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Windows 10 stuck at "Diagnosing your PC" and will not boot

Anonymous
2021-08-01T19:25:18+00:00

Hello. I have an Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54 51M5 gaming laptop. Yesterday, I noticed that the Wi-Fi connection randomly dropped twice so I decided to do a Network Reset. Then, the Wi-Fi disappeared and there was no Wi-Fi options, and nothing fixed it. I updated my Wi-Fi drivers and it did not fix. Eventually, I have fixed it by doing a System Restore that was automatically created earlier that day after I reinstalled Python. Everything went well and I shut down my PC. Now, this morning, I turned on my PC, and everything went normal until the loading icon kept spinning with the "Acer" logo on the boot screen. It usually starts up within 10 seconds but this time it did not work. I held down the power button to turn it off and I turned it on again to try to get it to work, and it didn't work. Then, I repeated the process and Windows 10 started automatic repair. Then it went to the "Diagnosing your PC" screen but it got stuck there. It just kept spinning on that screen. I thought I could try and get some options if I shut off the PC and restart it, pressing a key. I tried F8, Escape, F10, and F11, none of which worked when I spam pressed the key as soon as my PC turned on. I luckily have a Windows bootable install USB so I booted onto that. I tried doing the instructions on this post, but instead of pressing F11, I went into my Windows Boot USB by pressing F12 and booting off of that. I did the chkdsk command it said to do, but for some reason, it thought my D: (secondary) drive was my C: (main drive with Windows on it) drive. I let it run for hours and it found no issue, and then I found that out afterwards. I decided to do the chkdsk command again, but this time for the D: drive with Windows on it. It found no issues so I decided to cd to the D:\ drive and run sfc /scannow. It ended up doing a verification phase of system scan, but then it got to "Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation." I realized this is not good so I ran "exit" in the Command Prompt and tried to boot back into Windows 10, only to get stuck on the automatic repair loop again. I rebooted my PC once again into the Windows Install USB, but this time, I did Troubleshoot > System Restore (or something like that). It showed a little window with a green loading bar saying that it may take a few minutes to load, and then the window just disappeared and now there is just a blank, blue screen with my cursor on it. I don't know what to do because I feel like I have tried everything. Please help!

EDIT: Now the System Restore window just popped up after a long time of it being on a blank, blue screen. I guess I should also mention that I tried to disable Fast Boot/Fast Startup in my UEFI settings and that did not work.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-08-01T20:18:17+00:00

    System Restore doesn't usually cause boot issues. It is just a snapshot in time you roll back to get before a problem, so it should behave just like it did at that point in time.

    What can happen is if you rolled back a problem Update or driver install, and it tries to install again then it could cause such problems. To avoid this check in Update History what was installed and either uninstall it there or System Restore and then immediately run Hide Updates tool to catch and Hide the Update before it reinstalls as shown here:

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/8280-hide-s...

    Just in case I'll also give you everything that works to fix Wifi so that at least something will work. Even if you've already tried a step please try or check it again in sequence. If you need any assistance I'll be standing by here to help:

    Update your network adapter drivers from the PC maker's Support Downloads web page using the full model number, HP Serial Number or Dell Service Tag on sticker. Compare the latest drivers available for download with the ones presently installed in Device Manager reached by right clicking the Start Menu. Make sure you have the latest BIOS or UEFI firmware, Chipset, Display (Video), Sound, USB3, Bluetooth, Network and all other drivers, or else download and install the latest now.

    If you have the latest network driver then try on it's Driver tab also to Roll Back, or Uninstall and then restart PC to reinstall the driver. Try also all older drivers from Update Driver > Browse > Let Me Pick list working backwards.

    Go to Device Manager > Network Adapters, select Wifi adapter, then Power Management tab, clear the check box to "Allow the computer to turn off the device to save energy." Then on the Advanced tab disable any energy-saving options.

    If this was caused by Windows Updates then you can check which were installed at Settings>Update & Security>Windows Update under Installed Updates, then uninstall them from the link there, and hide with the Hide Updates tool explained here:

    https://www.howtogeek.com/223864/how-to-uninsta...

    You can also use System Restore to get before the problem began, then check for Updates with the Hide Update tool and hide them: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-system-r...

    If this was caused by Version update then you can roll it back in Settings>Update & Security>Recovery and then hide it until it matures using the Hide Updates Tool.

    Enable IPv6 in the network adapter settings:

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/90033-enabl...

    Run the fixit from https://support.microsoft.com/help/929852 (Re-enable IPv6 on all nontunnel interfaces) and reboot.

    Right click the network icon in System Tray at bottom right end of task bar to Troubleshoot Problems.

    Try all of these steps: https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-reset-network-...

    Go to Settings > Network & Internet > WIfi > Manage Known Networks, highlight and remove the network having problems, restart PC to see if it shows up again.

    Try plugging in by ethernet cable to the router to compare, then plug the ethernet cable into the modem (if separate) to see if this might be an issue with the router.

    Try powering off modem, router and PC and then restarting in that order with 1 minute in between each. You may need to reset your router or even optimize it following these steps:

    https://www.lifewire.com/resetting-a-home-netwo...

    https://www.pcmag.com/article/258865/how-to-set...

    Your router manual is always available from the manufacturer's website for your exact model.

    You also are entitled to Support from your internet provider to get online on all devices. This is always included in the monthly bill. If your router is less than a year old they will also Support getting it connected and optimized.

    Another option is you could replace the wireless adapter with an inexpensive USB nano adapter like these:

    https://www.amazon.com/OURLiNK-600Mbps-Wireless...

    https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-USB-WiFi-Adapte...

    If nothing else works then do a Repair Install, by installing Media Creation Tool, open tool and choose to Upgrade Now. This reinstalls Windows while keeping files, programs and most settings in place, and is also the most stable method to advance to the latest version. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-10/m...

    I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. Based on the results you post back I may have other suggestions if necessary.

    ______________________________________________

    Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-08-01T23:00:26+00:00

    Thank you so much!! Apparently, all I had to do is this step in Device Manager:

    Update Driver > Browse > Let Me Pick list working backwards.

    I chose the one that said (Microsoft) instead of (Intel) and the Wi-Fi appeared! I restarted my PC and it worked!! You are an amazing person!! :D

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-08-01T20:14:19+00:00

    Alright, it rebooted and now we have another issue. The Wi-Fi is gone again and is not showing up, and after trying for so long to figure this out last time, the only thing that worked was a System Restore itself, which is what I believe to be the cause of the booting up issues. I gotta go for a little while but I'll be back in a few hours, but what should I do? It was all because of the Network Reset that made this happen.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-08-01T20:10:00+00:00

    Thank you Greg. I have actually tried to reboot into Windows 10 already, but this time something interesting happened. It went to a screen titled "Automatic Repair" that said, "Windows couldn't load correctly. System Restore can try to restore your Pc to an earlier point in time when it worked correctly. This repair will not change personal data, but it might remvoe some apps that were installed recently. You cannot undo this process." I decided to click "Restore" and now it has said "Attempting repairs" for the last few minutes. I'd assume I should try to let this run, but how long should I wait before I interrupt it (if I need to)? Sorry I didn't see your instructions beforehand.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-08-01T20:04:40+00:00

    Hi T. I'm Greg, a Volunteer Moderator and 10 years Windows MVP here to help you.

    Go to another PC to create fresh bootable media to try repairs, do a Reset or do the gold standard Clean install. The bootable media is the only repair method that doesn't require a password, has it's own drivers, repair and installation files which often work when Windows or the other Repair Mode doesn't. It sounds like yours is bad, but if not then continue with all steps which lead up to if necessary doing a gold standard Clean Install which millions have done without ever returning with another problem. If that still doesn't help I will show you how to test the hardware with bootable diagnostics.

    To create Windows 10 Installation Media on another PC install Media Creation Tool follow the directions in the middle of the download page here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m.... Uncheck the box for Recommended Settings to choose the exact version and bit rate for the target PC only.

    Insert media, boot it by powering up PC while pressing the BIOS Boot Menu Key given here: https://www.sysnative.com/forums/hardware-tutor...

    If the media won't boot you may need to enter BIOS/UEFI Setup (pressing key given in chart in link above) to turn off Fast Boot or Fast Startup first.

    Choose the boot device as a UEFI device if offered, on second screen choose Repair Your Computer, then Advanced Troubleshoot Options, then:

    1. Try a System Restore,
    2. If that fails try Uninstall Updates,
    3. Open the Command Prompt to:

    a) run System File Checker: https://www.wintips.org/how-to-run-sfc-offline-...

    b) a full Disk Check: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/check-hard-dri...

    c) trigger Safe Mode with Networking (for internet) or Safe Mode following https://www.intowindows.com/boot-windows-10-in-... to roll back Updates & Drivers in Windows Update History, update your drivers from the PC/Motherboard manufacturer's website and diagnose further:

    https://www.pcmag.com/news/354269/how-to-use-sa...

    d) Enable the built-in hidden Admin to sign in to create a new Admin account to replace yours:

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2969-enable... (Option Five)

    http://www.howtogeek.com/226540/how-to-create-a...

    1. If those fail then go back to Troubleshoot Options to do a Reset.
    2. If that fails choose Install Now, then Custom Install, then at the drive selection screen delete all partitions down to Unallocated Space to get it cleanest, click Next to let it create needed partitions and start install - this makes it foolproof.

    Everything needed to get the best possible Clean Install is here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki.... It is a better install than any amount of money can buy and a great learning experience that will make you the master of your PC because you will learn what works best and how to apply it with your own hands.

    1. If you have files that aren't backed up you can use the same bootable media to try to rescue your files using these methods: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

    I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. If you will wait to choose if I solved your problem, I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

    ________________________________________________________

    Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

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