PC Bricked After OS Downgrade!

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FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
Hey guys. I could really use some help with my PC.
Dell XPS 8300
Intel i5-2300
6gb ram
512gb crucial ssd
radeon r9-280

A few days ago I upgraded to windows 10 and have been experiencing some freezing every few minutes which forced reboots. I tried all updating all available drivers and disabling some devices that were known to be problematic with my model and windows 10 after googling.

Today I gave up and used the windows 10 restore function back to win 7 and now my computer is unbootable. The furthest I get is the windows 7 screen with the scrolling green bars. I'm now encountering this: your computer was unable to start......startup repair is checking your system for problems. Startup repair is unable to do anything.

I've booted into bios and restored defaults.
I am able to access safe mode but safe mode w/ networking or repair options also do nothing.
I used acronis trueimage to migrate my hdd last year (maybe there's some kind of restore feature?)

So what are possible steps I can take at this point? Ideally I'd like to repair this somehow.
Is my computer salvageable?
 
Last edited:
mikeymikec

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
20,606
15,514
136
Is your data backed up? That might be a sensible step to take if you didn't do it before the attempted upgrade.

After that I would run a disk check on the SSD. Using the command prompt from the repair UI, do chkdsk driveletter: /f /v /r.

Did the computer run completely fine on Win7 in the weeks before the upgrade?

memtest86 wouldn't go amiss either. I'd check the basics before I move on to (possibly more relevant) possibilities, such as fudged drivers.
 
F

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
mikeymikec said:
Is your data backed up? That might be a sensible step to take if you didn't do it before the attempted upgrade.

After that I would run a disk check on the SSD. Using the command prompt from the repair UI, do chkdsk driveletter: /f /v /r.

Did the computer run completely fine on Win7 in the weeks before the upgrade?

memtest86 wouldn't go amiss either. I'd check the basics before I move on to (possibly more relevant) possibilities, such as fudged drivers.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks for helping. I don't think my data is backed up with the possible of exception of some kind of acronis image laying around from when I swapped my data onto a ssd. My computer has been perfect on win 7 before the upgrade. I did a memtest via the bios. Will run the disk check now...
 
VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,580
10,216
126
First thing: Get a Linux LiveDVD, and a portable external HDD. Boot off of the Linux DVD, and then plug in the external HDD, and navigate your primary OS drive filesystem, and copy whatever you need to the external HDD.

Then, you can try to do a factory restore of the OS. You might want to run a Memtest86+ pass overnight (download the ISO and make a bootable disc and boot off of it like Linux). You might also check the SMART data using the Disks tool in Linux too, while you are in Linux, and see if anything is amiss about the primary OS disc.
 
mikeymikec

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
20,606
15,514
136
Ok, 'fudged drivers' may be incorrect then, unless the AHCI drivers are up the swanny.
 
Puffnstuff

Puffnstuff

Lifer
Mar 9, 2005
16,187
4,871
136
Do you have the discs for the previous os? What about for 10? Thing is that dell places the oem os key on the body so if you can get a hold of an installation disc for the old os you can clean install it with that key. I've done it with my alienware (dell) and 7 when I installed the ssd but I did back up the factory image to a dvd. If the factory image is still available you can just access the dell restore utility from bios and restore it.
 
Steltek

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
3,316
1,057
136
Unfortunately, it appears from the problems that lots of folks are reporting with the process, Microsoft doesn't appear to have spent all that much effort on making sure the rollback process was bulletproof. After all, in Microsoft-think, who in their right mind would want to go back to crappy a Windows 7/8 Ford Pinto from the Windows 10 Ferrari?

The factory restore option is probably your best hope. Back up your data as VirtualLarry suggested, and just do it.

In the end, if you don't, you'll probably spend hours and hours and hours and hours trying to fix the problem. Then, when you are really frustrated and totally pissed off, you'll end up doing the factory restore anyway just to end the misery.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
248
106
At this point, (assuming your data is backed up) just put the Windows 10 ISO on a flash drive and re-install. Since your last copy probably activated, this should be pretty painless. If you run into more issues, let us know. Maybe we can help.
 
John Connor

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
618
121
I believe if you use your Windows 7 disk, boot from it and chose to repair your computer. You might also be able to get a command prompt with safe mode or the disk and run SFC /scannow.
 
mikeymikec

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
20,606
15,514
136
If it was my computer, I'd consider having a crack at the registry while in the repair console, but if you've never done it before, it may be a bit of a tall order.

The system registry hive of the affected Windows install needs to be mounted in registry editor, then going into HKLM > System > CurrentControlSet > Services, I would set the service msahci to manual start and (assuming it's an Intel chipset) look for iaStor* drivers and set them to manual as well.

Of course, this is all assuming that it's related to ahci.

The quicker and cleaner solution is to pull out a Win7 disc, (assuming you've backed up your data), wipe the disk and do a clean install. Or as John Connor said, a repair install may help, but it may keep your current drivers in place as well though, which will probably result in the same behaviour next time it tries to boot.
 
F

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
John Connor said:
I believe if you use your Windows 7 disk, boot from it and chose to repair your computer. You might also be able to get a command prompt with safe mode or the disk and run SFC /scannow.
Click to expand...

already tried to the boot repair. is sfc /scannow different form the other diagnostics I've been spamming via windows repairs or the disc?
 
F

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
Ketchup said:
At this point, (assuming your data is backed up) just put the Windows 10 ISO on a flash drive and re-install. Since your last copy probably activated, this should be pretty painless. If you run into more issues, let us know. Maybe we can help.
Click to expand...

I would think I would run into the same problems I did with the first attempt at Win 10?
 
F

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
Steltek said:
Unfortunately, it appears from the problems that lots of folks are reporting with the process, Microsoft doesn't appear to have spent all that much effort on making sure the rollback process was bulletproof. After all, in Microsoft-think, who in their right mind would want to go back to crappy a Windows 7/8 Ford Pinto from the Windows 10 Ferrari?

The factory restore option is probably your best hope. Back up your data as VirtualLarry suggested, and just do it.

In the end, if you don't, you'll probably spend hours and hours and hours and hours trying to fix the problem. Then, when you are really frustrated and totally pissed off, you'll end up doing the factory restore anyway just to end the misery.
Click to expand...

Do you know if Ubuntu LiveDVD would be a good option for that?
 
F

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
Hey guys I just got a usb drive to make a LiveUSB with Ubuntu. I plan to divide it into 2 partitions 1 for unbuntu and one to pull some files off. My other computer is a mac laptop. Will I encounter any issues with this?
 
hpmini2009

hpmini2009

Junior Member
Oct 4, 2015
7
0
0
Can only use safemode on HP dvt6 laptop used f8 (had many short beeps) before getting to safemode. Tried to start OS received no error only had a white screen then black. No options in safemode to check BIOS. Only options were std. Boot last known config, no network start, or start w/cmd as Admin was my choice. I used wmic in cmd/product get name and uninstal per Norton's Support people to uninstall Norton. But Norton/Symantec wasn't in list to uninstall? Only uninstalled old Java Auto Updater 2011, Google Update Helper 2011, Directv Player, and temporary use of 15 day trial 7-zip. Latest error before OS crash was Event ID 1307/1327 kernel critical errors. This laptop has had many registry tweaking by Norton and MS support Level 2 people. I did make a W7 x64 ISO before the crash. I'm not sure external drive or flash drive can be accessed before hdd is accessed. Any suggestions, this is an OEM w7 x64 7601 ver SP1 OS, 6 gb. mem, 60 gb. hdd HP std. Preinstall in 2009. No disks came with laptop. The only reason I would like to use it for, backing up iPhone/iPad and/or if I can fix give to spouse because it has the HP Entertainment Apps on it.
 
frozentundra123456

frozentundra123456

Lifer
Aug 11, 2008
10,451
642
126
I had problems with Win 10 on an XPS8300 as well. I have the original Raid 0 hard drives and was getting 30% plus CPU usage at idle, the process using it was the Rapid Storage Technology. I luckily reverted to Win 7 without problems.
 
hpmini2009

hpmini2009

Junior Member
Oct 4, 2015
7
0
0
Thanks to everyone who has read threads. I didn't downgrade OS. Was considering upgrade to W10, but changed that thought after reading many unhappy people's comments on MS forums. MS made it sound so easy to downgrade to w7 after unsuccessful W10 install.
What is going on with old w7 x64 pavilion dv6t-6100 purchased in 2009 from HP? I'm curious to see, if I pop out hdd and run as external on a Gateway desktop and maybe it might work. Never deleted any of HP's bloatware. Disabled bloatware so apps wouldn't hog memory.
 
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