[mrpooh3]

Hi,I was on my laptop last night and Windows 10 downloaded an update,when I powered off it began installing the update and switched off itself.

Later on I powered on my laptop and was greeted with a blank screen which usually flashes a logo on start-up that would allow me to get into the BIOS settings with the function keys but no logo just completely blank.

I left it on for ages to see if it would eventually boot which it didn't so I then pressed the power button and it shut off.

I powered it on and off a few times but still had the same result blank screen.

I thought maybe my battery could be the cause as I replaced it a while back and thought maybe it's faulty so removed it and it powered on properly this time.

I thought that I had the issue solved and just needed to send my battery back for a replacement however this morning I powered it on without the battery and started getting the same problem.

I noticed that ocassionally the windows start up sound would play even though the screen was completely blank and thought maybe it could be my screen but again after powering on and off a few times it eventually booted up properly.

I decided to put my battery back in and unplug from the mains and it is working fine just now on my battery so I think it has something to do with the last update.

I think the last update was this one : Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1511 for x64-based Systems (KB3118754)

I am getting a loan of my parents computer later on and I am pretty sure that as soon as I power off I am going to have the same problems later on today.

What could be the problem and how can i fix it please?

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I am not entirely clear whether you walked away from a machine installing an update (and a major one) with it running only on battery power.  If so, never do that again.  Always apply major updates such as the Fall Update (which is really pretty much what used to be called a Service Pack) with the computer connected to an AC power supply.

 

Given the weirdness you are seeing, I would strongly suggest that you do a Reset installation with the computer hooked up to AC power.

 

Go to the Update & Security settings:

 

 

and choose the Recovery option, then you'll be presented with the Reset installation option.  You can choose to save your files or to a full, clean installation.  Just remember that if you do choose to save your files it is just your data files you are saving.  Any apps or application programs you've installed will be archived into Windows.old as part of a Reset installation.

 

Report back on the behavior you're experiencing with your machine after a reset has been done successfully and tell us which type you chose to do.

 

 

[britechguy]

I am not entirely clear whether you walked away from a machine installing an update (and a major one) with it running only on battery power.  If so, never do that again.  Always apply major updates such as the Fall Update (which is really pretty much what used to be called a Service Pack) with the computer connected to an AC power supply.

 

Given the weirdness you are seeing, I would strongly suggest that you do a Reset installation with the computer hooked up to AC power.

 

Go to the Update & Security settings:

 

 

and choose the Recovery option, then you'll be presented with the Reset installation option.  You can choose to save your files or to a full, clean installation.  Just remember that if you do choose to save your files it is just your data files you are saving.  Any apps or application programs you've installed will be archived into Windows.old as part of a Reset installation.

 

Report back on the behavior you're experiencing with your machine after a reset has been done successfully and tell us which type you chose to do.

 

 

[mrpooh3]

Hi,no you have misread my post....when I left while it was updating the battery was in and it was plugged into the mains so there should be no problems with the update.

I only tried powering on with no battery after trying to power on my pc from mains with battery installed due to getting blank screen.

If I use the recovery option will that uninstall the recent updates and keep my settings in place?

Edited by mrpooh3, 20 November 2015 - 10:02 AM.

[britechguy]

The answer to "What does a Reset Install do?" is complicated because it's clearly still a "work in progress."  This is particularly so for the "Keep my files" option.

 

If you do a Reset where you don't "Keep my files" it is like doing a fresh installation of Windows 10.  However, it's a fresh install of the latest version of Windows 10, which means all updates that Microsoft has issued, up to and including the Fall Update, are included in the fresh installation.  There may even be some of the incremental updates that have come out since the Fall Update but I don't know how often they roll these into the Win10 base that's used to do the Reset install.  You lose everything and are back to "out of the box" condition for this sort of reset.

 

With a "keep my files" Reset your personal data files are kept precisely where they have always been.  However, as I mentioned before, any Apps and application programs you installed will be pushed into Windows.old and the Windows 10 setup itself is "as new."  I honestly cannot remember whether settings are kept, but even if they claimed they were I would recheck all of them anyway.  In theory the Fall Update was not supposed to change existing settings nor archive/remove apps/applications but it did both and with no obvious rhyme or reason as to what it did.

 

Given your current state, unless you have a restore point you can try to go back to or a system image you could try recovering from a Reset installation is going to be your best first option.

[mrpooh3]

thanks.

I powered off and on and everything seems fine for now but if it happens again I'll probably do a reset without keeping my settings to get a fresh install.

[britechguy]

You're quite welcome.  I only wish the Windows 10 upgrade process really were fully automatic and absolutely seamless for everyone, but it hasn't been.

 

A lot of people aren't checking at their equipment manufacturer's website to see if their machine has been tested/certified by the manufacturer for upgrading to Windows 10.  Then, even if they have and the manufacturer says that it's OK, there have been many instances where one piece of hardware or another in a given person's machine doesn't have a Windows 10 tested driver available and doesn't work right.  I had hoped that the upgrade process would have been updated such that an intensive examination of each piece of hardware that device manager manages would be examined and compared against a database Microsoft would compile of compatible driver(s) [if any are available] and a warning given if no known compatible driver is found, but this has not happened.

[mrpooh3]

I'm sure all the problems with it will be ironed out over the next year.

I think it is fantastic that I can do a reset and get a fresh install without having to use a disc and wait around for hours on end waiting for all the updates to complete.

Again many thanks for your help,much appreciated!