Hey guys,

So, to sum up, out of the blue, Windows 10 started crashing like crazy.

First, "explorer.exe" stopped loading while logging in, resulting in a"black screen with cursor".

I can start "explorer.exe" manually via ctrl+alt+del, but every time I restart Windows, it boots again into a black screen.

Then, out of the blue, I started receiving these "critical error : cortana and start menu aren't working" messages, forcing me to logout and login again, just to receive the same messages a few minutes later.

I've been trying to fix these issues like crazy, but none of the solutions I find online seems to work. Really, I've been trying to fix it for hours.

This is really weird, because this is a very clean PC. I'm the only user and I'm pretty tech savvy ( or at least I think I am).

Does any of you have been through that? Do you have any tips or possible solutions?

Needless to say, I've ran Hitman, Malwarebytes and Avast scans. It's not malware.

Thanks. I would really appreciate the help. I would really hate to have to format or refresh this PC and install all my stuff all over again.

All the best,

R.

 

You should try to load Win10 in safe mode and see if it is working fine... If works fine then must be some bad drivers or something non essential corrupted if it still fail it's probably something essential and in this case my first suggest would be a clean install.

Before doing this try to search on Google if it is a well-know bug, maybe someone found the solution...

 

Even in safe mode, it does start with a black screen with cursor. I have to kickstart explorer.exe manually via task manager.

As far as I could research, a lot of people are experiencing these problems in the last few days, apparently after an automatic update...So, anybody using Windows 10, keep your heads up.

I've tried all solutions I've found on youtube and google, but none of them worked so far. Really, I'm not a lazy guys who asks stuff on forums before trying to find solutions on my own.

Cheers,

R.

 

If it's not a fresh install try with fresh install (format disk an reinstall win 10) and check after every driver installation and software installation.

 

Yes, it's a fresh install. I also try to keep it as clean as possible, since it's my workstation for both music production and graphic/industrial design.

 

i'm sorry but really... you put an os that you have no control over when and what it updates on a production machine.

The whole world has gone crazy.

 

It's rarely a virus. Windows alone (since Vista) is not generating such issues. Most likely you have a hardware problem: faulty memory, bad sectors on your hard drive, motherboard problems. Check if the CPU cooler is working & the CPU temperature. Then, only if you have HDD, do a chkdsk /R/ F. Then, start removing all your memory blades, leave just one - and try it in all the slots.

 

Try to find something useful here and here

 

My suggests would be:

A) clean install to working Win10 and disable automatic updates

B)Clean install and downgrade to Win8-8.1-7 as your taste

C)Wait for Microsoft to fix the problem

 

Probably not related but just want to say my Windows 10 system starting crashing about a week ago appeared to be gfx/power related, tried everything including cleans installs and hardware checks, no joy. Went back to Windows 8.1 exact same hard/software and now it is absolutely rock solid.

With Microsoft now pushing Windows 10 updates whenever they like, quite a few being hardware related, and with little control over this without extra tools or an enterprise edition I can't afford the time if if fks up my system.

 

Another idea it comes in my mind is to check the hardware supplier (grafic, sound, hard disk ..) it's supports already win 10. Check their web site if they have a specific driver for win 10. And use this.The standard proposed by win 10 it's not always the best and sometimes very old. If not this could be an issue.

 

Last edited: Oct 14, 2015

All right guys, I did it, and it was easier than expected, if you have a Windows 10 installation media.

Instead of refreshing or reinstalling Windows 10, I inserted the disk and upgraded, as if I was upgrading from an older version.

It didn't take long and all my programs are still running as far as I've tested.

As for the automatic updates, I've found a registry trick that makes Windows 10 behave like the previous versions, in other words, notify for download and notify for install. It seems to be working fine, since it's showing all possible upgrades but isn't downloading or installing any of them.

Just open regedit.exe with admin rights, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU, create a DWORD value named “AUOptions” under the AU key and give it the 00000002 value (Notify for download and notify for install).

If you're running Windows 10, I advise you to do this registry trick asap. This auto update thing will never work...I took my chances...Lesson learned.

Thanks for all replies, anyway. I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

R.

 

Last edited: Oct 14, 2015

Glad you fixed it and have found someway to stop the auto updates.
I would just wonder how long microsoft will let this registery trick continue.

This is a serious question, not a wind up attempt. Do you find windows 10 that much better that the problems you have had are compensated for or would you consider going back to a previous version, win 7 or 8?

 

No crash so far here and i upgraded from win 7 64bit ultimate and i am runnning for when it was officially released via offcial update with the windowslogo on taskbar. I did install and apply "antispywin10 tools" and also manually edited/tweaked some registry files and edited the hosts file too because win 10 is a spymachine for the nsa. Here a Link: https://audiosex.pro/threads/best-tools-to-stop-windows-10-spying-on-you.20573/#post-136482 here on AudioZ to lock up Windows 10.

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2015

I'm not sure, it seems that this is actually a kind of hidden official feature because the 00000002 value is pre-established as a notify for download and install configuration setup; It only works in the Pro version, though.

In my opinion, after so many people having problems after updates, they'll eventually have to review their auto update policy...There are a lot of horror stories out there.

While I was searching for a solution on the web, I've read a forum post about an IT guy who was going nuts because dozens of computers became unusable after this latest update, and I bet this is not an isolated case. Microsoft will have to do something about it.

Windows 10 is the best Windows so far, in my opinion. Until today, it was rock solid, very fast, very user friendly and very light on resources...I would go back to Windows 8.1 if necessary, but not to 7.

Anyway, I'm positive that it will remain stable after stopping the auto-updates. I'm not taking any chances either; I didn't lose one single bit of data today. All my stuff is backed up automatically on a Linux machine.

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2015

Hi, i can provide more information on this registry key. I've got a handful of Microsoft Professional Certifications and have been working in IT for over 20 years.

Basically the path you're looking at, " HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU ", since it's under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies", that means that parts of group policy related changes for your system will go there. The Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU means that the "Automatic Updates" engine gets its policies on functionality from that subkey.

The bit you flipped is an option that we use if we want to target certain computers to take a specific kind of action when they potentially go out to look for updates. You can tweak settings so they don't search at all, so that they search at a interval of your choosing, so that they search during the machine's auto-maintenance, etc.

To take that a bit further, and to explain why you need Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, is because these are domain level group policies and they generally tie into an existing Windows Infrastructure, including a WSUS (Windows Software Update Server) server (yes, we say it like that). When you manage a WSUS server or similar (SCCM is also a common option for larger enterprises), you select, pick, choose, deny, etc updates/patches of your choosing, to however a heirarchy that you want. You would use Group Policies to tag workstations/servers/databases/etc, however you like, in whatever Active Directory layout you have, and then deploy patches in whatever fashion you please.

So in other words, your reg key is only one part of the puzzle, and if you have a domain connected machine, that key will get wiped out and overwritten by any group policy set on your machine.

Here are some technical guides if you are interested.

Configure Automatic Updates using Registry Editor
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd939844(v=ws.10).aspx

Step 5: Configure Group Policy Settings for Automatic Updates
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn595129.aspx

Btw- i've been using windows 10 for a few months now and it's been running great. However, i manage my own home infrastructure and control my own updates. That may make a difference.

 

Why did my reply get deleted?

 

Wow! This is professional post right here! Thank you!

So, if I don't connect to any domain, I guess this trick will work permanently?

Or would you recommended a different measure to prevent Windows 10 from auto updating?

Really, after what I've been through yesterday, I'd rather forget about updates.

Anyway, previous update policies were much better in my opinion. They should let users choose when and what to update.

By the way, since you know what you're talking about. Do you believe we should be legitimately concerned about Windows 10 spying accusations? If so, is there any effective way to prevent these features?

 

prolly was already suggested but i'm gonna repeat it if so, best thing is to open the window and throw the comp n the street, go out and buy a mac, this saves alot of trouble and worries about spying