Windows 10 Reboot Loop

[Mitsu3000gt]

Hi guys,

Strange problem I need some help troubleshooting. My computer was on for a few hours, just had it running for Plex. Woke up the screen, clicked on Firefox (don't think that matters) and I heard the power supply "click" and it rebooted itself. It then enters a constant reboot loop, stopping JUST before the windows 10 log-in screen. Just before it would change to allow me to enter a password, you hear the power "click" and it reboots indefinitely to that point just before the login screen would normally appear.

First I thought this was a hardware issue, but I can get into my bios screen and it will sit there indefinitely so it's definitely getting power. About 6 months ago I got a brand new EVGA Supernova P2 power supply as well so I doubt that is the issue. CPU temp is 25C so I don't think it has anything to do with voltage or overclocking.

I googled it obviously but the issue seems very new. A couple people seem to have the problem but no solution, or the solution involves using windows which is impossible. Might be a bad W10 update file. I am trying to get into safe mode but I read that safe mode doesn't exist on W10 if you're using a SSD like I am.

Any suggestions? I'm pretty sure it's windows and not hardware, but I cannot get into windows so the only things I can try are in the first 10 seconds of boot before the power cut. TIA


EDIT: By some miracle I got it into system recovery mode and it's currently trying to restore to a previous version. ..fingers crossed. If it works I need to then figure out what update is the culprit.

EDIT2: Nope, still reboots every time at the same spot even after trying to restore. I'm stumped. It says "Automatic repair could not repair your PC"

[spikerS]

happened to me too, had to do a system recovery to get it back from a restore point.

I am thinking there are some buggy windows auto updates out there...

[Mitsu3000gt]

So just make a recovery USB and try that? I'm just found a USB stick to try it with.

Did you have to do anything else? Or just recover from a USB?

I made what I thought was a recovery USB and all it did was give me the same options to roll back to a previous build OR restore from a restore point, both of which failed.

There is a last option to reinstall windows....is that what you had to do?

EDIT: I got into Safe mode and everything works! I just need to figure out what update causes the reboot loop....safe mode won't let me into windows update so I'm screwed again haha. Disabling automatic restart after system failure also does nothing.

I can also get to a command prompt if I can identify the problem update and uninstall it there somehow maybe.

EDIT 2: Now it reboots every time I try enter safe mode. Right after I enter my password and hit enter it reboots.

[spikerS]

weird, I know on mine, i just had to get it to the point where I could select a system restore point, and then let it do it's magic.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by spikerS
weird, I know on mine, i just had to get it to the point where I could select a system restore point, and then let it do it's magic.

Yeah tried every restore method short of reinstalling windows and they all fail.

I thought it might be update KB308124 as there are recent articles about it, but I tried removing it via command prompt and it says the update was never installed so I'm running out of things to try.

I wish I could get into safe mode again but I can't, it reboots when I hit "enter" after my password.

EDIT: Tried to get into safe mode again (failed and rebooted the instant I selected the option) and now it wont even run for more than 5-6 seconds before powering off and rebooting, I can't do anything at all anymore. Something is totally fucked but I am out of ways to troubleshoot unless it starts up longer. I barely get to see the ASUS mobo startup graphic and it reboots.

[revelations]

Boot to WinPE or something similar - check the HDD SMART info as its likely dying or toast.

[Mitsu3000gt]

The OS drive is a Crucial M4 from 2012, maybe it's just finally dead. Ran crystal disk on it recently through and it got a clean bill of health.

Thing is though if I can get into the recovery options, the PC will stay on indefinitely, and ONCE I got into safe mode, at which point it also stayed on indefinitely. Makes me think it's not hardware, but who knows.

My copy of W10 is an upgrade from a legit purchased copy of W7. If I go buy a new SSD and do a fresh install, will I have to buy a new copy of W10 too due to the shit they pulled back in the summer? Or will it let me use my W7 CD key?

The only thing I haven't tried yet is a system restore via recovery options which blows away all my programs. Might as well try that though if I can get back into that screen somehow before a reboot.

EDIT: Breaking news, I let my computer sit for 10 min turned off and it started up just fine What a waste of 3 hours, fuck. Now I think it's hardware again...

Edit#2 coming to you from my phone...no sooner did I write that and my computer powered off again into the loop. Probably my PSU or SSD, and my PSU is new but maybe a lemon I guess. Can a failing SSD even cause a full power down or reboot loop?

[spikerS]

wonder if it could be a heat issue then?

[sl888]

I had this exact problem with my ASUS G73 laptop as soon as I installed W10. I had to do a clean restore for W10 then update the ASUS BIOS and graphic driver. Somewhat solved this reboot loop problem. Now I must unplug all external devices before starting the laptop or else it just freezes at sign in. FUCK W10!

[Mitsu3000gt]

What's interesting to me is it doesn't freeze, and it doesn't do a soft reset with continus power. It does a HARD power off as if someone pulled the plug out of the wall, then powers back on and restarts on its own.

I don't think it's the PSU because if I can get past certain startup points (there is a pattern of about 10 progressively longer reboots before it lets me into recovery mode) it will run indefinitely. If my PSU was the issue it would be indifferent to what the rest of my computer was doing.

The pattern if I just let it do its thing is about 5 immediate failures before the bios screen (all hard automatic resets), followed by 2 failures at the windows loading screen, followed by one failure at the windows recovery screen, and then it finally let's me into Windows recovery. It goes progressively further.

Starting on safe mode does a HARD reset either immediately when I select the type of safe mode, or when I enter my login password and hit Enter. Once I'm in recovery mode though it will let me stay in there indefinitely and navigate around until I either reboot or go into safe mode. All other recovery tools will run (and fail) but don't cause reboots.

I'm thinking it's my SSD or a badly corrupt windows update. I might go buy a new SSD today and clean install windows. Everything has been working flawlessly with W10 and this hardware for months, so this was very sudden. At least according to my bios, temps are all nice and cool. I don't have the ability to check temps beyond that point.

At the end of last night when I miraculously got into Windows normally after letting my computer sit off for 10 mins, it was like a ticking time bomb. I had about 20 seconds before the hard power off and beginning of the reboot loop.

[Seth1968]

Holy shit Mitsu, that's all over the place.

A shut down like you describe is almost certainly a hardware failure, but to be sure, try running a Linux distro.

[Mitsu3000gt]

^^ Yeah it's super weird. Every time I had an idea, a different event contradicted it.

Well after sitting over night, I just fired it up and so far so good. That again makes me think hardware. HW monitor telling me temps are good.

Last windows update that wasn't windows defender definition updates was November 20, so I don't think it's a windows update issue.

Any checks I should run while I have it up and running?

The fact that it sat overnight and now works (for now) makes me think it's my SSD. The Crucial M4 can be finnicky with power cycles, but what it doesn't explain is the first hard reboot from windows. I've got the latest FW on it.

What I might do is get a new SSD anyway, this one is ~5 years old, and gets used pretty hard. It's the unpacking drive for my usenet and also my scratchdisk for Photoshop as well as of course the OS drive. At least with it running I can use Samsung's slick drive mirror tool.

I tried to run League of Legends just to try give it something to do, and it won't even launch. Super weird. Photoshop will run though. The PC in general seems a little slower than usual.

Crystal Disk says my SSD is 96% healthy.

[revelations]

Yea next step might be hardware test tools (RAM, CPU, board) , in a bootable environment like Linux or WinPE.

I used to have one of those M4s- make sure you get the latest firmware update to it as there was some issues with the 2012/2013 era firmware.

[Seth1968]

Chkdsk since W8 is really good. Run it twice to be sure, as it does have a quirk similar to System Restore.

Don't bother with the command prompt chkdsk, do it from the c drive properties.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Seth1968
Chkdsk since W8 is really good. Run it twice to be sure, as it does have a quirk similar to System Restore.

Don't bother with the command prompt chkdsk, do it from the c drive properties.

Went to run it, it said I didn't need to because it was OK. Ran it twice anyways, no errors.

My gut tells me this has something to do with the Crucial M4's sensitivity to power, even though it's a different event than what typically happens when it's unhappy.

Just sitting overnight shouldn't really fix a problem haha, but I've been up and running for record time this morning.

A am using a EVGA Supernova P2 power supply and I have a pure sine wave UPS battery backup (which hasn't kicked in) so it should be getting the best possible power.

[Seth1968]

Don't want to burst your bubble, but I suspect the issue will continue.

My guess is the SSD. Either physically, or a firmware update if available.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Seth1968
Don't want to burst your bubble, but I suspect the issue will continue.

My guess is the SSD. Either physically, or a firmware update if available.

My gut tells me it's the SSD as well, especially with the M4's known history with power sensitivity. I'm happy its running now but by no means do I think I should just leave it alone.

Brand new Samsung 850 250GB is $119, that is a no-brainer to swap it out at this point.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Well it died again, curiously immediately after I used the Windows search bar again. Off to memory express.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by Seth1968
Chkdsk since W8 is really good. Run it twice to be sure, as it does have a quirk similar to System Restore.

Just thought I'd elaborate:

The first attempt at a chkdsk may show no need to run it as Windows found no errors, but if you force the chkdsk, Windows will often find errors and attempt to fix them.

System Restore has a glitch which shows SR has failed, but if you restart, you'll often find that it didn't fail, and the problem you were addressing has been resolved. You'll even get the message that SR completed successfully.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Put a new SSD in and it and it hard power loops after about 2 seconds of being on....fuck. I cant even get into the bios. Looks like the SSD was fine. Probably mobo or PSU, might have to pay memex to look at it, I don't have the time to start swapping out parts one by one to see what works.