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Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix



 
 
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  #11  
Old October 12th 18, 07:14 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
RayLopez99
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 897
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 12:21:32 AM UTC+8, Paul wrote:
RayLopez99 wrote:

Then I must find a key within 30 days to 'activate', agree?


You have had an *activated* copy of Windows 10
on the machine already. Correct ?

If so, there is nothing to buy. The installation process
will contact the Microsoft license server, the license
server will say "I've seen that machine before, here is
your token". And the job of activation is automatically done.

There is nothing to buy!!!

You've downloaded media. Use it.

*******

There's probably nothing wrong with that copy
of Win10 on the drive already. It'll be some little
problem. I had to fix one of these "little problems"
two days ago. It's annoying but it can be fixed.

Paul


Yes, my Windows 10, Home version, circa 2015, was free (recall I think the offer for free Windows ended in the Summer of 2016).

But, hopefully, if I reinstall Windows 10 -64x, "Pro", it will also be free, but I doubt it (no hope!). So I might buy a 9.99 USD key I see on Amazon from a "used" copy of W10-pro 64x (I cannot see how they do it, perhaps it's pirated? I don't care as long as it works).

Or I might download the "Home" version of W10, but right now my internet is slow (1 Mbps or so) so it will take overnight. maybe while I sleep I will download Home.

I will work on this a bit tonight (already 2 AM in Manila) and will post again today, my time, later in about 12 hours or tomorrow.

Not a priority for me. I appreciate your help, once again Paul.

RL

PS--I built a house here for my girl, and put in a ground wire! One of the few houses--it was in the provinces on the east side of the Philippines--that has a ground said the electrician (he installed it this time, before I had a more primitive ground). It also solved the 'tower case that occasionally gave you a mild shock when you touched it' problem, but, a confounding factor was I also changed the mobo on that tower PC (high humidity here ruins electronics quick, despite aircon, the PH gets btw 20 or so typhoons a year, most of them strike the east side where I'm at, we have a steel roof and concrete walls). Anyway, it's all good for now.
  #12  
Old October 12th 18, 07:54 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
RayLopez99
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 897
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

On Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 4:25:02 PM UTC+8, RayLopez99 wrote:
I want to report an interesting event in my PC upgrade. Target machine was a Aspire, AMD A6 laptop running Windows 8.1, 32 bit mode, that I upgraded to Windows 10, 64x.



I forgot to mention, I keep getting the "USB HDD: Verbatim (which happens to be the brand of my USB stick) has been blocked by the current security policy" when trying to boot to a bootable USB.

Any workaround? I will play with BIOS settings...but if anybody has a quick fix let me know...will post my findings here later.

RL
  #13  
Old October 12th 18, 08:32 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
RayLopez99
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 897
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 2:54:49 AM UTC+8, RayLopez99 wrote:
On Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 4:25:02 PM UTC+8, RayLopez99 wrote:
I want to report an interesting event in my PC upgrade. Target machine was a Aspire, AMD A6 laptop running Windows 8.1, 32 bit mode, that I upgraded to Windows 10, 64x.



I forgot to mention, I keep getting the "USB HDD: Verbatim (which happens to be the brand of my USB stick) has been blocked by the current security policy" when trying to boot to a bootable USB.

Any workaround? I will play with BIOS settings...but if anybody has a quick fix let me know...will post my findings here later.

RL


Here is something that might work...I am trying to "reset this PC" and it's taking forever but as soon as I'm done will try this to get around the security policy:

https://us.answers.acer.com/app/answ...942.1486127738

  #14  
Old October 12th 18, 08:35 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Flasherly[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,407
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

On Fri, 12 Oct 2018 11:54:46 -0700 (PDT), RayLopez99
wrote:


I forgot to mention, I keep getting the "USB HDD: Verbatim (which
happens to be the brand of my USB stick) has been blocked by the
current security policy" when trying to boot to a bootable USB.


Any workaround? I will play with BIOS settings...but if anybody has a
quick fix let me know...will post my findings here later.


-
Should be. It's simply more likely an IT-type forethought and default
setting, to be more or less simply overridden with the appropriate
setting. I'd run a search on that for an appropriate discussion forum
on an override. More like an inconvenience posed than actual security
policy; ... granted, and not just anyone would think to mention
Verbatim, than might a popular conception be to assume any ol'
flashstick is embedded with the Deadliest Virus Alive, specially
embedded and hot off press from the Beijing Military Academy of
Computer Sciences.

I don't run an embedded boot manager on a W7 partition, including the
MSFT provided less than more an elective of GRUB (in case the other
drives are actually seen by the installation and not disconnected
prior with extreme prejudice).

I "point" to it, to boot W7, from another SSD drive with a non-GRUB
embedded OS arbitrator, variously to "hide" drive partitions as
suitable. The arbitrator, fwiw, is also provided on the HIREN
resource grabbag, though fairly simply and less extensive as perhaps
GRUB.

My BIOS menu is the first available Boot Device override - a so-called
"Boot Menu Selection" assigned to F12. Along with a BIOS HDD
(sub)selection for 1st-order boot device, maybe four valid USB
formats, below, including USB HDD which I then select.
  #15  
Old October 12th 18, 11:07 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Paul[_28_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,467
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

RayLopez99 wrote:
On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 12:21:32 AM UTC+8, Paul wrote:
RayLopez99 wrote:

Then I must find a key within 30 days to 'activate', agree?

You have had an *activated* copy of Windows 10
on the machine already. Correct ?

If so, there is nothing to buy. The installation process
will contact the Microsoft license server, the license
server will say "I've seen that machine before, here is
your token". And the job of activation is automatically done.

There is nothing to buy!!!

You've downloaded media. Use it.

*******

There's probably nothing wrong with that copy
of Win10 on the drive already. It'll be some little
problem. I had to fix one of these "little problems"
two days ago. It's annoying but it can be fixed.

Paul


Yes, my Windows 10, Home version, circa 2015, was free (recall I think the offer for free Windows ended in the Summer of 2016).

But, hopefully, if I reinstall Windows 10 -64x, "Pro", it will also be free, but I doubt it (no hope!). So I might buy a 9.99 USD key I see on Amazon from a "used" copy of W10-pro 64x (I cannot see how they do it, perhaps it's pirated? I don't care as long as it works).

Or I might download the "Home" version of W10, but right now my internet is slow (1 Mbps or so) so it will take overnight. maybe while I sleep I will download Home.

I will work on this a bit tonight (already 2 AM in Manila) and will post again today, my time, later in about 12 hours or tomorrow.

Not a priority for me. I appreciate your help, once again Paul.

RL

PS--I built a house here for my girl, and put in a ground wire! One of the few houses--it was in the provinces on the east side of the Philippines--that has a ground said the electrician (he installed it this time, before I had a more primitive ground). It also solved the 'tower case that occasionally gave you a mild shock when you touched it' problem, but, a confounding factor was I also changed the mobo on that tower PC (high humidity here ruins electronics quick, despite aircon, the PH gets btw 20 or so typhoons a year, most of them strike the east side where I'm at, we have a steel roof and concrete walls). Anyway, it's all good for now.


The good news is, the WinSxS folder has more files in it,
than it really needs.

As I understand it (not tested or anything here), there is
a built-in Anytime Upgrade capability from Home to Pro.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...ng-home-to-pro

Amongst other things, there will be some different linkages
from WinSxS to System32, as part of the change. And likely
a pile of registry changes.

The old Anytime Upgrade used to take ten minutes, to give
you some idea how long the housekeeping activity could take.

Summary: Don't need to reinstall.
Use the correct (license) dialog, just enter a new key.

This capability would not extend to Enterprise. There
probably isn't an easy way to go from Pro to Enterprise.
If you look at the consumer installer DVD, there are a ton of
SKUs on there, but Enterprise isn't one of them.

For Enterprise, you'd need a different DVD, at a guess.

Now, assuming this all works, you could run

winver

slmgr /dlv

and review the details. And at a future date, installing
Win10 17763 should give the Pro version too. (Because
the license key and history will be there to guide it.)

There was a problem several releases ago, where at install time,
an inappropriate key choice was made. But they were
supposed to have fixed that. In any case, don't lose that
"key" you're getting for $9.95, as you might need it
at some future date (if confusion happens). But if the
license server is working properly, once shifted, it
should stay at Pro.

Paul
  #16  
Old October 13th 18, 07:53 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
RayLopez99
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 897
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 3:35:32 AM UTC+8, Flasherly wrote:
On Fri, 12 Oct 2018 11:54:46 -0700 (PDT), RayLopez99
wrote:


I forgot to mention, I keep getting the "USB HDD: Verbatim (which
happens to be the brand of my USB stick) has been blocked by the
current security policy" when trying to boot to a bootable USB.


Any workaround? I will play with BIOS settings...but if anybody has a
quick fix let me know...will post my findings here later.


-
Should be. It's simply more likely an IT-type forethought and default
setting, to be more or less simply overridden with the appropriate
setting. I'd run a search on that for an appropriate discussion forum
on an override. More like an inconvenience posed than actual security
policy; ... granted, and not just anyone would think to mention
Verbatim, than might a popular conception be to assume any ol'
flashstick is embedded with the Deadliest Virus Alive, specially
embedded and hot off press from the Beijing Military Academy of
Computer Sciences.

I don't run an embedded boot manager on a W7 partition, including the
MSFT provided less than more an elective of GRUB (in case the other
drives are actually seen by the installation and not disconnected
prior with extreme prejudice).

I "point" to it, to boot W7, from another SSD drive with a non-GRUB
embedded OS arbitrator, variously to "hide" drive partitions as
suitable. The arbitrator, fwiw, is also provided on the HIREN
resource grabbag, though fairly simply and less extensive as perhaps
GRUB.

My BIOS menu is the first available Boot Device override - a so-called
"Boot Menu Selection" assigned to F12. Along with a BIOS HDD
(sub)selection for 1st-order boot device, maybe four valid USB
formats, below, including USB HDD which I then select.


Flasherly, Paul:

I figured out the problem, and I don't think it's easy to fix. I also have a request below.

In the Acer Aspire V5-122 there is no good BIOS for you to turn off UEFI/Secure Boot and turn on Legacy easily. Everytime I attempt to follow directions as found online to turn off any password in UEFI/Secure Boot, it does not work to recognize my bootable USB. When I turn on Legacy BIOS, I get a "bootable media not detected....press any key' message. I tested the Rufus bootable USB stick, which has Windows 10 loaded on it, on my tower (which has no such terrible BIOS) and it works like a charm to boot into the USB stick, and the Windows 10 setup, so it's not the USB stick's fault.

Here are my action items:

1) [Attempt to once again create a bootable USB stick that has Windows 10 on it, which I think is FUTILE]: What links--are they the ones Paul gave above (I think they are, so don't sweat answering this one--for me to: (a) download Windows 10 Home edition for the target Aspire laptop, from within the laptop? I am pretty sure it's the link Paul gave above, "Windows Download Manager"; (b) download Windows 10 Home edition from outside the target Aspire laptop, so I can make a bootable USB stick? Don't bother answering this if you don't know off the top of your head, it's just context for action item #2 below.

2) even however if I make a bootable USB stick as per 1) above--without using Rufus--I doubt I will be able to get into the Aspire V5. I am firmly convinced that the Acer people have a 'crippled' version of BIOS (if you see the comical screen, you can only use arrow keys and F5/F6 keys to get around, you'd agree) that does NOT allow you to easily change anything and does NOT allow you to get into Legacy mode (what I mean is: you get into Legacy mode, but somewhere in the Acer hard drive you get a "no bootable media" message). I'm pretty sure the only way to change an OS is from within an existing OS. In other words, I think, without specialized equipment like they have in PC repair shops that allow a 'clone-to-clone' hard drive copy, you will NOT be able to load another version of OS from OUTSIDE of the OS you are in. Just to make it more clear: when I transitioned, in 2015, from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Home edition, all 64 bit, it was done from within Windows 8.1, using Microsoft links. The MSFT engineers figured out how to trick the boot sector or whatever so Windows 10 could be loaded. On this laptop I doubt using a USB stick (or even an external CD-ROM, which is not standard equipment for this model laptop) would have worked. Just a strong gut feeling.

So my second question is this: is it possible to reload another build of Windows 10 from WITHIN Windows 10? The answer imo is yes, but you have to click on the right links. I think you must do the following: https://www.appgeeker.com/recovery/d...indows-10.html

Go to Advanced Setup, select Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, then you are presenterd with the following options: System Restore (I got the laptop to be a non-brick from a "reset" already, this option is akin to that), System Image Recovery (this looks promising), and other options not relevant, including UEFI Firmware Settings, which much to my disappointment simply reboots the PC into BIOS (see #1 above, that's back to square one)

So clicking on System Image Recovery, you get ...nothing because my laptop just seized up, lol.

So the question remains, how to upgrade from Windows 10 Home edition, 64 bit, version circa 2015 to Windows 10 Home edition, 64 bit, version circa 2018, from within Windows 10? The secret might be the Windows Tool that Paul referenced in this post. If you think so, say so please.

THe other option is more brute force but will also work: take this laptop to the local PC shop, have them using their "hard-disk to hard-disk dedicated clone machine" (which they have), simply copy Windows 10, latest version, 64 bit, onto the hard drive. Then, as Paul says, since Microsoft has the MAC id of the laptop, it's already registered.

The purpose of this entire exercise is to get around the problem of Windows 10 not being able to go from Windows 10 (2015 build) to W10 (2018 build).

Many thanks appreciated, if I come up with anything I'll let you know, I'm fiddling with the laptop now. I got this laptop for my near teen PH girlfriend, half my age, and she doesn't use it anymore, lol, dating her is like dating your daughter I imagine, she changes phones every year, uses PCs/phones solely for videos and social media, spills coffee on the laptop keyboard (the problem was never really fixed, even with extensive repairs, the edges of the screen make it blurry), but she's good in bed... hehe.

RL
  #17  
Old October 13th 18, 08:32 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Paul[_28_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,467
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

RayLopez99 wrote:
On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 3:35:32 AM UTC+8, Flasherly wrote:
On Fri, 12 Oct 2018 11:54:46 -0700 (PDT), RayLopez99
wrote:

I forgot to mention, I keep getting the "USB HDD: Verbatim (which
happens to be the brand of my USB stick) has been blocked by the
current security policy" when trying to boot to a bootable USB.

Any workaround? I will play with BIOS settings...but if anybody has a
quick fix let me know...will post my findings here later.


-
Should be. It's simply more likely an IT-type forethought and default
setting, to be more or less simply overridden with the appropriate
setting. I'd run a search on that for an appropriate discussion forum
on an override. More like an inconvenience posed than actual security
policy; ... granted, and not just anyone would think to mention
Verbatim, than might a popular conception be to assume any ol'
flashstick is embedded with the Deadliest Virus Alive, specially
embedded and hot off press from the Beijing Military Academy of
Computer Sciences.

I don't run an embedded boot manager on a W7 partition, including the
MSFT provided less than more an elective of GRUB (in case the other
drives are actually seen by the installation and not disconnected
prior with extreme prejudice).

I "point" to it, to boot W7, from another SSD drive with a non-GRUB
embedded OS arbitrator, variously to "hide" drive partitions as
suitable. The arbitrator, fwiw, is also provided on the HIREN
resource grabbag, though fairly simply and less extensive as perhaps
GRUB.

My BIOS menu is the first available Boot Device override - a so-called
"Boot Menu Selection" assigned to F12. Along with a BIOS HDD
(sub)selection for 1st-order boot device, maybe four valid USB
formats, below, including USB HDD which I then select.


Flasherly, Paul:

I figured out the problem, and I don't think it's easy to fix. I also have a request below.

In the Acer Aspire V5-122 there is no good BIOS for you to turn off UEFI/Secure Boot and turn on Legacy easily. Everytime I attempt to follow directions as found online to turn off any password in UEFI/Secure Boot, it does not work to recognize my bootable USB. When I turn on Legacy BIOS, I get a "bootable media not detected....press any key' message. I tested the Rufus bootable USB stick, which has Windows 10 loaded on it, on my tower (which has no such terrible BIOS) and it works like a charm to boot into the USB stick, and the Windows 10 setup, so it's not the USB stick's fault.

Here are my action items:

1) [Attempt to once again create a bootable USB stick that has Windows 10 on it, which I think is FUTILE]: What links--are they the ones Paul gave above (I think they are, so don't sweat answering this one--for me to: (a) download Windows 10 Home edition for the target Aspire laptop, from within the laptop? I am pretty sure it's the link Paul gave above, "Windows Download Manager"; (b) download Windows 10 Home edition from outside the target Aspire laptop, so I can make a bootable USB stick? Don't bother answering this if you don't know off the top of your head, it's just context for action item #2 below.

2) even however if I make a bootable USB stick as per 1) above--without using Rufus--I doubt I will be able to get into the Aspire V5. I am firmly convinced that the Acer people have a 'crippled' version of BIOS (if you see the comical screen, you can only use arrow keys and F5/F6 keys to get around, you'd agree) that does NOT allow you to easily change anything and does NOT allow you to get into Legacy mode (what I mean is: you get into Legacy mode, but somewhere in the Acer hard drive you get a "no bootable media" message). I'm pretty sure the only way to change an OS is from within an existing OS. In other words, I think, without specialized equipment like they have in PC repair shops that allow a 'clone-to-clone' hard drive copy, you will NOT be able to load another version of OS from OUTSIDE of the OS you are in. Just to make it more clear: when I transitioned, in 2015, from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Home edition, all 64 bit, it was done from within Windows 8.1,

using Microsoft links. The MSFT engineers figured out how to trick the boot sector or whatever so Windows 10 could be loaded. On this laptop I doubt using a USB stick (or even an external CD-ROM, which is not standard equipment for this model laptop) would have worked. Just a strong gut feeling.

So my second question is this: is it possible to reload another build of Windows 10 from WITHIN Windows 10? The answer imo is yes, but you have to click on the right links. I think you must do the following: https://www.appgeeker.com/recovery/d...indows-10.html

Go to Advanced Setup, select Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, then you are presenterd with the following options: System Restore (I got the laptop to be a non-brick from a "reset" already, this option is akin to that), System Image Recovery (this looks promising), and other options not relevant, including UEFI Firmware Settings, which much to my disappointment simply reboots the PC into BIOS (see #1 above, that's back to square one)

So clicking on System Image Recovery, you get ...nothing because my laptop just seized up, lol.

So the question remains, how to upgrade from Windows 10 Home edition, 64 bit, version circa 2015 to Windows 10 Home edition, 64 bit, version circa 2018, from within Windows 10? The secret might be the Windows Tool that Paul referenced in this post. If you think so, say so please.

THe other option is more brute force but will also work: take this laptop to the local PC shop, have them using their "hard-disk to hard-disk dedicated clone machine" (which they have), simply copy Windows 10, latest version, 64 bit, onto the hard drive. Then, as Paul says, since Microsoft has the MAC id of the laptop, it's already registered.

The purpose of this entire exercise is to get around the problem of Windows 10 not being able to go from Windows 10 (2015 build) to W10 (2018 build).

Many thanks appreciated, if I come up with anything I'll let you know, I'm fiddling with the laptop now. I got this laptop for my near teen PH girlfriend, half my age, and she doesn't use it anymore, lol, dating her is like dating your daughter I imagine, she changes phones every year, uses PCs/phones solely for videos and social media, spills coffee on the laptop keyboard (the problem was never really fixed, even with extensive repairs, the edges of the screen make it blurry), but she's good in bed... hehe.

RL


It doesn't sound like all that friendly of a machine.

https://community.acer.com/en/discus...aspire-v5-122p

https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thre...P-Bios-Bricked

In the second thread, the participants are all excited about
updating the BIOS (to 2.06 first, likely due to some
architecture change with respect to secure boot). But they don't
make it clear what using the 2.12 BIOS gives in terms of
additional functions.

The BIOS says boot devices won't show after changing modes
until the setting is saved and the BIOS has had a chance to
POST again. Around 2:06 of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q8aOFKts7s

Paul
  #18  
Old October 13th 18, 08:51 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
RayLopez99
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 897
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

Thanks Paul.

I think I will take it to the PC shop, run by a bunch of Filipinos who do good work but I always have to check their work since they use pirated software and i've found viruses/malware on my machine after going there before (I don't think they did it on purpose, but you never know in this country, lol).

But I just found a confounding factor: the PC mechanical HDD is very very slow now, showing 99% usage and only 0.7 MB/s throughput. Quick scan shows no viruses. Implications from a internet forum is that it's a failing hard drive. Scandisk (from within Tools| Filemanager ) shows no clear errors (but this program is not that reliable, perhaps use Gizmo's "Crystal Disk Info"? https://www.techsupportalert.com/con...diskinfo.htm-0 )

I think I need a new hard drive, preferably a solid-state SSD, agree? While I am there, I will ask the boys to install Windows 10, home edition, 64x bit? That will do it. And I don't think I will lose my license key with Microsoft, since the MAC address doesn't change, being on the motherboard, when you replace a hard drive, as you have said or implied.

If you have a freeware program to check hard disk health for Windows 10, feel free to recommend. I just downloaded HDDScan – Free HDD Diagnostic Utility.

Thanks,
RL

On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 3:32:41 PM UTC+8, Paul wrote:
RayLopez99 wrote:
On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 3:35:32 AM UTC+8, Flasherly wrote:
On Fri, 12 Oct 2018 11:54:46 -0700 (PDT), RayLopez99
wrote:

I forgot to mention, I keep getting the "USB HDD: Verbatim (which
happens to be the brand of my USB stick) has been blocked by the
current security policy" when trying to boot to a bootable USB.

Any workaround? I will play with BIOS settings...but if anybody has a
quick fix let me know...will post my findings here later.


-
Should be. It's simply more likely an IT-type forethought and default
setting, to be more or less simply overridden with the appropriate
setting. I'd run a search on that for an appropriate discussion forum
on an override. More like an inconvenience posed than actual security
policy; ... granted, and not just anyone would think to mention
Verbatim, than might a popular conception be to assume any ol'
flashstick is embedded with the Deadliest Virus Alive, specially
embedded and hot off press from the Beijing Military Academy of
Computer Sciences.

I don't run an embedded boot manager on a W7 partition, including the
MSFT provided less than more an elective of GRUB (in case the other
drives are actually seen by the installation and not disconnected
prior with extreme prejudice).

I "point" to it, to boot W7, from another SSD drive with a non-GRUB
embedded OS arbitrator, variously to "hide" drive partitions as
suitable. The arbitrator, fwiw, is also provided on the HIREN
resource grabbag, though fairly simply and less extensive as perhaps
GRUB.

My BIOS menu is the first available Boot Device override - a so-called
"Boot Menu Selection" assigned to F12. Along with a BIOS HDD
(sub)selection for 1st-order boot device, maybe four valid USB
formats, below, including USB HDD which I then select.


Flasherly, Paul:

I figured out the problem, and I don't think it's easy to fix. I also have a request below.

In the Acer Aspire V5-122 there is no good BIOS for you to turn off UEFI/Secure Boot and turn on Legacy easily. Everytime I attempt to follow directions as found online to turn off any password in UEFI/Secure Boot, it does not work to recognize my bootable USB. When I turn on Legacy BIOS, I get a "bootable media not detected....press any key' message. I tested the Rufus bootable USB stick, which has Windows 10 loaded on it, on my tower (which has no such terrible BIOS) and it works like a charm to boot into the USB stick, and the Windows 10 setup, so it's not the USB stick's fault.

Here are my action items:

1) [Attempt to once again create a bootable USB stick that has Windows 10 on it, which I think is FUTILE]: What links--are they the ones Paul gave above (I think they are, so don't sweat answering this one--for me to: (a) download Windows 10 Home edition for the target Aspire laptop, from within the laptop? I am pretty sure it's the link Paul gave above, "Windows Download Manager"; (b) download Windows 10 Home edition from outside the target Aspire laptop, so I can make a bootable USB stick? Don't bother answering this if you don't know off the top of your head, it's just context for action item #2 below.

2) even however if I make a bootable USB stick as per 1) above--without using Rufus--I doubt I will be able to get into the Aspire V5. I am firmly convinced that the Acer people have a 'crippled' version of BIOS (if you see the comical screen, you can only use arrow keys and F5/F6 keys to get around, you'd agree) that does NOT allow you to easily change anything and does NOT allow you to get into Legacy mode (what I mean is: you get into Legacy mode, but somewhere in the Acer hard drive you get a "no bootable media" message). I'm pretty sure the only way to change an OS is from within an existing OS. In other words, I think, without specialized equipment like they have in PC repair shops that allow a 'clone-to-clone' hard drive copy, you will NOT be able to load another version of OS from OUTSIDE of the OS you are in. Just to make it more clear: when I transitioned, in 2015, from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Home edition, all 64 bit, it was done from within Windows 8.1,

using Microsoft links. The MSFT engineers figured out how to trick the boot sector or whatever so Windows 10 could be loaded. On this laptop I doubt using a USB stick (or even an external CD-ROM, which is not standard equipment for this model laptop) would have worked. Just a strong gut feeling..

So my second question is this: is it possible to reload another build of Windows 10 from WITHIN Windows 10? The answer imo is yes, but you have to click on the right links. I think you must do the following: https://www.appgeeker.com/recovery/d...indows-10.html

Go to Advanced Setup, select Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, then you are presenterd with the following options: System Restore (I got the laptop to be a non-brick from a "reset" already, this option is akin to that), System Image Recovery (this looks promising), and other options not relevant, including UEFI Firmware Settings, which much to my disappointment simply reboots the PC into BIOS (see #1 above, that's back to square one)

So clicking on System Image Recovery, you get ...nothing because my laptop just seized up, lol.

So the question remains, how to upgrade from Windows 10 Home edition, 64 bit, version circa 2015 to Windows 10 Home edition, 64 bit, version circa 2018, from within Windows 10? The secret might be the Windows Tool that Paul referenced in this post. If you think so, say so please.

THe other option is more brute force but will also work: take this laptop to the local PC shop, have them using their "hard-disk to hard-disk dedicated clone machine" (which they have), simply copy Windows 10, latest version, 64 bit, onto the hard drive. Then, as Paul says, since Microsoft has the MAC id of the laptop, it's already registered.

The purpose of this entire exercise is to get around the problem of Windows 10 not being able to go from Windows 10 (2015 build) to W10 (2018 build).

Many thanks appreciated, if I come up with anything I'll let you know, I'm fiddling with the laptop now. I got this laptop for my near teen PH girlfriend, half my age, and she doesn't use it anymore, lol, dating her is like dating your daughter I imagine, she changes phones every year, uses PCs/phones solely for videos and social media, spills coffee on the laptop keyboard (the problem was never really fixed, even with extensive repairs, the edges of the screen make it blurry), but she's good in bed... hehe.

RL


It doesn't sound like all that friendly of a machine.

https://community.acer.com/en/discus...aspire-v5-122p

https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thre...P-Bios-Bricked

In the second thread, the participants are all excited about
updating the BIOS (to 2.06 first, likely due to some
architecture change with respect to secure boot). But they don't
make it clear what using the 2.12 BIOS gives in terms of
additional functions.

The BIOS says boot devices won't show after changing modes
until the setting is saved and the BIOS has had a chance to
POST again. Around 2:06 of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q8aOFKts7s

Paul


  #19  
Old October 13th 18, 09:07 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Flasherly[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,407
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

On Fri, 12 Oct 2018 23:53:23 -0700 (PDT), RayLopez99
wrote:

-

When you say you're following manufacturer directions, the thought
occurred something's wrong, in turn to try and restore it to a factory
default state. That should happen with a BIOS Reset.

https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/...ord+Hard+reset

From the above, it appears you're not the first to have encountered
this UEFI issue, being stuck in it. But then below you say you can
circumvent UEFI - "what I mean is: you get into Legacy mode, but
somewhere in the Acer hard drive you get a "no bootable media"
message".

I would think good that you do have Legacy. Rather the above poster
may not have gotten so far as you.

If I switch from Legacy to ACHI it's no different for me: that I'll
get a -no bootable media- error. I haven't UEFI, though, but I might
presume UEFI also has restrictive qualifications different, certainly
from Legacy, and uniquely even ACHI.

What's seems indicated is to find where the restrictions between the
two apply to how the Acer is designed and implemented, your model
laptop apparently supporting either UEFI, or Legacy, to have meet or
decide which suits what you want. The Legacy is a further provision,
I'd also assume, as provided for the sales-front of a working unit
equipped with Windows 10 and the latter's accompanying preference for
UEFI .

Legacy would say, however, that you can do whatever you want to a
computer - within restrictions of the hardware Acer is given. Which
can no less easily become most constricted when working with some
proprietary desktop sets and, especially and unavoidably so, with
laptops.

They're invaluable for fieldwork and I've run, rather customized and
changed out operating systems to a few laptops, but that wasn't
anywhere near UEFI. Nor near, as you say, what you already know from
a leeway you comparatively have for widest compatibility in testing
with a generic desktop build. Some brands, I found, required more a
focus on limits they'll forgo for the added edge of compact
compartmentalism. Expensive, too, high-end and performance oriented.
  #20  
Old October 13th 18, 04:19 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
RayLopez99
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 897
Default Windows 10 fails to boot, then it reboots, bizarre self-fix

On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 4:07:34 PM UTC+8, Flasherly wrote:
On Fri, 12 Oct 2018 23:53:23 -0700 (PDT), RayLopez99
wrote:

-

When you say you're following manufacturer directions, the thought
occurred something's wrong, in turn to try and restore it to a factory
default state. That should happen with a BIOS Reset.

https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/...ord+Hard+reset

From the above, it appears you're not the first to have encountered
this UEFI issue, being stuck in it. But then below you say you can
circumvent UEFI - "what I mean is: you get into Legacy mode, but
somewhere in the Acer hard drive you get a "no bootable media"
message".

I would think good that you do have Legacy. Rather the above poster
may not have gotten so far as you.

If I switch from Legacy to ACHI it's no different for me: that I'll
get a -no bootable media- error. I haven't UEFI, though, but I might
presume UEFI also has restrictive qualifications different, certainly
from Legacy, and uniquely even ACHI.


Thanks Flasherly, here are the updates.

1) I upgraded the BIOS to a modern version from one ten years old, using the Asus tool

2) I took the laptop to a PC shop. Several actually. The first couple were, much to my surprise, afraid I was a mystery shopper from Microsoft or the government (even though I am Caucasian in the Philippines) and refused to serve me, unless I agreed to buy a full-blown copy of Windows, which costs something like $200. It was comical. But finally a shop took a chance on me, and found numerous hardware problems with lose cables when they removed the top (I've never serviced it, so it must have been that way for years), and, Paul might know of this one, the "5 volt thingy' (they did not know the english word, but I'm guessing it's a capacitor or line conditioner) that feeds into the hard drive was possibly defective (they don't use a multimeter so I'm guessing they are guessing or maybe looking a the color of it, or some other visual inspection). I even bought a new SSD HD to replace the mechanical HD (cost: $40 for a tiny 128 GB drive, which actually for this laptop is sufficient, but it shows prices are expensive here), but that wasn't the problem, it's the connection to the HD, not the HD itself, it turned out later.

3) Even the PC guys had problems booting to the USB, even in Legacy mode, until it was determined that the bootable USB stick, which I had formatted with Rufus, was corrupted! They proved it by using a bootable USB they had at the shop. Somehow, I have no idea how it was corrupted, since the USB stick worked at least once. I am never using Rufus again, I lost hours with this issue. From now on I will create a bootable USB drive "the long way" using Windows commands.

I will update this thread later, as the laptop is still in the shop. Estimated cost to fix it: about $30, which is very reasonable considering the work they've done so far (hoping they find the hardware problem, as I say, this country has high humidity that taxes all electronic components, and very noisy lines, constant voltage surges and voltage spikes, even my battery backup UPS used to bulge and fail every six months or so, I actually stopped buying them, instead I just deal with power surges with a surge suppressor and constantly save my work).

RL
 




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