Windows 10: Can't pinpoint what prevents boot in normal non safe mode.

Greetings.

I'm currently stumped by my Dell Studio XPS 8100's sudden refusal to launch Win10 outside from safe mode.

The computer seems to boot fine, no error messages, the Dell splashscreen appears and goes, the stylized window of Windows appears above the circling white dots, then disappears aswell. Normal so far. Then I get a fully black screen, with perpetually circling white dots, and, after a few seconds, no audible disk access either. And so it stays. Dark. Spinning dots. Forever. The only way to reach the Windows OS is through safe mode.

I've been checking the Administration Tool's Event Viewer. All seems fine, except for :

"WARNING - Broadcom NetLink (TM) Gigabit Ethernet: The network link is down. Check to make sure the network cable is properly connected."

Followed with :

"WARNING - Un filtre TDI (\Driver\networx) a ete detect. Ce filtre n'a pas ete certifie par Microsoft et peut provoquer une instabilite du systeme."
(Yeah, french, sorry. Translatable as "A TDI filter has been detected. This filter hasn't been certified by Microsoft and may provoke a system instability".)

[Edited out, thanks NavyLCDR]

Followed with :

"ERROR - Le service LSM est en attente de demarrage."
(The LSM service is awaiting startup.)

Followed with three times :

"WARNING - Le chargement du pilote \Driver\WudfRd a echoue pour le peripherique SWD\WPDBUSENUM\_??_USBSTOR#Disk&Ven_Generic-&Prod_MS#MS-Pro&Rev_1.03#18E391066476&3#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}."
(The driver \Driver\WudfRd has failed to load up for the device SWD\WPDBUSENUM\_??_USBSTOR#Disk&Ven_Generic-&Prod_MS#MS-Pro&Rev_1.03#18E391066476&3#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b})

Followed with :

"WARNING - Le service NetTcpActivator depend du service NetTcpPortSharing qui n'a pas pu demarrer en raison de l'erreur : Le service ne peut pas etre demarre parce qu'il est desactive ou qu'aucun peripherique active ne lui est associe."
(The NetTcpActivator service depends on the NetTcpPortSharing service which hasn't been able to start due to the error : The service cannot be started because it is deactivated and no activated device is associated to it.)

Followed with the two lasts infos, which aren't warnings nor errors, and just claim that

- The Windows activation service process (WAS) has started in "classic" mode using "ConfigurationSystem"

- The following system start drivers couldn't load : dam EhStorClass

And from there on, no further activity, no further entry, until I manually restart the computer (by maintaining the desktop's power button down for a couple minutes).

So, here is what I have attempted in the course of these last three days, apart from the occasional CCleaner and the disabling of all startup programs :

1) Launched an "sfc /scannnow" in safe mode, which has noticed no problem at all.

2) Launched a DISM in safe mode, no problem spotted there either.

3) Launched a "CHKDSK /f /r", which did hang for a long while at 22%, but didn't report any problem at the end.

4) Lenghtly hecked the whole system, including both HD, through Dell's pre-boot tools (F12). All tests passed, no error.

5) Attempted a Diagnosis and Repair through a WIN10 bootable DVD. No effect.

6) Attempted to restore all my three "restoration points", all failed.

7) Checked for virus and malware. None.

8) Used the safe mode command panel for a "bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd", a "bootrec.exe /fixmbr" and a "bootrec.exe /fixboot". Didn't change a thing.

9) Flailed my arms while spinning four times on my chair. Didn't help.

The safe mode functions flawlessly. But it's the only mode that functions. I have no idea if a silent driver update triggered the issue, but it didn't happen on a windows update day (wednesdays or thursdays, right), nor on a day whre I updated, installed, uninstalled anything.

So, the mystery is pretty opaque to me. Can any sleuth around here suggest another angle of investigation ?

:)

 

boot problem

The reason a Windows PC boots directly to Safe Mode is that it can't boot normally. If you can't boot normally but you can boot to Safe Mode, that usually means something else that starts with Windows is preventing Windows from starting normally. In Safe
Mode, nothing else starts with Windows except for the bare necessities.

In Safe Mode, open Task Manager [CTRL+SHIFT+ESC] and select the Startup tab. Disable everything you see there and restart your computer. Windows will probably boot normally. In that case, go back to the Startup tab and re-enable each item, one at a time,
rebooting after every time. When you find the Startup that prevents Windows from starting normally, you've identified the cause of your problem.

 

Get out of Safe Mode

If you continuously boot into Safe Mode it means that some application that is trying to start with Windows is preventing Windows from booting normally.

 

Do you have anything from Networx installed? Possibly a network monitoring tool or firewall? I would look in the uninstall programs control panel for anything from Networx and uninstall it.

 

Good point. It was strangely absent from the uninstall control panel (that is, the "program and features" in control panel), but I found it in the Start menu, complete with an uninstall link. So, uninstalled, and that error message is gone.

Things have not changed however. Computer still hanging the same way upon restart. Current errors are :

WARNING "Broadcom NetLink (TM) Gigabit Ethernet: The network link is down. Check to make sure the network cable is properly connected."

ERROR "LSM service is awaiting launch."

Five times WARNING "Driver \Driver\WudfRd failed to launch for device SWD\WPDBUSENUM\_??_USBSTOR#Disk&Ven_Generic-&Prod_MS#MS-Pro&Rev_1.03#18E391066476&3#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}."
ERROR "NetTcpActivator depends on NetTcpPortSharing which couldn't start because inactive or no associated device"

ERROR "Time-out (3000 milliseconds) on attempting to connect to service ClickToRunSvc"
ERROR "ClickToRunSvc couldn't launch, didn't answer fast enough"

INFO "dam & EhStorClass drivers couldn't load"

*hangs*

 

Do you have anything connected to USB ports besides keyboard and mouse? If so, remove everything else from the USB ports. If that doesn't fix it:

Google WudfRd and there are lots of suggestions to uninstall all USB controllers from device manager and restart to reload new drivers.

 

I had already unplugged everything from the usb ports (heck, even from the jacks).

Now i've tried to uninstall the usb drivers, but it's tough. The uninstall progress bars loop infinitely, although the fact that the usb mouse ceases to respond (forcing me to do the rest through alt tab and arrows) hints at some success on that level.

Still, no effect on the windows booting, when I reboot. Still the same black-and-spiralling-dots screen...

 

Well....you've also got errors in the log regarding the ethernet network adapter. Are you using wired ethernet networking? Might want to try uninstalling the ethernet network adapter in device manger. Should be Broadcom Netlink Adapter.

 

I will uninstall it.

Before doing this, the thing is, my computer just restarted normally. First time in four days. I do not consider the problem solved (who's to say it won't run back to hell the next time I reboot it?), but I intend to postpone the next reboot as much as I can (probably till the next win10 update rebooting it without my permission), and exploit this moment the most I can with all the tools I was deprived of in safe mode (first of all, newer backup images and recovery disks, windows updates checks, etc).

Of course, I don't know what snapped it back. I had followed your advice about uninstalling usb drives three or four reboots ago, could it have had delayed effects ? Also, as I had already unplugged everything from usb, I did the opposite thing two reboots ago : re-plugged all my external HD and usb hubs. Did it paradoxally help ?

I won't feel at ease until I know what was the problem, and whether it's been actually solved or not...

 

Hard to say what could have caused it/fixed it. What I would recommend though (and I really recommend that everyone should do this):

Create a Windows 10 installation USB flash drive:
USB Flash Drive - Create to Install Windows 10

Then replace the \Sources\boot.wim file on it with the \Sources\boot.wim file from Kyhi's recovery tools. See my quote in the middle of the OP here:
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk

What you end up with is a flash drive that you can boot your computer with that has tons of useful tools for backups, restoring, troubleshooting, getting into partitions that won't boot any more, etc. and that you can also re-install Windows 10 from.

 

I will do that, although I'll require a new usb stick for this, so it'll have to wait till tomorrow. So far I was juggling with another computer's useless recuperation disk, and with a recent Ultimate Boot CD, flled with tools I had probably no use of. Combining the two in one functional approach would be wise.

I'm still checking the journal of events, noting new errors (which may be only related to my plugged devices, not to the issue I've experienced : Device\Harddisk7\DR7 sounds external, right?) and trying to understand what changed. I also note, in the windown update history, that Microsoft WPD has been (re)installed today, I don't know at what hour exactly. But maybe it's what did the trick, indeed thanks to the removal of USB drivers...

In case anyone is curious, I got now :

- Four controller errors on \Device\Harddisk7\DR7

- One NetTcpActivator / NetTcpPortSharing error.

- One new error, about Local Activation for COM with CLSID {...} and APPID {...} to SID AUTHORITY NT\User System (S-1-5-18) from LocalHost (with LRPC) run in SID, which I translate as many SHUVS and ZOOLS getting roasted in the depths of the SLOR.
- Half a dozen warnings about a wcifs filter failing to attach to a few numbered \Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy#

I suppose I can live with that. At least until tomorrow.