Restart Now"
-I clicked "Restart Now"
-I received a message notifying me that I was about to be logged off, and after about thirty seconds, my computer restarted
-The installation process began, and it went as usual, with a few restarts here and there
-I watched the whole installation, five minutes total, nothing out of the ordinary occurred
-The installation progress hits 100%, and I'm presented with my normal log-in screen
-I typed in my password, and hit "enter"
-The loading animation replaces the password entry box, but suddenly, I'm back at the log-in screen
This is what it looks like:
View: https://imgur.com/a/8zKPRKw
(don't worry, I was planning on changing my password soon anyways, so I might as well do so now that you know it's really just a bunch of dots)
-I'm immediately worried, since I've seen this happen on another one of my computers when I connected it to a 4K TV that wasn't entirely friendly with HDCP. (That story doesn't matter, I'm just telling you this so that you understand why I tried the next step)
-I unplug all but one of my monitors, maybe multiple monitors is causing issues? Try to log in, same issue.
-I start trying a variety of monitors and cables (tried HDMI and DP on each of my monitors individually)
-Attempting the infamous "have you tried turning it off and on again", I click the power icon in the bottom right, and click "Restart"
-My computer restarts as normal, absolutely no signs that anything is out of the ordinary, but once I try logging in again but the issue persists
I know the issue isn't my password, because if I purposely type it wrong, I'm presented with the message I normally get when I typo my password.
-I decide to try safe mode, so I click the power icon in the bottom right of the log-in screen, and hold left shift while I click "Restart"
-I'm presented with the recovery options menu, and I go through a series of menus until I make it to the "Startup Settings" button, and I click it
-My computer restarts into the screen that presents all the startup options
-I see that F5 or 5 correspond to "Enable Safe Mode with Networking", and press the 5 key on my keyboard
-Nothing happens, and I realize that my computer doesn't acknowledge the existance of a keyboard, as no key does anything (not even caps/scroll/num lock) I don't know why, as even my motherboard UEFI accepts my keyboard.
-Thinking it's an issue with the anti-ghosting features of my keyboard, I go and grab a completely different, simple USB keyboard, and plug that in while everything is still on, and no change.
-I power off my PC by pressing the physical power button, start it back up again, and return to the "Startup Settings" screen. I do this a few times, each time with one of my two USB keyboards plugged into a different USB port. I tried each keyboard in every single USB port I have, with no change at all. I even tried unplugging everything except for power, video, ethernet, and keyboard from my computer, and navigated everything with tab, space, and enter, STILL no change on the "Startup Settings" screen. I do have a PS/2 port, but I do not have any PS/2 keyboards/mice. Legacy USB Support and XHCI Hand-off are both enabled in my UEFI settings.
I know my keyboards and/or USB ports aren't the issue because input worked in the login screen before I made it to the "Startup Settings" screen.
-I tried "Startup Repair" from the recovery options, and got "Startup Repair couldn't repair your PC". Nothing changed.
I had run a CHKDSK on my Windows (C
drive immediately before the update, and everything was okay.So, I'm stuck. From what I've gathered during my time with Windows, not being able to log in is likely an issue with a driver, but I can't boot into safe mode since the "Startup Settings" screen doesn't recognize a keyboard exists, no matter what USB port or keyboard I use. I have the option to use "System Restore" or to "Uninstall Updates" from the recovery menus, but I'm asking here before I do that to know if there is anything else I could try, before reverting to Windows v1803.
This is on my custom built desktop PC, with the following main components:
CPU: Intel i5 7600K
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB
Mobo: MSI Z270-A Pro
RAM: 16GB(2x8GB) DDR4 2800Mhz
Windows (C
drive: Corsair MP300 250GB NVMe SSD4x other HDDs
Continue reading...