Windows Forum·65,751 discussions

An update broke Windows 11

Tags: Microsoft, Operating Systems, Windows

Bob, I had to start a new thread because the option to reply is no longer showing at the original thread.
Your last reply wasn’t to any post of mine. If you’ll look, you’ll see that someone else posted that bit about a DVD and that it’s actually a word for word quote of something I’d written earlier. I have no idea what this person wants.
At any rate, I point you to post #4037760 in that thread, where I make clear that I’m not asking how to make a DVD that already has files on it bootable. But we’ve covered all that.
I looked at the link you sent me. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t offer any new repair options. It just provides the convenience of having the equivalent of a number of repair DVDs in one environment. I have Hiren’s and several others, but I don’t believe any repair program can figure out what my bizarre problem is, let alone fix it.
Approaching the problem from another angle, I’m astounded that the black screen remained even after restoring from a backup that predated the update that introduced the black screen. I even tried deleting the Windows 11 partition, creating a partition in that space, and restoring from a backup. Yet the black screen persisted. That should have been impossible.
Does that get you thinking in new directions?

Topic

At that point.

In reply to An update broke Windows 11

We remove the clients boot drive and in fact all drives to slip in a blank drive then perform the clean install, drivers and updates.

Why? Because at this point it’s either a blown OS or a hardware issue.

Blown OSes cost too much to repair. In the past decade not a single client was willing to pay the 150 USD a hour plus fees to Microsoft Support to repair a blown OS. Even Microsoft is known to fail at fixing an installed OS. We’re no better.

So what is done next? We have to slip in a blank drive, clean install, drivers, updates and see if the machine works or not.

Probably not hardware

In reply to At that point.

I tried to do an upgrade keeping programs and settings in the hope that that would solve the problem. It didn’t work because it upgraded my Windows 10 installation instead of my Windows 11 installation. But the point is that the upgrade completed successfully. So while a hardware issue can’t be completely ruled out, it’s unlikely to be the cause here.
Let’s leave this for the time being.
Thank you for giving so generously of your valuable time.

One more question

In reply to Probably not hardware

And hopefully the last on this subject. I have a crazy idea and want to run it by you. As you know, I really, really want to preserve my settings and programs. I’m thinking of trying to upgrade my Windows 11 installation. The problem, of course, is that the option to keep your programs and settings is only available when you start the install from the hard drive, not from a bootable flash drive or DVD. But as I discovered, when I tried that, it upgraded my Windows 10 installation (which I rolled back afterwards).
So here’s my idea. One of my 3 physical drives has 2 partitions, the first with Windows 11 and the other one with data. On that second partition is the setup file. I could start the install and as soon as I’ve chosen to keep my settings and programs, disconnect the other 2 drives. One of them has Windows 10, in which I’d be starting setup.
It probably won’t work, but I’m willing to give it a try. The question is: Do you see any risk?

When trying something new.

In reply to One more question

You should do such on a clone/copy.

[doniel]

Reply To: An update broke Windows 11

In reply to When trying something new.

Do you mean the Windows 11 partition or do you mean the Windows 10 partition or do you mean something else altogether?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by doniel.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by doniel.

[doniel]

To clarify

In reply to Reply To: An update broke Windows 11

There was supposed to be a subject in my last post: A clone / copy of what?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by doniel.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by doniel.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by doniel.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by doniel.

Re: clone / copy

In reply to To clarify

I’m sure Bob meant a clone of the disk.

You make that with a cloning program (free or paid) to another hard disk, that’s at least the same size. You might have a spare one, or you might have to buy it first.

Of course he meant the disk

In reply to Re: clone / copy

But which one? See my post #4040128 just a little ways up.
I’m not sure what Bob fears could happen, so I don’t know what he’s recommending I make a copy of.

Re: disk

In reply to Of course he meant the disk

Now I see.

If you run the setup from the disk with Windows 10, and then disconnect that disk, it won’t run very long. Windows will miss its virtual memory and what more it uses when running, and the setup will miss the files it needs.

Moreover, it’s really not recommended to disconnect anything inside the case as long as it is powered up.

Just do a clean install of Windows 11 from a bootable install disk or stick on the disk that now has Windows 11. First wipe it (remove all partitions from the same Linux that you used to recover your files). Or use a totally new blank disk if you don’t want to wipe this one for some reason.

It’s not what you prefer, I know, but it has a good chance to succeed. Then all you have to do is to reinstall your programs, redo your settings and restore your files from the backup copies you made.

Best of luck with that.

Thank you, kees_b

In reply to Re: disk

I knew I was facing a clean install. I was just hoping that I could still save my programs and settings. Some of those settings took research and I just hope I’ll find the info on those settings again.

Re: settings

In reply to Thank you, kees_b

Those settings could be in the registry (difficult or impossible to get back from a backup), in the folder of the program in Program Data or in the folder of the Program in your App data>Roaming or possibly App data>Local. Those folders should be easy to copy from what you already recovered.

This, for example, is how I move my Thunderbird and Firefox settings to a new computer.

If in the registry, it might make sense in the future to export that settings and include those in your backup.
And, of course, if you spend time to find the right settings, just write them down in a document in the future, and include that your backup.
Don’t trust your memory or your ability to find it again on the internet. Trust yourself and your backup.

Excellent advice

In reply to Re: settings

It turns out that there WAS a solution even though it wasn’t logical, which is why it didn’t occur to me to try until today. It’s not that it didn’t occur to me earlier, but it was just so illogical that I gave it no credence.
The update that rendered Windows unusable was on the 15th. I restored a backup from the 10th, but impossibly, when I booted into Windows, the problem was there!
Today, out of desperation, I tried an earlier backup and this time, the problem was gone.
As I’ve written elsewhere, I began my career in computers on IBM mainframes in the early 70s, and switched to PCs early in the game when it became clear to me that they were the future. But I’ll still never understand them.

Re: solved

In reply to Excellent advice

Good to read the problem is solved. Now the only strange thing is why the backup op the 10th didn’t boot. You don’t really care, I assume.

I do care

In reply to Re: solved

Because there’s one update pending restart and if it breaks Windows (meaning: if it was that one that was the culprit the first time) again, I’ll have to use the same earlier backup again. (The update was done by Windows too quickly for me to make a fresh backup of my system.)
Thank you for your valuable input, kees_b, and your concern.
It’s good to know there are some caring people here.

RE: Windows update

In reply to I do care

You might like to study https://www.google.com/search?q=windows+block+updates

First install Windows 11 while not connected to Internet. Or if necessary, just long enough to activate your copy, although maybe that’s not required if Windows 11 was already installed.

However, if I remember well, you wrote somewhere you had to use a trick to install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware. It’s possible that that’s a reason for what happened. Then your choice might be:
(1) don’t use Windows 11
(2) compatible hardware
(3) disable all updates from now on (not recommended, of course, since it blocks security updates also.

Anyway, best of luck.

Disable updates? No way.

In reply to RE: Windows update

If there were a way to block a single update, that would be helpful.
Thanks again, kees_b.

Hopefully final report

In reply to Disable updates? No way.

With great trepidation, I allowed Windows to update and thankfully, no black screen this time.
Once again, Bob and kees_b, my deep thanks to you.

Reply To: An update broke Windows 11

In reply to An update broke Windows 11

Try Cloning. It may solve your problem.

[Author]

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