Help with a non-booting machine

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Al Crowdfunding Project Donor*Special Project $75 donorSpecial Project $250 donor
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Message 1878360 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 12:20:39 UTC

My cruncher with the dual 1070's in it refuses to boot normally after I rebooted it a week or so ago, and am now trying to find the time to resolve it. I believe I did an update a month or so ago that required a reboot, which I had postponed. I don't remember exactly what it was, but that is what comes to mind when I think hard about it.

I first tried using a restore point about a month and a half back, but it still hangs with a dark screen when rebooting normally, and it gets stuck at the windows emblem when I try to use the windows repair option. I notice that all 3 lights on the hard wired keyboard - num, caps and scroll - flash just before it locks up.

I did do an F8 boot, and chose the option to create a ntbtlog.txt file, it did create it, and I have that. I did do a couple things to it in an attempt to get it to boot properly, after the restore rollback didn't seem to make a difference. First of all, it does boot into safe mode with network, I am writing this post on it actually. I attempted to fix it by installing the latest video driver, that didn't make a difference, I checked device manager, everything appears - at least in safe mode - to be hunky dory.

I did read the ntbtlog file, it's 222k, and there were a lot of drivers that did load, and a number that didn't. I have never looked at this file before, so I am not sure if that is normal for Windows or not. Not sure if it helps, but the last few lines of it read:


Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\bowser.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\System32\drivers\mpsdrv.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\mrxsmb.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\mrxsmb10.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\mrxsmb20.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\drivers\hidusb.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\mouhid.sys
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\USBSTOR.SYS
Loaded driver \SystemRoot\System32\Drivers\fastfat.SYS

I am hoping to get this machine back online with the least amount of messing around, my goal is to figure out specifically what's wrong and remedy it, I really don't relish the thought of having to reload it, but I also hope to not spend hours and hours on it either, as a reload honestly only takes about 30-60 mins of actual seat time, the rest I can walk away and let it churn and hit enter or choose options when I get back to it to keep it moving along. Still, there then is the updates dance, plus the (few) application reinstalls and configs, so all in all, I would much prefer to get it running by fixing whatever is hanging it up.

If anyone has thoughts (and sorry, no, I can't remember what those updates that needed the reboot were) based upon what I have in this post, let me know. And if you need more info from the computer, I will get it and post it here. Thanks for any help, guys.

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Message 1878361 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 12:26:52 UTC - in response to Message 1878360.  

The first thing I usually try is to run chkdsk with the repair option enabled.
The other thing that comes to mind is it also sounds like a GPU driver problem.
You could try rolling back to the last driver you used in safe mode, clean install option, and see if that fixes it.
Or remove/delete the driver in safe mode and see if Windows will start up in normal mode then.
If it does, you know the culprit.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 1878377 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 13:35:28 UTC - in response to Message 1878361.  

That's a good idea Mark, after I posted that, I had actually scheduled one and it was supposed to do it upon reboot, but as I was heading out for a bit, I forgot that I had and shut it off. Seeing your post, I went back upstairs to boot it up normally and watch it at least start going thru the chkdsk process, but unfortunately, when it came up, it got to the same point and hung again.

I said a couple choice words, rebooted it, and figured I would at least boot it up again in safe mode to try and run it from the command prompt, but now it's decided to be even more obstinate, and hangs during the driver loading process, the last to load successfully is the classpnp.sys driver, then it hangs after that. You happen to know what driver windows tries to load after that one? Looks to me like this one is starting circling the drain... ;-/

Not giving up yet though!

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Message 1878378 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 13:42:21 UTC

I also had some trouble booting, after an update.....lots of spinning on screen, but nothing else happening after about 20 mins after the restart. I just hit the reset button and eventually got it to boot, then ran System Restore, but even that was 'reluctant'. The same update has 'failed' a few other times, with similar results, but the 'Security Quality Monthly Rollup', was fine - the update that I had trouble with was, Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool X64 (KB980830) (no comment about Windows Malicious Software!) - I wonder if it was that one, as it also insisted on being installed.
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Message 1878380 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 13:56:49 UTC - in response to Message 1878360.  

Is this a new install and you are attempting to get it up?

I do all the updates at once and then go back and remove all the updates that was compiled in a list somewhere in these threads of the updates that upgrade your systems. ( I tried looking for it but can't find it. I should have just bookmarked it)

Fresh reinstall???
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Message 1878381 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 14:06:30 UTC - in response to Message 1878380.  

Is this a new install and you are attempting to get it up?

I do all the updates at once and then go back and remove all the updates that was compiled in a list somewhere in these threads of the updates that upgrade your systems. ( I tried looking for it but can't find it. I should have just bookmarked it)

Fresh reinstall???
Nope, this one has been running for about a year now, I do very infrequent updates to it, I think that the Wannacry gave me a nudge to run it again, and now I think I do! lol Seriously, I wish I had noted what was updated, but fortunately, I have had few issues when doing updates, I guess this time my luck just ran out. Worst part is, now it won't even boot into safe mode, so I'll have to dig out a DVD and boot it up from there to try and repair it at this point. I thought I had retired from doing IT work years ago... lol

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Message 1878383 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 14:25:08 UTC

When I had a black screen on my main system, it was due to the video driver not loading correctly. Waiting for over an hour it eventually showed the screen again. Since that time I had the problem with that videocard (ATI HD 6850) when I uninstalled the drivers, as then the black screen would be back. I could only install drivers in Safe Mode, as I couldn't see anything in normal mode.

You say it's three videocards in there?
I would try, in order:
1. Uninstall the videocard driver and reboot into Windows. If Windows works with its default videocard driver, you have found that it's the driver.
2. Switch the output to the monitor from the first to the second videocard. Or to the third. Or to the first. (depends on which one you've got the video out attached).
3. Check for and install newer drivers for the motherboard chipset.
4. Motherboard BIOS/UEFI update.
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Message 1878391 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 15:28:46 UTC

Perhaps check the seating of videocards and memory sticks...
Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it...
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Message 1878410 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 17:10:30 UTC
Last modified: 15 Jul 2017, 17:11:56 UTC

I'll try reseating them, and it has 2 1070's in it. One interesting thing I found in my research of this issue, was a comment from a guy on a Microsoft forum who had pretty much the same problem, were it wouldn't even boot into safe mode anymore, hanging after classpnp.sys loaded. What worked to at least get him past that stuck point was to use the old DOS Ctrl-Break command on it as soon as it stopped loading, and it got him past it. I thought what the heck, if I can at least get back into safe mode with network support, I can backup everything I need to make an eventual reload, if necessary, a lot easier. I tried it, and lo and behold, it worked for me! Small victories.

When I get back home I'll give reseating a try, it's an easy 3 minute job, worth a shot.

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Message 1878422 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 17:50:19 UTC - in response to Message 1878410.  
Last modified: 15 Jul 2017, 17:51:19 UTC

Hi Al!

Do you see the disc in the BIOS when booting the computer?

Should tell that I got the cold sense or feeling here a couple of times, because my main partition on the 3 TB disc would not boot.

The thing I found to be working is that whether or not more than one physical drive has been installed, you eventually find which one to boot from.

My option was to pull the disc from the slot and next bump it back in after first turning off the computer.

This was found to be working out, but when sometimes replacing the other discs, the chkdsk process could take some time.
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Message 1878450 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 22:46:58 UTC - in response to Message 1878360.  
Last modified: 15 Jul 2017, 22:49:25 UTC

My cruncher with the dual 1070's in it refuses to boot normally after I rebooted it a week or so ago,


Which one? I just looked and you apparently have two boxes with 2 1070's and both are running Win7... :) I am glad for the later report that you had gotten it up again enough to back it up.

I would back it up post haste. I already had that issue (what, you want me to actually boot? Oh, no, I'm tired...) with the great Z600 migration I did.


When I get back home I'll give reseating a try, it's an easy 3 minute job, worth a shot.

What! You actually do something besides eating/breathing Seti? ;)

Tom
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Message 1878453 - Posted: 15 Jul 2017, 22:55:48 UTC - in response to Message 1878450.  

Don't you know Al also does work for the FBI researching strange phenomenons here on earth?? ;)
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Message 1878498 - Posted: 16 Jul 2017, 4:13:58 UTC - in response to Message 1878453.  

Don't you know Al also does work for the FBI researching strange phenomenons here on earth?? ;)
Shhhh!That's supposed to be classified info! ;-)

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Message 1878499 - Posted: 16 Jul 2017, 4:32:23 UTC - in response to Message 1878450.  

My cruncher with the dual 1070's in it refuses to boot normally after I rebooted it a week or so ago,


Which one? I just looked and you apparently have two boxes with 2 1070's and both are running Win7... :) I am glad for the later report that you had gotten it up again enough to back it up.

I would back it up post haste. I already had that issue (what, you want me to actually boot? Oh, no, I'm tired...) with the great Z600 migration I did.


When I get back home I'll give reseating a try, it's an easy 3 minute job, worth a shot.

What! You actually do something besides eating/breathing Seti? ;)

Tom

Whoops, well, one is definitely two cards, but only one is a 1070, the other is a 980, which is called FlashFlyer. The system with the 2 1070's in it is called DualGTX1070. That is the one that hasn't reported since July 7th.

And yeah, definitely going to be using one of the USB drives I bought the the other week for my Linux install to back the stuff up. Wonder if I tried loading that on it, if I could keep my same computer ID when switching between OS's if I did?


What! You actually do something besides eating/breathing Seti? ;)

Geeze, you wouldn't think so, would you? lol

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