Win 8.1 Device manager and various other issues

[Shane Du Toit]

Hi I am having major issues with Win 8.1 Device Manager. It does not recognise any USB unless it is plugged in on boot-up. If you remove it then once you have booted up then it stays in This PC. After logon I get a blank screen for ages. Then the desktop pops up with the taskbar. Then several minutes later the icons pop up. Then a couple of minutes later I get an error the Comodo Internet Security failed to load. I then run the diagnostic which says there are no errors. I then manually load Comodo which then works fine. In Device Manager I have tried "detect hardware changes" but it hangs. I have tried "DeviceWin8.meta.diagcab" but it hangs at resolving problems. I have also tried the Win 8.1 Hardware Troubleshooter - same thing. Also it always asks me to choose Firefox as my default browser and does the same for Vuze in respect of torrents. I tried to do a non-destructive reinstall but it got stuck at 39% at 9pm and was still at the same place at 9 am the next morning. I have tried DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth which fails with 0x800f0906 "source files could not be downloaded". I have tried what I found on the internet re: fixing this error but no luck. SFC /scannow finds corrupted files that it cannot fix and says to see CBS.log.
Any assistance would be most welcome.

 

[GZ]

Hello Shane Du Toit,

It sounds like you may have a hardware issue... I would like to suggest you run two initial diagnostics,

Memtest86+ Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

And a hard drive diagnostic. HDD Diagnostic tools are available, usually, from the disk manufacturer. If you can tell me your HDD Brand, I can help you locate the HDD diagnostic.

An option, if you have a decent internet connection is the Ultimate Boot CD, it contains memtest86+ and HDD diagnostics for most HDD brands.

When you run Memtest 86+ you will want to run it for multiple passes. When the test completes a "Pass" a message with "Pass complete" will show up at the bottom of the screen. It will continue to run. I would suggest running it overnight.

If you see any memory addresses highlighted in red on the bottom of the screen, that is indicative of an error.

If you need further assistance running these programs, please feel free to ask. Please post results.

~GZ

 

[Shane Du Toit]

Hi will download the Ultimate Boot CD. I have however noticed that during one of the repair attempts that I did it found another existing Win 8.1 installation on another drive. None of the problems are present in this version but it has not been updated in ages for example the windows store is not even an icon on the taskbar! Once I have downloaded the iso and written it I will give it a bash because to reinstall all the programs would be a pain as I have bought digital copies of Elite Dangerous, Diablo III Reaper and Dragon Age Inquisitions which are all multiple GB downloads and at SA bandwith this is a nightmare. Will feedback.

SbDT

 

[GZ]

Did you save the installation files from those software titles?

Whenever I download a software title (digital purchase) I save a copy of all install files, in case of a reinstallation situation.

Please keep us updated with the hardware tests... Once the hardware is cleared we will move on to attempt to recover and repair your Windows installation.

~GZ

 

[Shane Du Toit]

Quick update still waiting for Ultimate Boot CD to download. However Win did 28 updates mostly Office but a few security updates. Rebooted still long waiting times but device manager is suddenly working again.