Windows 8 boot failure after driver upgrade

[JeremyCT]

Situation:

Uninstalled all nVidia software using Control Panel.
Restarted
Installed nVidia 310.70 WHQL driver.
Restarted

Display works until it reaches what should be the Windows screen. POST displays properly, Windows splash looks normal, but when it tries to go from splash to OS the screen just starts to turn on/off/on/off continuously. NumLock light on the keyboard flashes in cadence with the screen. A soft reset (even leaving the system off for 30 seconds) will result in the screen flash starting right after POST. A hard reset (via the power supply) will get me through the splash screen to the flashing part.

I've tried spamming F8 and SHIFT+F8, but I can't get the boot options screen to come up no matter what. Something obviously went wrong with the driver install, but if I can't get to a desktop/Safe Mode/Recovery/Boot options there isn't a whole lot I can do.

Keyboard does work to get into the BIOS options so I know that it is, in fact, working.

Any ideas?

 

[JeremyCT]

I have Linux on another partition in the system. That boots without issue, so hardware fault is very unlikely IMHO at this point. I don't think I can uninstall/reset anything from the Linux side of things though, can I? Can I force a Safe Mode boot by changing some file attribute somewhere?

 

[redduc900]

Did you depress the F-Lock key prior to hitting F8?

 

[JeremyCT]

No such thing, it's a standard Microsoft "Comfort Curve 2000 v1.0" keyboard. It's pretty plain. I'm a bit stumped for why I can't get to the boot options.

 

[chop_wood]

maybe some funky bios instant on or password thing. try resetting cmos batt

 

[JeremyCT]

I'm backing the important stuff up to my external HD atm from within my Ubuntu 10 LTS install. If I can't figure it out first thing tomorrow morning I'll nuke the install and start over. I can't do a Secure Erase from Linux, but oh well.

I don't normally mind offending the Windows gods, but I at least like to know what I did to offend them. Obviously something was amiss in my display driver upgrade routine. Next time I think I'll just do a basic in place upgrade.

 

[JeremyCT]

Well here's something interesting. F8 won't reveal boot options because Microsoft removed that function from Windows 8.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/advanced-startup-options-menu-in-windows-8/

So, let me see if I understand this correctly. In order to repair a system that won't boot properly, I need to access the advanced boot options screen. The only way to access that screen is to do so from within Windows. So, if I can't successfully boot into Windows, I'm essentially screwed?

That's a flat out mentally deficient design.

Confirmed here:

http://www.techspot.com/news/48718-...for-f8-key-advanced-boot-menu-redesigned.html

So since my Windows install apparently hasn't realized it can't boot properly on its own and put me into the Advanced Startup screen automagically, and I don't have a UEFI BIOS because this system isn't brand new, and I can't get to the desktop ... I can't get to the Recovery Console, which is the only way to access Safe Mode, which might not help my anyway because it seems the latest nVidia drivers can't be uninstalled in Safe Mode.

Brilliant. Effing brilliant.

 

[redduc900]

Come to find out, the Recovery Options screen is accessed via Shift+F8 in Win8. Have you tried plugging your USB keyboard in the PS/2 port via an adapter?

 

[JeremyCT]

Come to find out, the Recovery Options screen is accessed via Shift+F8 in Win8. Have you tried plugging your USB keyboard in the PS/2 port via an adapter?

On some of the preview/beta versions, this was true. That only works on the RTM version if certain registry changes were made. Registry changes which, again, require access to Windows to make. The default is no boot options via any key combination.

 

[redduc900]

Can you download a system repair disc for Win8? Or maybe someone w/ Win8 could create one, and upload it to the forums server for you.

 

[JeremyCT]

I have the install disc. It's stupid (IMHO) to be forced into using it to re-install Windows for what amounts to a bad driver install. That's the sort of issue Safe Mode used to be for.

There are only a few available "recovery" options available from the install media. I'll detail what they do below.

Automatic Repair. "Fix problems that keep Windows from loading." I don't know what this actually does or is supposed to do, but in my experience the only thing it's good for is if the bootloader got broken/overwritten somehow.

Refresh your PC. "If your PC isn't running well, you can refresh it without using your files." Blows your whole install away but mercifully keeps your username, data files, and Metro applications intact. Any desktop applications, drivers, codec packs, etc get blown away. You start over again from near-scratch. If it didn't come from the Windows Store, it's gone. It'll leave you an html file on your desktop that details all the applications it blew away, which is small consolation.

Reset your PC. "If you want to remove all your files, you can reset your PC completely." Essentially amounts to a fresh install of Windows 8 after it "clears" the hard disc. There's an option here to wipe the disc to make recovery of previous files more difficult. Not very useful unless you're selling a system.

Things like "System Restore" are only available if you managed to get to the boot menu from the primary disc near as I can tell, they don't appear to be available from the Recovery Console when booting from the install media.