HP Lap Top will not load.

When my system took hours & hours & hours during an update, it was always the malicious software update spending too much time scanning my system. I left it overnight once, with no progress.

Now, I no longer accept then hide that update and no further issues.

Follow up.

I have an iMac. In less than an hour it felt like I was using one of my old friends, a clean simple GUI on Unix for a workstation. It has been 20 years since I last used a Mac OS, the first one with a BSD core and Macintosh interface, before switching to NextOS.

Ubuntu started somewhere around here, but has evolved into something more Windows complex and obscure on the how to do it.

Shipped with an autumn 2014 system build, so started with updates. System update from Mavericks to Yosemite plus two steps, updates for at least a half dozen of the included apps. What is different from Windows, more like what Sun would do with SunOS, the purpose of each update is explained, the dependencies noted. If an application update is not going to be compatible with the system it sees installed, it will tell you, and not install.

Big difference from "we have this batch of updates, we will send them to every system and try to install, regardless of what is already there."

It is not so much about one OS being better than another, as it is about software development managers having better control of how all the pieces get developed, and knowing how changes interact with all the different configurations already deployed.

You've seen some of your favorite MS applications get discontinued. Some of the reason in marketing, but sometimes it is also "the next OS upgrade is going to kill this application unless we totally rewrite it, and we don't sell enough of them to pay for that."

My HP ended up in the "Do not turn off" loop last night... was glad I had read about the issue on this forum the night before! Running 8.1 - followed Microsoft recommendation of forced power down (hold button), then on, do this total of 3 times - brings up repair screen - followed directions on screen to reset from previous restore point - worked fine. I do NOT have auto-updates set on my machine - it tells me when there are new updates, but it is up to me to install them, so it IS possible. I am NO 'puter whiz - and I somehow figured it out a year ago when I got this Pavillion... ST

tatest wrote:
In the reboot loop since Tuesday night. Automatic updates are turned off, but that doesn't not seem to stop them.

This is where get into "where did I put that system recovery disk I made five years ago?"

I can get to startup repair, which fails, and to the screen for choosing repair modes, where neither "repair system disk," "go back to an previous system image" nor "restore to OEM system image" will work.

I can boot and run an Ubuntu 10.4 from DVD image, where I can get to the Linux disk utilities and could once see the internal drive with undamaged file systems, mount the partitions and look at the files.

After a few more startup repair attempts, Linux no longer finds the drive on the SATA controller. This is a Dell XPS 8300, a model known to have a fault in the chipset, statistically small risk of intermittent failure of SATA interface to the bus. Early examples got a motherboard replacement, this example was supposed to have been manufactured with the corrected bridge chip.

This is the second time this year an update has failed, last time I got it repaired to bootable and backed off the updates.

I think my next "power" computer for photo editing and video production is going to be an iMac, as right now they are selling for a lot less than what someone else wants for a good IPS monitor and XPS-class box with equivalent processor, memory, storage and less capable graphics. A leap of faith, since I've not used a Mac since the Mac II in my Unix workstation test lab twenty-some years ago.

Decision partly driven by my collection of dead Dell computers (three Inspiron laptops, three desksides including two in "workstation" class). Three of the six taken out by disk controller failures.

Pretty much most of the "failures" you have experienced is more likely caused by the electrolytic caps on the system board and or power supply failing..

Can't escape this now days and pretty much any electronic equipment that has switching power supplies (which your system boards have a bunch of built on board switching regulators)will eventually fail (built in obsolescence) guaranteeing that you are going to get 4 to 5 yrs of use at the tops.

Even "Macs" can and will fail due to these caps if you keep it long enough and when that happens you can only get parts from Apple..

For desktop PCs why don't you simply build your own?

Granted it will not be as cheap as say a Dell, HP or other name brands but it will allow you to take control of the quality of the components..

Pretty much a straight forward process, research the board brands, gammers look for certain things they like, video intensive editing folks like other things they like, most will have recommendations of the boards they find reliable..

Match processor and memory, throw in a case with HD/DVD drive and load OS..

I haven't bought a new board for a couple of years and it was a Intel Atom mini ITX board with dual core Atom processor at 1.6 ghz built on the board for a low power project.. The board plus 2gig of ram, set me back a whopping $70 at the time, put it in a small Mini ITX case for $40 added a 250gb HD and DVD burner for a few bucks.. The Atom PC I built only sips 25W of power!

All told I had a whopping $200 not including the OS..

For the OS I bought a copy of Win7 OEM version for $135 (OEM version does not have MS tech support like the retail has)..

In the reboot loop since Tuesday night. Automatic updates are turned off, but that doesn't not seem to stop them.

This is where get into "where did I put that system recovery disk I made five years ago?"

I can get to startup repair, which fails, and to the screen for choosing repair modes, where neither "repair system disk," "go back to an previous system image" nor "restore to OEM system image" will work.

I can boot and run an Ubuntu 10.4 from DVD image, where I can get to the Linux disk utilities and could once see the internal drive with undamaged file systems, mount the partitions and look at the files.

After a few more startup repair attempts, Linux no longer finds the drive on the SATA controller. This is a Dell XPS 8300, a model known to have a fault in the chipset, statistically small risk of intermittent failure of SATA interface to the bus. Early examples got a motherboard replacement, this example was supposed to have been manufactured with the corrected bridge chip.

This is the second time this year an update has failed, last time I got it repaired to bootable and backed off the updates.

I think my next "power" computer for photo editing and video production is going to be an iMac, as right now they are selling for a lot less than what someone else wants for a good IPS monitor and XPS-class box with equivalent processor, memory, storage and less capable graphics. A leap of faith, since I've not used a Mac since the Mac II in my Unix workstation test lab twenty-some years ago.

Decision partly driven by my collection of dead Dell computers (three Inspiron laptops, three desksides including two in "workstation" class). Three of the six taken out by disk controller failures.

hawkeye-08 wrote:
I have had problems with my HP laptop booting when I have external USB drive connected. The drive has its own power cord, but something stops the boot when it is connected. I did not see any indication you have anything else connected to laptop, but if you do, try disconnecting them. If you can get into setup, check the BIOS settings.

WINNER!!!!!I had shut it down> After I read this post I disconnected the portable hard drive, pushed the start button, turned to the other computer, checked a few emails and when I turned around it was asking for my password. I am a happy camper. Thanks to everyone for their help.

amandasgramma wrote:
Quite frankly, OPer...if you can't get the lap top to open up, you can't do the things everyone is saying to do....right? or am I reading wrong. Sounds like trip to repairman. :(

You are correct. Nothing but the HP logo with the stupid circle turning endlessly. Left it alone for 24 hours and finally turned it off. I do have a portable hard drive attached. Will try a boot up without it. F* on start up does nothing.

1775 wrote:
How to repair Windows 8.1 Reboot Loop -

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-windows_update/how-to-fix-the-automatic-repair-loop-in-windows-81/bfc92bc7-031f-45d4-b623-bcb4847d32fd

I have yet to find a way to stop Auto Update in Windows 8.1. If anyone knows how please share - it is not the same as Win 7 or previous.

Did they take out the notify setting?

Found THIS which might be helpful but that site is mentioning Win 8 and not Win8.1..

Under System Security you should find Windows Update.

Click on Turn Automatic Updating on or off..

Under "Important Updates" there should be a setting for "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them"

This should stop Updates from being automatically downloaded and installed..

You WILL STILL get Update messages when updates are released and you WILL still get the update nags until you choose the time and place to allow the updates to download and install.

hawkeye-08 wrote:
I have had problems with my HP laptop booting when I have external USB drive connected. The drive has its own power cord, but something stops the boot when it is connected. I did not see any indication you have anything else connected to laptop, but if you do, try disconnecting them. If you can get into setup, check the BIOS settings.

Thanks for the clue. Startup repair was not working, messages made it look like it was trying to boot a partition on an external drive that happens to be powered down.

How to repair Windows 8.1 Reboot Loop -

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-windows_update/how-to-fix-the-automatic-repair-loop-in-windows-81/bfc92bc7-031f-45d4-b623-bcb4847d32fd

I have yet to find a way to stop Auto Update in Windows 8.1. If anyone knows how please share - it is not the same as Win 7 or previous.