Windows 10 Upgrade Stuck - Can't Recover Or Start Again

[Covkid]

I downloaded Update to Windows 10 (from windows 7) and everything appeared to go well. Got the "Welcome" screen and chose my "Settings" preferences. Then the screen started flashing and all it shows is a banner across the bottom that shows a blank Microsoft logo in bottom left, next to it a box that says "Search the Web and Windows", a small icon that looks like a printer( midway across the banner, and a small icon that looks like a Menu icon in the bottom right. Then under the cursor is the dreaded "spinning blue wheel" thing. This whole banner and the icons just keep flashing. Been doing this for hours now.

If I do an "Alt+Ctrl+Delete", it pulls up the usual options but when I ask for a "Restart" or "Shut Down" and follow it with a reboot, it just goes through the start up/welcome process and then stalls at exactly the same place.

How do I get my computer back? Please help! I can't get online or do anything at all with it. Can't go back to 7 or to history or anything. It's just stuck at this useless screen.

 

[Trouble]

Try booting into safe mode
Ctrl + Alt + Delete
Click Task Manager
on the task manager menu bar choose file "Run new task" and type
msconfig
hit enter or click OK
Select the Boot tab
Select "Safe boot" tick the network radio button if you want networking.
Click OK
Use Ctrl + Alt + Delete again to restart the computer.
See if that will at least get you to a useable interface.

 

[Covkid]

Try booting into safe mode
Ctrl + Alt + Delete
Click Task Manager
on the task manager menu bar choose file "Run new task" and type
msconfig
hit enter or click OK
Select the Boot tab
Select "Safe boot" tick the network radio button if you want networking.
Click OK
Use Ctrl + Alt + Delete again to restart the computer.
See if that will at least get you to a useable interface.

Thank you so much, Trouble!
I followed the above steps (with much difficulty, because I could only type each character of "Ctrl+Alt+Del" in the split second between screen flashes - took me about 1/2 hour to get it completed, ha!)

Got successfully into Safe Mode (couldn't see a network radio button, though) and at last(!) got to the Start screen (all my icons spread across he screen) but then up flashed a big banner saying "This App can't open. Get Started can't be opened using the Built-In Administrator account. Sign in with a different account and try again."
No idea what it meant or what "This App" referred to. So I just hit the 'Close' button and it disappeared.

Unfortunately, because I didn't see a network button earlier, I can't get onto the net, but I can at least get into my files, etc. I now have what I presume is the new Windows 10 tiles up (a bit like 8.1 but with some menu stuff down the left side), I'm going to try to go forward from here and restore my old W 7 system. Don't know if that's possible.

If I fail, at least I now have your instructions how to get back to where I am.

I am SO grateful! Thank you!

 

[Trouble]

First off your msconfig screen should have looked like this

Before you roll back to your previous Windows version....
Considering your current symptoms of your screen flashing, it may be a driver issue associated with your Video Card.
You might want to try simply using device manager and uninstall it and when prompted choose to remove the associated driver as well.
Then reverse the msconfig setting back to normal by uncheck the safe boot option and restart.
That should produce a boot with the generic VGA driver and provide some temporary relief until you can get the proper driver installed.

Additionally, sometimes your symptom can be attributed to other peripheral devices you may have plugged into the computer so remove anything you don't need, especially any wireless dongles supporting wireless keyboards, mice or network adapters.
Lastly it can also be associated with a third party security suite, so if you have anything line Avast, Avira, AVG, Comodo, McAfee, Norton, Vipre, Zone Alarm, etc., installed, please uninstall them. You may be able to uninstall them in safe mode or use their vendor specific proprietary removal tool.... just google it (i.e. Norton Removal Tool, AVG removal tool, McAfee removal tool

 

[Covkid]

Wow, Trouble, for a technically-challenged septuagenarian like me, that's a lot to go at!

However, you kindly got me this far, so I'm going to give it a shot. Will keep you updated.

Thank you again!

 

[Covkid]

First off your msconfig screen should have looked like this

View attachment 1589

Before you roll back to your previous Windows version....
Considering your current symptoms of your screen flashing, it may be a driver issue associated with your Video Card.
You might want to try simply using device manager and uninstall it and when prompted choose to remove the associated driver as well.
Then reverse the msconfig setting back to normal by uncheck the safe boot option and restart.
That should produce a boot with the generic VGA driver and provide some temporary relief until you can get the proper driver installed.

Additionally, sometimes your symptom can be attributed to other peripheral devices you may have plugged into the computer so remove anything you don't need, especially any wireless dongles supporting wireless keyboards, mice or network adapters.
Lastly it can also be associated with a third party security suite, so if you have anything line Avast, Avira, AVG, Comodo, McAfee, Norton, Vipre, Zone Alarm, etc., installed, please uninstall them. You may be able to uninstall them in safe mode or use their vendor specific proprietary removal tool.... just google it (i.e. Norton Removal Tool, AVG removal tool, McAfee removal tool

Hi there, I'm afraid it's me again. I started following your advice but when I looked at Device Drivers I had a message saying "Generic PnP Monitor Driver Error", so I told it to remove it. It asked me I was sure, so I said "Yes". Nothing happened, but when I re-read your instructions, I spotted that you'd said , when I revert to normal boot, this should "produce a boot with the generic VGA driver ...". I'm now very worried! Did I just tell it to remove the only thing that will give me screen when I re-boot? If so, is there anyway to "undo" my stupidity before I go ahead with the re-boot?? Help!

Oh, and you're right, I can't find a control panel to allow me to uninstall anything, so I'm going to have to go on to Google to find the Norton Removal Tool. BUT .... until I re-boot, I can't get onto the internet!! Ha, round and around in circles I go!!

 

[Trouble]

Right behind you at 66..... and I do this stuff all the time, practically everyday.
One foot in front of the other, patience and perseverance

 

[Covkid]

Right behind you at 66..... and I do this stuff all the time, practically everyday.
One foot in front of the other, patience and perseverance

Aha, I thought that looked like a Granddaughter in your pic!

Now, please forgive me if I'm already breaching the "patience" part in your "patience and perseverance" mantra above, but can I go ahead and do the re-boot to get out of Safe Mode, or will I lose my monitor, or are you still researching a fix?

 

[Trouble]

Yep... that would be Rayna 7 years old and the youngest of 6 total.
AS far as clearing your safe boot in msconfig you can do that at any time you wish and go back and forth as many times as necessary.
On the bright side you shouldn't have to type it again, as it should remain in cache and going back into taskmanager to launch msconfig should be as simple as selecting file -> run new task and clicking ok.

As for your monitor (actually your video card) not under monitors, under display adapters and you might want to use the device manager's menu bar to View -> show hidden devices, did you use device manager and uninstall it and answer in the affirmative when prompted to remove the drivers?

EDIT: And removing something in device manager, should not result in anything more complicated then getting a generic driver by default when the computer is rebooted.

 

[Covkid]

Sorry for the delay in responding, having lunch and talking to my daughter in the UK (who has 2 of our 5 g'kids - the other 3 are in MI) . And thank you for your very speedy and comprehensive reply!

As for as the monitor problem, I can't find the 'Control Panel' on this new screen layout (to enable me to uninstall devices or anything). Where is it in W 10? Or is it not accessible in Safe Mode?

What I did earlier was look in "Settings" > Connected Devices > Other Devices and saw the "Generic PnP Monitor Driver Error)and clicked on the "Remove Device" box and confirmed "Yes" when prompted. Like I said, nothing happened, no confirmation of removal or anything.

So ..... I guess I'll just take the plunge and do the re-boot.

Then, when I've got internet, I can download the Norton Removal Tool and start over.

Again, thanks for your patience and erudite, invaluable assistance!

 

[Trouble]

Right click the start button and choose from the Context Menu "Device Manager" should do it but Control Panel is there as well.

 

[Covkid]

Damn, it's easy when you know how! Thank you!

Ok, so for the past 30 mins I've been stuck in the revolving door to the madhouse! Done umpteen re-boots with no success.

It's now dinnertime in your neck of the woods (unless you're up in the NW Central Time part of IN, that is), and it's time for me here in SoCal to start prepping dinner.

So ...... I'll document everything that's happened in the past 30 mins (while I was busy proving the "Definition of Insanity") and sent it to you tomorrow a.m. (PST, that is) and ...... if you haven't blocked my messages, maybe you can suggest what I do next? Other than shoot myself, that is.

Thanks so much!

 

[Covkid]

Good morning! I'll try to make this succinct but also informative enough for you to make a judgement.
1. Went to boot screen, tried selective start-up, it just went into Safe Mode as before. So tried Normal Start-Up.
2. Got Welcome screen, then what I now know to be the Start Up screen of W 10, but just the bottom task bar, with Start button, "Search web and windows", icon to toggle between screen layouts, menu (?) box - no apps at all.
3. Screen starts flashing as before and inoperable
4. Did Safe Boot, but this time with 'Network' selected.
5. Welcome screen + "This App can't open. Get Started can't be opened using the built-in Administrator account. Sign in with a different Administrator account and try again."
6. Then got a "turn on Windows Security & Maintenance " message. Hit ok and up popped a new screen with a Device Manager option! Yay!
7. Clicked Device Manager>Display Adapters>View>Show Hidden Devices and listed among them were two "Generic PnP" Monitors, one of them highlighted with a yellow "!" inside a triangle. I clicked to Uninstall the highlighted one and confirmed yes.
8. Nothing obvious happened but noticed I still had no WiFi connection.
9. Tried running diagnostic tool but it said it couldn't run it in Safe Mode.
10. Went to Task Manager, got "Check Network" message and then finally got WiFi connection.
11. Executed Normal Start Up.
12. Got same stuff as at 2. and 3. above. But still had WiFi connection.
13. Did Safe Boot. Got same as 5. above. (This message seems to be related to the Internet connectivity(?) because I only get it when I have clicked on Network Settings when in Safe Mode.
14. Then noticed that this time I still had a "device manager" option, so did >Device Manger>View>Hidden Devices and there I was, back to two " Generic PnP Monitors", one highlighted again!

Question: Should I bother trying again, but this time with both PnP Monitors uninstalled, or should I just give up and try to revert to W7? (If you can tell me how to do it, that is!). Or shall I just shoot myself and put myself out of my misery?!

 

[Trouble]

5. Welcome screen + "This App can't open. Get Started can't be opened using the built-in Administrator account. Sign in with a different Administrator account and try again."

Ignore that. I'm pretty sure the "Getting Started" App, was deprecated a long time ago and I think maybe a holdover from Windows 8 or possibly an earlier build.
You can uninstall it if needed once you have a machine that actually works in normal boot mode and you can catch up on all updates for Windows as well as the New Store Apps.
Now......

 

[Covkid]

Thankyou! I have two things in there - "Glance Speed Boost" and "Intel (R) HD Graphics". Shall I delete both?

 

[Trouble]

Yep.
That's been the general idea all along.
I just hope we are on the right track and you are subsequently able to then clear you msconfig settings and return to a normal boot.

 

[Covkid]

Sorry, Trouble! I think I detect that you're becomin, and rightly so, a little peeved with my need for constant spoon-feeding as we go through this. I'll try to be a little more proactive in future.

Anyway, removed both, did re-boot in Normal mode, and I'm back at flashing screen as at 2 & 3 above. Ugh!

Any idéals?

 

[Covkid]

Sorry. Gotta go missing for 15 mins. be back a sap.

 

[Covkid]

Much to your horror, I'm back. Just like "Freddie", eh!

 

[Trouble]

Sorry I was out myself
AND nope, not getting disturbed at all, although I'm rapidly running out of ideas.
I suppose we should re-start with something simple.
Disconnect all peripheral devices from the computer. Everything including any wireless dongles that support wireless keyboards, mice, network adapters or Bluetooth devices.
Leaving only your monitor, a USB wired keyboard and a USB wired mouse connected.
Then try to start the computer normally.