HELP please: Windows 8 stuck in endless auto repair loop
I've never had so many issues than with Windows 8.1 on an Acer laptop, and I am on tops decidedly low-tech creature.
Has anyone here already resolved this problem to suggest least complicated way to resolve?
I am supposed to have a system image on USB stick I got when I bought my computer, but I am not sure which file actually prompts the re-imaging. (There are a whole lot of sub-folders in it)
I am not able to get the grey screen even when I stick the UBS-stick in, and restart computer. Would there be a specific command key I should press? (with Mac I recall there is a command mounting to "choose alternative disc")
I've also read that one could possibly force start on the c-drive (boot drive) using command prompt, in order to repair the disc in the live system.
If anyone has pointers, I would much appreciate it! I am so thankful I have my old war-horse of an iMac at this moment...
Has anyone here already resolved this problem to suggest least complicated way to resolve?
I am supposed to have a system image on USB stick I got when I bought my computer, but I am not sure which file actually prompts the re-imaging. (There are a whole lot of sub-folders in it)
I am not able to get the grey screen even when I stick the UBS-stick in, and restart computer. Would there be a specific command key I should press? (with Mac I recall there is a command mounting to "choose alternative disc")
I've also read that one could possibly force start on the c-drive (boot drive) using command prompt, in order to repair the disc in the live system.
If anyone has pointers, I would much appreciate it! I am so thankful I have my old war-horse of an iMac at this moment...
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However, I got to try out couple of things that did not help me but maybe prove useful to someone else:
- BIOS or "the grey screen" - F2 upon start-up does it, but it seems to be a timed thing as I at times had to repeat a couple of times to get there (ensure your PC is fully switched off)
- I tried to boot from my hard-drive by adding "HDD:" to boot options in BIOS, and spooling it up to number one on priority list
- I chose command prompt from "advanced" settings, and tried to restore by typing command "chkdsk /r C:"
- If you choose "system restore option" note that there is a discreet little box to tick "show more restore points" if the most recent does not work
I am frankly dumbfounded that there is no fool-proof mechanism to break this loop, and boot in safety mode! What was Microsoft thinking with this OS??
I ran pretty much all advanced options for different kinds of start-up settings, but no joy. I wish I was good at these things...
The BIOS method and changing your boot device as your 'boot from' is the only thing I can think of. I've only ever repaired Windows once ever from disc and it took ages. Haven't worked on Windows stuff for a long time, sorry I'm no help.
If it was created using the Windows 8 backup imaging software built in, then you will want to plug it in and go to your Start menu and type Recovery. You should get prompts from there.
If that's how it was created and you can't figure out how to do the recovery, I'll see if I can get you some screenshots. :-)
I did not realise one could not resize C: on the fly because OS boots from there, so I think it's probably lack of disc-space that escalated the issue... Live and learn I suppose, but it's frustraaating.
I could access the USB thing from BIOS (the gray screen) if that helps, and command prompt as well.
For love or money, I've not been able to get even the safety mode on, pressing the function indicated in "advanced" troubleshoot options, so I could uninstall a few things to make space and try to run repair.
If that's the case and you should want to try that, use hotkey combination WinKey + R, type in msconfig, then select Safe Boot from the Boot tab (note that you'll want to reset this once you're done). It should also be noted that there is very little you can do with the built-in administrator account, so whatever issues you are having are probably better dealt with via system recovery.
If you're able to boot into BIOS/UEFI mode or startup selection, then you could try that—select your USB drive from there. No matter what imaging software was used, that should work. There is software out there that lets you do that, but generally and traditionally it's not a good idea.
My concern - and I'll be glad if you tell me it's a silly one - is that if I re-image from that USB stick, it will not be a repair, but will lead into a version of an image that will not have any of "my" files.
I note also that having run the repair command from the command prompt that my system images are gone, I would have otherwise given you the error message I got trying to recover from that.
I have an option of "add drivers" which allows me to access various system folders (such as boot, recovery etc). Do you know if there could be files there worth trying, or if I could download something to a memory stick?
Any which way, it seems like I'm headed down the path of re-imaging as opposed to repairing. It's been educational at least!
So far as downloading; the only other option so far as trying to recover Windows 8—the best solution is to download the official ISO image and write that to a disc or USB drive, then boot from that to make a recovery (or grab the Windows 10 ISO image and do an upgrade if possible).
But, one issue at a time: You don't specifically need to use WinKey + R. If you can still use the command prompt (as per your comment above), type msconfig in there and hit enter.
Been googling like mad and trying out different things that have made me feel out of depth since afternoon but thankful for the fora and hockey though! At least I have a secondary computer, but I do feel now that I should upgrade to Win10 asap.
Sorry for fuzzy explanation as well - I was trying to use a back-up from my computer, which would have lost only ten days' worth of data, but that had also error of sorts. Acer tutorial video was implying that the image I have on USB stick would lead into restoration of factory settings. However, either that or the ISO image should hopefully allow just to boot from an external source to get any sort of access to my C:-drive. (I am hoping at least)
Many thanks indeed for your generous help! It is much appreciated.
An upgrade to Windows 10, if it's still free (I think it is), should move the Windows folder (it should just rename it to Windows.old) and replace it with the new operating system. That should allow you to keep your personal folders (Documents, Pictures, Downloads, etc.) while also fixing whatever the issue is that you are having with Windows 8. And fingers crossed that you don't have yet more issues when you upgrade.
Boot suffers a lot with Windows. With Mac OS it is quite empowered.
Both are but features, so I am not hostile to either, except maybe a bit to Win OS for not minimizing c: and not allowing personal installs to boot partition.
My take! And thx to all kindly advice from everyone.