BSOD and Then No Sound

[Eugbug]

So I installed the 20H2 Windows 10 upgrade on the 13th March and everything was fine until I got a BSOD which seems to have been caused by a bad disk sector. I suspect this because it happened a couple of times again when accessing the same folder on disk while doing a backup. Anyway, my sound seemed to disappear around the same time. So I tried everything to fix it. Reinstalling drivers, a system restore, using the sfc /scannow command, resetting drivers to default settings, turning off enhancements etc, but nothing worked. Eventually I had to do a Windows reset which sorted the problem. Is there anything else I could have done? Now I still can't download Windows updates or apps, but I'll live with that. The solution is to attempt a repair install, but I've already spent 10 days troubleshooting and having to reinstall applications and customise them (some had to be transferred from installation CDs to USB memory sticks) and I don't want any more hardship

 

[Ian]

As you mention a bad disk sector, it may be worth doing a full CHKDSK, with the scan looking for bad sectors. You can run it from the command line using:

CHKDSK /r

What's the problem with Windows updates, is there an error message? Getting those updates is really important, so seems to suggest there's an underlying problem here.

Let's see what the sector scan comes back with first, just to rule that out .

 

[Eugbug]

I've come across this which suggests there could be issues running the command.

https://www.ghacks.net/2020/12/19/running-chkdsk-on-windows-10-20h2-may-damage-the-file-system-and-cause-blue-screens

I did run CHKDSK before doing a reset, but it didn't find any errors. Like I said, the update possibly caused the sound problem in the first place. My system is working fine now, so I'm not going to risk any further unforeseen consequences, just to get the latest upgrade that promises to give "better" performance or other improvement. Maybe Windows is updating. It says I'm up to date in settings, but when I click the "check for updates" button, it always complains. Maybe the issue is with manually triggered updates.

 

[Ian]

Good that there's no errors with CHKDSK, if there weren't any before you reset, it's likely ok.

For the Windows Update problem - first thing I'd do is check your system clock and make sure it's the correct time. It may sound strange, but if it's out, it can sometimes mess with updates.

If that is ok, running the Windows Update troubleshooter app may help:

Start > Settings > Update and Security > Troubleshoot > Additional Troubleshooters > Windows Update