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Windows 10 Startup Problem

eborfiddler
Dabbler
Posts: 12
Registered: ‎16-02-2016

Windows 10 Startup Problem

I think this is a new query, but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, and point me in the right direction ...
After successfully upgrading from W8.1 to W10 on my Acer Desktop, and running it happily for a month or two, I tried upgrading from W7 to W10 on my Toshiba Satellite Laptop, which again worked perfectly when installed. After a week or two however, I had trouble turning it on, with the following error message on a black screen:
"A disk read error occurred
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"
Doing this occasionally works, but most of the time I need to have several goes before anything useful happens. Once W10 has started, it works perfectly. I've tried Windows Help for W10, but despite acknowledging that this occurs, I can find no fixes for W10 - XP, Vista, yes but not W10.  Cry
Just to make things interesting, the screen occasionally comes up with "Error 0x00000e9", about which Windows Help is just as useful.
Can anyone here help me please?
Chris B.
11 REPLIES 11
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

The Windows 10 Upgrade works your hard disk quite, er ,hard.  So if it is beginning to wear out then the stress of the upgrade may push it further.  It could be that you have an area on your hard drive that is becoming difficult but not impossible to read.  In case that is true, make sure you have all your data is backed-up.  Then run chkdsk on your Windows partition.  It's worth doing the boot sector partition also; you might need to boot from a Windows disc to get access to that.
eborfiddler
Dabbler
Posts: 12
Registered: ‎16-02-2016

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

I understood that! Thanks, I'll give it a go, though since I downloaded W10 from the Microsoft site, I don't have a Windows disk as such - how do I get a suitable download? Currently, I have only the "GetWindows10" app, but presumably that won't do the same job.
Thanks again,
Chris B.
eborfiddler
Dabbler
Posts: 12
Registered: ‎16-02-2016

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Well - so far, so good.  Cheesy after I learned how to use chkdsk/f, it opened up straight after I'd clicked on the "Restart" button. Let's hope it keeps up the good work!
Thanks Mr/Ms/Mrs ReedRichards  Kiss
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

I adopted the name of Mr Fantastic from the Fantastic Four.  So it's Mr.  Wink
You can use the 'GetWindows10'  app to create a Windows 10 disk (or USB stick).  But doing so overwrites the files needed to go back to your previous version of Windows.
w23
Pro
Posts: 6,347
Thanks: 96
Fixes: 4
Registered: ‎08-01-2008

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Just in case it helps, there's a downloadable 'media creation tool' from Microsoft to make a Windows 10 install disk / USB drive here
Call me 'w23'
At any given moment in the universe many things happen. Coincidence is a matter of how close these events are in space, time and relationship.
Opinions expressed in forum posts are those of the poster, others may have different views.
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Yes, but running it on a Windows 10 computer obliterates any chance of going back to your previous version of Windows.
eborfiddler
Dabbler
Posts: 12
Registered: ‎16-02-2016

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Thanks all (especially Mr ReedRichards), it quickly reverted to its previous bad habits  Angry , so it looks like I'll just have to risk it. I've backed up just about everything in sight to my desk-top whizbox - so here goes, Wish me luck!  Roll_eyes
Chris B.
ReedRichards
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Posts: 4,927
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Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Quote from: eborfiddler
... it quickly reverted to its previous bad habits..

... which is par for the course if the hard drive is failing, as I suspect.  In most laptops it is easy enough to replace the hard drive and it is very easy to do a clean install of Windows 10 on a new hard drive.
eborfiddler
Dabbler
Posts: 12
Registered: ‎16-02-2016

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Sounds like I'll need to go on the new hard drive track.  Sad
Presumably all I'll have to do is backup, swap hard drive to new one, install W10 from my USB and recover back up, or is that too easy? Where does the system get my Windows Licence details from please?
Thanks in advance,
Chris.
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Not too familiar with windows 10 as I've banned it from all my Pcs  Wink
But I assume that it will still have the function of creating an image of what's on your hard drive?
If it does then you really need a USB external drive to write the image to. Once you have done that and also created a recovery CD you can just install your nice new drive and using the recovery CD simply copy the image from the external drive back on to it.
Lashing out for a USB external drive may sound expensive but once you have it you can make regular images and if ever your PC fails you only lose a small amount of information between the images.
I have Windows 7 to do an image backup on the 10th of every month and following a total hard drive failure its been well worth it.  Smiley
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
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Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Windows 10 Startup Problem

Quote from: eborfiddler
Sounds like I'll need to go on the new hard drive track.  Sad
Presumably all I'll have to do is backup, swap hard drive to new one, install W10 from my USB and recover back up, or is that too easy?

No. it's as simple as that.  You don't have to create an image of what's on your hard drive, just a back-up of your files.
Quote from: eborfiddler
Where does the system get my Windows Licence details from please?

Provided Windows 10 is activated - and that usually happens as soon as a newly-upgraded PC can get access to the Internet - then Windows 10 will automatically reactivate when you re-install (because activation is keyed to your hardware).  Just skip any requests for a key during installation.