Advice Needed Windows 10 Start-up Green Screen - and no Safe Mode!

[jeallen01]

This is probably a forlorn hope in asking for help, but I'll give it a try anyway!

The Acer Veriton has been running W10 quite well for a few months, but now, fairly suddenly, after powering it on, it gets past the first "Windows" screen, then has a blank black screen and then a green screen with the continuously rotating "booting" symbol - and then absolutely nothing more (it just stays on that screen).

Can't boot into the BIOS, and can't boot into Safe Mode (wired keyboard seems to have no effect) - in fact I can't do "anything" with it (and I have tried reseating the RAM etc.).

Quick search indicated that the Green Screen failure mode was introduced in Beta versions of later editions of Windows to allow MS to find out which were W10-specific s/w failures - but that it should not have been released to Joe Public with that feature (although some of the public appear to have suffered the problem when trying to view videos).

As it is, it seems I now have a small black brick with a pretty green screen and SFA else - any ideas anyone?

 

[Analoguesat]

Its a commonish fault

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-power/stuck-at-restarting-green-screen-established/8ab7334d-d13a-4d36-91d5-e352e20acd4f

 

[Mickha]

Which Acer Veriton version is it? An internet search brings up quite a few.
You can always back up your data, by removing the hard drive and placing it in another PC.
You can then re-load windows 10, or check if it has a back up, already installed, on the hard drive.
Is your keyboard wireless? If so try a USB keyboard, or an older PS2 keyboard, if it has that connection.
Does it have a motherboard video output, or a separate graphics card?

 

[jeallen01]

Mickha

See below:

Which Acer Veriton version is it? An internet search brings up quite a few.?

N2620G nettop

You can always back up your data, by removing the hard drive and placing it in another PC.?

Easier said than done because, although I already have one cover off, getting the drive out means unbolting more things and then the drive from the m/b - trying to avoid that but it could be done. OTOH, there's no critical data on the drive as it has only really been used to run external sat tuners and the SDR module - so that's not a vital issue.

You can then re-load windows 10, or check if it has a back up, already installed, on the hard drive. ?

Won't have a pre-installed back-up because I upgraded it from W7 Pro via USB. OTOH, if I could get it to boot from a USB DVD drive, I could reinstall W7 Pro and "start all over again".

Is your keyboard wireless? If so try a USB keyboard, or an older PS2 keyboard, if it has that connection.?

Tried both wireless & USB, even the latter has "no effect"

Does it have a motherboard video output, or a separate graphics card?

M/b video o/p (HDMI) and no internal slots so no separate card option

 

[jeallen01]

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...en-screen-established/8ab7334d-d13a-4d36-91d5

A/S

Can't make that link work, but I think I might already have looked at it on the most reliable m/c (the main Win 7 Pro one!)

 

[Terryl]

It may be an internal GPU problem, but the only fix I know of for this is to use a recovery disk (if you have one) and repair the OS.

And if you can't get to the BIOS then the unit may be FUBAR.

How old is this unit?

 

[Mickha]

If you use a program like magic jelly bean, a free key finder, you can find the Windows 10 key, on your PC, and probably just do a straight Windows 10 installation, instead of loading Win 7 and upgrading. A bit late, for you now, but could be useful, in the future.

I see what you mean, about it being difficult to access, after viewing images.

You could try booting up from a Windows 10 disk, and using the repair option.

 

[jeallen01]

Terryl
I don't have a recovery disc/USB (my error of omission!) so that one is out (ATM).

Edited: this was a used m/c with 6 months warrantee from June 2016, so out of warrantee now - especially after having been "upgraded" to W10!

Mickha
The W7 product key is on the casing, but I think the main issue is that (at least until tomorrow when I feel up to trying) is that I think the BIOS (Which IIRC is UEFI) is set to boot from the hard disc first, and so it won't boot from the USB drive in which I can put the W7 disc or the USB key on which I have the W10 installation files. Will find out tomorrow?

Terryl

You could be right about it being FUBAR .

 

[jeallen01]

OTOH, I could try creating a recovery USB on the Dell running Win 10 Pro, and use that to try to rebuild the Acer.
Edited: could always remove the disc and format it on another m/c (I have some USB caddies) - then put it back in the Acer and "start all over again" from W7 or W10 (not sure which I would prefer.)

If nothing else, the replies (most appreciated!) to this thread have given me some ideas as to how I might get this m/c running again (which is more than I had when I first posted).

 

[Analoguesat]

A/S

Can't make that link work, but I think I might already have looked at it on the most reliable m/c (the main Win 7 Pro one!)

Its stopped working here too - the latter alpha numeric codes must be a session id.

I just did a google for "win10 green screen at boot" and it was the top hit

 

[scopus]

Could it be the BIOS CMOS battery?? I had this with a Packard Bell recently.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Its a commonish fault

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-power/stuck-at-restarting-green-screen-established/8ab7334d-d13a-4d36-91d5-e352e20acd4f

Didn't we warn people on the pitfalls of Win10 ?

 

[Terryl]

You can reset the BIOS by removing the backup battery and waiting about ten min, if you do this you can replace it with a fresh one, but the standard LI battery on most laptops will last about ten years or so if the main battery has been removed or not charged.

Hey....Thats a thought....Have you tried removing the main battery and waiting about 5M then replace it??

Sometimes that fixes things.

 

[jeallen01]

Could it be the BIOS CMOS battery?? I had this with a Packard Bell recently.

Sounds rather unlikely as I have never had that happen with any of my desktops or laptops over many years, and never heard of it happening elsewhere - just the system clock resetting every time the PC is switched off.

Didn't we warn people on the pitfalls of Win10 ?

No question about that - and that's why my main laptop still runs W7 Pro!

You can reset the BIOS by removing the backup battery and waiting about ten min, if you do this you can replace it with a fresh one, but the standard LI battery on most laptops will last about ten years or so if the main battery has been removed or not charged.

Hey....Thats a thought....Have you tried removing the main battery and waiting about 5M then replace it??

Sometimes that fixes things.

Replacing the back-up battery might still be worth a try - although that battery in the ACER has soldered in place wire leads, so not as easy to replace as in most m/cs - and it's a mains-powered "netttop" with no main battery!

OTOH, from what I read last night, this is still likely to be a WIN 10 issue - possibly exacerbated by the changes that were implemented to reduce the boot time and the fact that the UEFI Bios feature is also said to result in quicker booting, and so fast that, in fact, the traditional key presses to get into the BIOS are now too slow to allow you to get into it (not that I did have that issue a few weeks ago).

 

[PaulR]

This sounds very similar to what happened to my wife's laptop a year or so ago. It does need another computer, access to the HDD of the afflicted laptop and a SATA to USB adapter to run the procedure but it worked for me.

Motherboard has died

 

[jeallen01]

Paul

Unfortunately, m/b replacement is not really an option as the one in the ACER is very much a custom job (just look at the case - nothing like anything else except another of the same!).

The check disk option looks a possibility if I take the HD out and put it in a caddy connected to one of the other machines - probably best to be the DELL as that's running the same version of W10 as the ACER (and as long as it does not suffer the same GSOD issue when I boot it up next). I see a long job coming up!

OTOH, if that fails, there's a guy on *bay selling the higher spec N4620G version (Icore 3 instead of Celeron, & 500GB HD) - he's been advertising 6 m/cs with no PSU, stand/mount or OS but with Win 7 Pro Product Keys for £100 Buy it Now for several weeks. He rejected a £70ish bid from me last week but I still think he'll take rather less than £100 because he's getting no takers at his price.

Why would I buy another of almost the same? Because they look rather "cute", have a lot of USB ports (inc 2x USB 3), work quite well (when they do!) AND I can mount a "new" one on the same wall mount that came with the N2620 and that means my very limited desk space in the office area stays clear. Would have to install W7 Pro on it - but won't then upgrade to W10 any time soon!

 

[PaulR]

About the last thing I would recommend would have been the motherboard replacement. That's something I would hope that chkdsk could avoid.

These are the Win8 onwards switches that I used. Windows 10 data collection

 

[jeallen01]

About the last thing I would recommend would have been the motherboard replacement. That's something I would hope that chkdsk could avoid.

These are the Win8 onwards switches that I used. Windows 10 data collection

Thanks - I assume you are referring to this line in post #117:
" If the drive you're checking is formatted in NTFS then you can use the Win 8 switches I used. these are /scan and /forceofflinefix"

 

[PaulR]

Yes.

 

[Analoguesat]

Sounds rather unlikely as I have never had that happen with any of my desktops or laptops over many years, and never heard of it happening elsewhere - just the system clock resetting every time the PC is switched off.

I had a "broken" i3 Pegatron laptop in the workshop last week which had been unpowered for an unknown length of time, but a minimum of several months. It wouldnt start and appeared to be completely dead. I got sidetracked by a phone call from the boss who wanted something and it wasnt touched again that day. I left it plugged in overnight, pressed the go button as I walked past it the next morning & was rather surprised when it fired up first time.

No problems with it since! In fact as its rather better than the 11 year old laptop I was using to run our soc media accounts on Ive nabbed it & reconfigured it. A spare ssd went into it & it flies now!