# Ideas on how to revive a bricked Win 10 laptop **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460 "2020-01-15T17:23:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/1 "2020-01-15T17:23:38Z")
I have a 2 year old 17" laptop with Win 10 home installed, a top-o-the-line gamer. Unfortunately, I let someone else use it and they permitted an automatic update to begin. It is now bricked. Power-on, manufacturer’s logo (not Win logo) for a few seconds, then the message, “Windows is attempting to recover”, then “Undoing changes made to your computer”, then a blank screen, and it cycles again from power-on. Continuously rebooting, for at least 8 hours. F8 does nothing. I can’t get to the BIOS, and it won’t respond to any combination of CTL/ALT/DEL, ESC, ALT-F4, or any other key sequence I can think of. I don’t think the hardware is damaged (it was working perfectly until the Win update), so I could probably remove the 1TB hard drive, wipe it out or replace it, and reinstall the OS and all the apps. Obviously this is a time consuming task, and if I have to do that, this unit might just end up in the trash. It would be a better use of my time to buy a new one (~$1200). Any ideas what I might try to revive it? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/2 "2020-01-15T17:29:25Z")
Do you have the manufacturer recovery disks? They’ll restore it back to factory settings. But you will lose personal data. Hopefully it’s backed up somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/3 "2020-01-15T17:36:00Z")
Your other option is Win 10 recovery mode. I’ve had mixed results with it. It’s certainly worth a try. Easy steps > **[Enter Recovery Mode in Windows 10 With These 5 Methods](https://windowsreport.com/how-to-enter-recovery-mode-in-windows-10/)** > > If you're wondering how to enter Recovery Mode in Windows 10, there are five quick methods, including from the login screen and settings. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/4 "2020-01-15T17:50:39Z")
No recovery disks available. I think the recovery process is intended to be accessed thru a small partition on the HD, but I can’t get to it. No serious personal data is at risk. I don’t store such data where Win 10 can get to it. I was in the middle of a 6 hour screen capture when the update process kicked in, so there’s no backup of this file. Not a great loss. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/5 "2020-01-15T17:51:48Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Your other option is Win 10 recovery mode. I’ve had mixed results with it. It’s certainly worth a try. > > Easy steps > [Enter Recovery Mode in Windows 10 With These 5 Methods](https://windowsreport.com/how-to-enter-recovery-mode-in-windows-10/) Great idea. But if you can’t execute a program on this unit, how can you follow any of those steps? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/6 "2020-01-15T18:01:04Z")
Pressing F11 to enter recovery mode does nothing. I don’t think it is responding to any keys, yet it’s unlikely to be a hardware defect; something in the update procedure disabled the keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/7 "2020-01-15T18:11:44Z")
Use another PC to create Windows install media with the Windows update assistant. Find out what key is require to get to the boot menu (this is not standard from manufacturer to MFG, or from model to model). Boot from the media created in step one and do a clean windows install. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/8 "2020-01-15T18:17:02Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > Use another PC to create Windows install media with the Windows update assistant. > > Find out what key is require to get to the boot menu (this is not standard from manufacturer to MFG, or from model to model). > > Boot from the media created in step one and do a clean windows install. If the unit doesn’t respond to any key press, then ? ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/9 "2020-01-15T18:30:21Z")
[This](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode) says a combination of turning it on and off will get you to safe mode. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/10 "2020-01-15T18:50:41Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > [This](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode) says a combination of turning it on and off will get you to safe mode. Tried it. No response, so I can’t enter safe mode or any other mode. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/11 "2020-01-15T18:55:48Z")
Do you have a spare USB keyboard? If there’s something broken with the driver for the built-in keyboard, you might still be able to get to the BIOS via a USB keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/12 "2020-01-15T19:04:29Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Do you have a spare USB keyboard? If there’s something broken with the driver for the built-in keyboard, you might still be able to get to the BIOS via a USB keyboard. Although it’s unlikely that the keyboard alone failed for no reason, your suggestion is worth a try. Yes, I can grab a USB keyboard from my junk box, but I don’t know if plugging it in will override the built-in KBD. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/13 "2020-01-15T19:07:34Z")
What do you mean “can’t get to the BIOS” The BIOS keypress is before F8 or any of that other stuff, usually a few seconds before booting. Del is the standard key, but other manufacturers may use a different one, Dell is F2. Look up the manufacturer and find the BIOS key. If it’s a custom build or non-major manufacturer, it’s probably whoever made the BIOS or motherboard. If you need to reinstall the OS, that’s trivial and not really time consuming. It kind of sounds like you’re looking for an excuse for a new one? ---
**Author:** ![Stana\_Claus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stana_claus/32/13874_2.png) [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/14 "2020-01-15T19:09:49Z")
Check the manufacturer’s website for the key stroke combination to get to the BIOS setup program. It’s usually something strange like Shift-F1 or some such. When you know the proper key combination, start pressing it repeatedly as soon as you power on. If you can get into the BIOS, you can change the default boot device to something you can get a clean boot from then troubleshoot the Windows problem from there. _Ninja’d!_ ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/15 "2020-01-15T19:25:46Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Do you have a spare USB keyboard? If there’s something broken with the driver for the built-in keyboard, you might still be able to get to the BIOS via a USB keyboard. Just tried this. Although the external keyboard is getting power (as shown by the lights), the computer isn’t recognizing any keypresses on it. > [@Paintcharge](#): > > [This](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode) says a combination of turning it on and off will get you to safe mode. From that link: > [@](#): > > Hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device. > Press the power button again to turn on your device. > On the first sign that Windows has started (for example, some devices show the manufacturer’s logo when restarting) hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device. > Press the power button again to turn on your device. > When Windows restarts, hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device. > Press the power button again to turn on your device. > Allow your device to fully restart. You will enter winRE… All done, but the device doesn’t “fully” restart and doesn’t enter winRE, just continuing to reboot endlessly. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/16 "2020-01-15T19:39:37Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What do you mean “can’t get to the BIOS” The BIOS keypress is before F8 or any of that other stuff, usually a few seconds before booting. Del is the standard key, but other manufacturers may use a different one, Dell is F2. Look up the manufacturer and find the BIOS key. If it’s a custom build or non-major manufacturer, it’s probably whoever made the BIOS or motherboard. > > If you need to reinstall the OS, that’s trivial and not really time consuming. It kind of sounds like you’re looking for an excuse for a new one? A new unit would wipe out much of the work I put into configuring this one, so that is not my first choice. This unit (“Republic of Gamers” says the signon screen) has an odd BIOS entry sequence, hold F2, press power, wait until something displays, then release the F2. That works, but the only boot option shown is the Windows Boot Manager, and there appears to be no way to select a USB drive for that function. Exiting the BIOS screen returns to the infinite rebooting sequence as before. Reinstalling the OS may be trivial, and may be my only option now, but it will destroy any config data. And to install any OS will require removing or replacing the HD. If I do that, I will try to install Win 7 if the hardware supports it. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/17 "2020-01-15T20:41:52Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > That works, but the only boot option shown is the Windows Boot Manager, and there appears to be no way to select a USB drive for that function. Exiting the BIOS screen returns to the infinite rebooting sequence as before. Have a look around in the boot manager. If you see an option that allows you to switch between UEFI and Legacy, change it to Legacy and have another go at the boot sequence. > [@](#): > > And to install any OS will require removing or replacing the HD. I don’t follow your thinking here? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/18 "2020-01-15T21:06:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > This unit (“Republic of Gamers” says the signon screen) has an odd BIOS entry sequence, hold F2, press power, wait until something displays, then release the F2. That works, but the only boot option shown is the Windows Boot Manager, and there appears to be no way to select a USB drive for that function. Exiting the BIOS screen returns to the infinite rebooting sequence as before. I think that’s pretty standard compared to Dell. You’re pushing F2 at a specific time, and holding it to increase the chances of being that time. My go-to is to spam the key, as at least with older computers the keyboard would freak out if it had a key held down, and I haven’t bothered to stop what works. Finding a USB boot option is probably buried in there, but available. > [@](#): > > Reinstalling the OS may be trivial, and may be my only option now, but it will destroy any config data. And to install any OS will require removing or replacing the HD. If I do that, I will try to install Win 7 if the hardware supports it. Why do you need a new HD? You mean because you don’t want to wipe the data? I prefer 7 too, but conveniently enough it was just yesterday that I got the popup telling me that Win7 support ends soon and to upgrade to 10. You will potentially lessen security by not updating. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/19 "2020-01-15T21:10:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > This unit (“Republic of Gamers” says the signon screen) has an odd BIOS entry sequence, hold F2, press power, wait until something displays, then release the F2. That works, but the only boot option shown is the Windows Boot Manager, and there appears to be no way to select a USB drive for that function. Exiting the BIOS screen returns to the infinite rebooting sequence as before. Dumb question, but do you have a bootable USB drive inserted when you’re looking for that option? The option only appears if you do. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460/20 "2020-01-15T21:38:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Dumb question, but do you have a bootable USB drive inserted when you’re looking for that option? The option only appears if you do. Not a dumb question. I didn’t know that. See below… > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I think that’s pretty standard compared to Dell. You’re pushing F2 at a specific time, and holding it to increase the chances of being that time. My go-to is to spam the key, as at least with older computers the keyboard would freak out if it had a key held down, and I haven’t bothered to stop what works. > > Finding a USB boot option is probably buried in there, but available. > Why do you need a new HD? You mean because you don’t want to wipe the data? > > I prefer 7 too, but conveniently enough it was just yesterday that I got the popup telling me that Win7 support ends soon and to upgrade to 10. You will potentially lessen security by not updating. Since I have never received any support from MS for any OS, nor any upgrades, ever, I doubt if that frightful message will keep me awake at night. Forced upgrades are a much bigger threat, as this experience proves. > [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Have a look around in the boot manager. If you see an option that allows you to switch between UEFI and Legacy, change it to Legacy and have another go at the boot sequence. > > I don’t follow your thinking here? [why a new HD] The boot manager offers no options. However, I didn’t have a bootable flashdrive in a USB socket, so that might be the next step… I would prefer not wiping out the existing HD’s data, although 1TB disks aren’t expensive. But it looks like in order to get anything working at all, I’m going to have to start from square one, with a clean HD, since the existing one has an OS with problems that I can’t bypass. Might as well use a new one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-on-how-to-revive-a-bricked-win-10-laptop/846460.md?page=2)