BSOD after Windows 7 update

hfffoman · Aug 19, 2013

My desktop had been working fine since I bought it 18 months ago. There were rare incidents when it froze and had to be hard powered off, which I hadn't diagnosed.

After the update last week I reached BSOD. Windows startup repair failed. The failure message was "startup repair offline". Every time I tried to run sfc / scannow I was told it couldn't run it because there was already a pending instruction to do so, please restart. But every time I restarted I had to go through a failed attempt to run startup repair which presumably refreshed the instruction. I thought I had restore points but didn't (my fault). I tried to repair windows from my original bootable windows disk but got the message that it was incompatible with my installation. I created a bootable ISO disk of the correct up to date version of windows (in fact I also tried several other candidates just in case). To all attempts repair I got the same message - please use a disk compatible with your version of windows.

I ran farbar recovery scan tool. This identified backed up system files from two days earlier and restored them. Windows then started to work. I was then able to use sfc / scannow which identified and fixed a large number of system file errors.

I ran a load of malware and other tests which didn't find anything wrong.

I then had a freeze, the cause of which I haven't been able to identify yet though the machine has been working for the last couple of days while I looked for problems.

HDD tests and memory tests haven't found anything wrong. I haven't tried reinstalling the windows update that triggered the problem. Windows updates are now switched off.

Incidentally, making these changes has persuaded Windows to put me in Notification period. It seems a bit like insult to injury after Microsoft's utilities were so spectacularly useless that they then challenge the authenticity of my installation.

Patrick · Aug 19, 2013

Hi,

Last week Microsoft published a series of updates that have now since been rolled back due to being problematic. That is most likely what was causing your crashes. You should be safe to re-download any necessary latest updates.

For future reference, you can set your Update settings to 'notify of new updates but choose whether to download or install'.

Regards,

Patrick

NoelDP · Aug 19, 2013

To properly analyse and solve problems with Activation and Validation, we need to see a full copy of the report produced by the MGADiag tool
(download and save to desktop - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012 )
Once saved, run the tool.
Click on the Continue button, which will produce the report.
To copy the report to your response, click on the Copy button in the tool (ignore any error messages at this point), and then paste (using either r-click/Paste, or Ctrl+V ) into your response.
- **in your own thread**, please

Please also state the Version and Edition of Windows quoted on your COA sticker (if you have one) on the case of your machine (or inside the battery compartment), but do NOT quote the Key on the sticker!
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BSOD after Windows 7 update

hfffoman

New member

Patrick

Sysnative Staff

NoelDP

Windows Update Analyst, Contributor