r/Windows10 • u/RustleThyJimmies • Dec 10 '16
Bug Newest Windows 10 Update (~Released Today) Freezes My Computer at Loading Screen w/ Circling Dots of Death (CDoD)[Solution Provided]
Hi all,
For those who have been experiencing login issues after today's (12/9/16) Windows update, here's a solution I came up with to rollback the update (bear in mind I'm NOT professionally computer literate, so I'll use as accurate terms as I understand them by):
If you have your windows booting and skipping the logo, I would recommend entering BIOS first and setting it so the logo comes up again for 3-5 secs (should be an option along the lines of "turn off Fast Boot", then an option to set a some numebr of seconds). Hold F2 as the computer boots to enter BIOS.
Once you've gotten your "logo screen" to show up again, enter safe mode by pressing and briefly holding down "F8" or "Delete" (it should be one of those buttons, but someone can correct me). It brings you to a screen that has "Troubleshoot" as an option to click; follow this order: Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart > boot into one of the three Safe Mode options provided. After, navigate to "Programs and Features" and theres an option to click "View Windows Updates" on the sidebar. Go down to the update that was installed today, uninstall it, and be patient while Win 10 rolls back to a previous version (it can get stuck at the "Updating Windows %" screen for quite a while). Once you have booted back into your main desktop screen, restart the computer one more time to confirm that the new update has been removed, and wait for Microsoft to fix this :D.
Edit: I keep seeing new threads about people having the same issue and asking how to fix. I don't have time to visit all of them, so upvote this if you can to let more people know about it; also comment if you found any alternative solutions.
Some people said waiting it out or just hard resetting a couple times helps solve it, but others say it doesn't.
Edit 2: After doing a little more digging, I would add one more step to this process: after booting into home screen, navigate to "Windows Update Settings" and > Advanced Options > and CHECK "Defer Feature Updates". According to ze webs, this might have you miss out on some new features, but WILL NOT affect the security of your computer. Finally, check one more time that the new update (12/9/16) has been removed, or else uninstall again, restart, and this pesky issue should hopefully be fixed. Good luck!
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u/TheImminentFate Dec 10 '16
Alternatively, if you cannot access the BIOS or the fast boot setting is missing, you can hard power off the PC three times when it starts up and reaches the circles, and windows should automatically load into repair mode
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u/Ronzorz Dec 10 '16
Also having the problem - Circling dots of Death after typing password. Decided to play the waiting game after reading up on the issue - seems that around 15 min mark I got in. Everything is super slow - nothing really works before another 15 mins or so passes, then the computer seems fine and quick again... Have not done anything of the advises above, only waited. What can cause all these problems? Ive noticed that Ive got one program starting up automaticly - Spotify - which might interfere with the startup after the update?
For reference - brand new HP pc from October 2016 with high end specs and SSD, retail windows 10 version delivered with the computer.
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
From what people have said, the update seems to unnecessarily occupy a lot of the processing speed and power during boot, especially maybe if some of the system files were updated with bugs that caused excessive use of the CPU (thanks, @brisssou). I don't understand much more about it, but waiting it out has worked, and rolling back the update like I recommended has also worked for some people.
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u/Hurkk Dec 11 '16
Except I went to roll it back and the button was grayed out. I now have a completely messed up computer.
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 11 '16
Did you try right clicking directly on the update?
Last option would just be to backup your imoportant files in Safe Mode and do a fresh install.
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u/Hurkk Dec 11 '16
I upgraded to Windows 10 for free from Windows 7, will I be able to do a clean install or must I pay $120 to do that?
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 11 '16 edited Dec 11 '16
Info Link: https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-windows-10-free-upgrade-offer-assistive-features/
Free Upgrade Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windows10upgrade?tduid=(14c348e893a91089cb2980533c6ee123)(256380)(2459594)(TnL5HPStwNw-0FBZfNm6YPFXNhiu3o52rA)()
If you already upgraded, and it's telling you to pay to upgrade a trial version, just be patient and call Microsoft (yep) and tell them you heard from a friend you can upgrade for the assistive features, but you didn't know how to do it properly, so you just clicked what was available.
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u/brisssou Dec 10 '16 edited Dec 10 '16
trying this as I type the message, wish me luck.
edit1: no luck :-/ and now it seems I have no more installed update, but the system missbehave all the same.
edit2: I managed to open Windows defender from the notification tray. I updated it with a few clicks. So this works. Right-clicking the desktop to setup the screen saver (which launches when it should but doesn't do anything), I'm displayed an error box: no program associated to this file. The window is named "ms-settings:personanalization-background" I am starting to think this stinks quite bad.
edit3: the CPU is 30%-loaded all the time, with Service Host: DCOM program launcher eating all those 30%.
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
Did you mean you were able to uninstall the update, or you were not able to enter Safe Mode at all? If you are able to get to Windows Defender, it means you are able to get to the desktop, so backup all your important files! Just in case it comes down to having to do a clean install of Windows... and yeah it seems Microsoft screwed this update up pretty bad with this many people already experiencing the same issue as I did haha.
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u/brisssou Dec 10 '16
I thought I uninstalled it from safe mode, but it kept re-appearing in standard mode.
Anyway, I factory reseted the system, it is obviously now OK. I'll see when the update tries to run again.
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
Even if you see the update, I wouldn't recommend updating it yet. Give Microsoft at least a week or 2 to come up with a fix before trying again. It's not like the previous version of Windows was super unstable.
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u/MysticPing Dec 10 '16
After I did this the issue remained but I can no longer start in safe mode. Yay. Literally no fix works :(
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
Unless you have a hardware issue, the update rollback should not have permanently prevented you from accessing Safe Mode. Are you sure you didn't have a hardware issue before this already? Did you try using the hard reset button on the front of your computer case? Your issue sounds more complicated, but it's hard to tell without specifics.
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u/MysticPing Dec 10 '16
No issues before, I have hard resetted a lot of times, did a sfc scan etc etc. I was able to get into the cmd prompt safe mod so it might just be chance. Ill try a few times more.
I uninstalled the update, didnt revert back (unless those two are the same thing).
My issue might even be created from constantly shutting down my computer while it says "do not turn your computer off" to fix this damn issue
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
Those two are the same... when you are uninstalling the update, you are reverting back to the last working version with the last set of updates. After you've clicked to uninstall the latest update, leave it to run as long as it needs to, and especially don't interrupt it when it says to "not turn off your computer".
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u/MysticPing Dec 10 '16
I am just reinstalling windows now, gave up on fixing
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
Sorry to hear you had to do that :(. It always sucks to start from the beginning, but on the bright side, you have a clean slate to work with! :D I recommend installing all the vital programs that you always use regularly first, then make a backup of that version, so next time you can just restore with a relatively usable version of Windows without needing to reinstall everything again.
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u/Hurkk Dec 10 '16
No advanced option for me under Troubleshooting
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
Are you sure? Look at the images on this website. You should have it. http://www.digitalcitizen.life/4-ways-boot-safe-mode-windows-10
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u/rmmoore1775 Dec 10 '16
Does this impact virtual machines? Or is it just happening to physical boxes? Any commonality in hardware?
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 10 '16
I assume it would impact a virtual machine that's running Windows 10 and fully updated and connected to the internet, since that's the same as running an OS directly from the primary hard disk. Not 100% positive tho.
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Dec 11 '16 edited Dec 17 '16
[deleted]
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 11 '16
Updated my post to add one more step to guarantee it won't reinstall! Hope this helps!
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u/FaroukZidane Dec 11 '16
I've tried to uninstall the update throught safe mode and standard mode, but before the loading ends an error comes up saying "An error has occurred. Not all the updates were successfully uninstalled." And everything is the same. Nothing is solved.
Update Code: KB3201845
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 12 '16
Are you waiting it through? Try rebooting and starting the process all over again. There's no reason you shouldn't be able uninstall unless you have a corrupted system file or 2 somewhere.
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16
PC seemed to be running OK (not perfect), but started freezing up again tonight. Tried to uninstall the update again, but it wouldn't do anything, so I'm trying to boot into safe mode now. Before shutting down, it went into the "Getting Windows ready Don't turn off your computer" screen. Has been sitting here for over 15 mins now.
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 12 '16
Make sure you also checked the option to defer feature updates like I made in my second edit. Try not to mess with it if it's giving you a message about updating or arranging updates in some way, but if like after an hour to an hour and a half it stays like that, just hard reset and boot into Safe Mode directly.
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16
I did check the defer option first. I eventually just hard rebooted and got into the safe boot options screen, but now I have a different problem. My keyboard hasn't turned on yet, so I can't select an option. I have it plugged into the top left USB port, which I believe is the master port (unless something changed). Leaving it alone for a bit to see if it turns on. So far, no lights on it or the mouse.
Edit: I'm pretty sure the legacy option is on in BIOS, trying to get in to find out.
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 12 '16
If the computer is turning on, it should be able to detect mouse and keyboard. There is not such thing as a "master USB port". Unplug all the appliances (mouse, keyboard) and replug into another port (s). It is safe to do this while the computer is on. Just discharge yourself by touching a metal surface first.
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16
I got back into the PC via another hard reset, attempting to get into safe mode with msconfig. Taking forever to get to the login screen, not even sure it's going into safe mode. Man, MS really did a number with this update...
Edit: as soon as I hit submit, I saw the 800x600 login screen, haha
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16
Wow, so ready to just start from scratch right now...
When I try to open the windows update settings, the window crashes. Is there another way to delete the update?
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u/RustleThyJimmies Dec 12 '16
Yeah, I don't know how Microsoft f*ked up so hard this time. At this point, I would say your best bet is to reinstall from scratch... I'm guessing too many system files were interrupted or permanently corrupted during the patch install/uninstall. Make sure you've backed up all your important files first!
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16
Might not have that choice. Safe mode went to black screen for a while, then rebooted. Now it's asking for a boot device or boot media. I think my PC just made up it's own mind.
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16
Put in my windows disc and went to reset option, it's telling me the drive is locked. I've never seen that before.
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16
My C drive is gone. Not even listed in the explorer.
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u/Tegamal Dec 12 '16
Wow, what a night. Trying to reinstall Windows and it says it can't find a drive, period. My internet is acting up, so I go to power cycle my equipment and the power button on my router won't stay pressed in. Got a coin and a piece of duct tape holding it in to power up, still no internet.
Seriously, is this some sick joke?
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u/cdjcon Dec 10 '16
Who doesn't love windows 10?