Windows 8.1 will not boot properly

[pioneerx01]

Yesterday one of my office computers was forced to update to Windows 8.1. The update took forever and once it was done it decided to take out the driver for my graphic card (GT 620), I use two monitor and I could use one only now. I have updated the drivers through Nvidia site but after it asked me to re-boot the driver did not seem to take and was still missing. I tried several option, clean install, driver only, uninstall re install,...

Now the computer will not even boot properly. I turn it on, it sows the Dell logo with the spinning wheel for few seconds and it goes straight to purple screen. There should be an option for me to log in at the purple screen, but I do not get that or any other option or button. I tries F8 and Shift+F8 to get to safe mode, but I cannot even to that. I do however get an option for F12 Advanced Options, but I did not find anything there to help. I can also get to BIOS but that is useless at this time.

I am creating recovery driver from one of the other computers hat has successfully updated to Win 8.1 and see if I can get that operational, so far it is taking longer that the update. Meanwhile I would like to see if there are any other options out there.

Thoughts?

 

[bazz2004]

I don't see how you were forced to install 8.1. You have to go looking for it in the Windows Store and choose to install it. This has been a successful upgrade for most but it looks as if you were unlucky. I suspect that if a reinstall is necessary you will have to go back to Windows 8.0. Hopefully, I am wrong on that.

 

[pioneerx01]

By forced I mean it a window popped up that stated it will restart and upgrade to 8.1 in 15 min and counting down. But I was not by the computer when the countdown happened and it just went through with upgrade to 8.1 regardless if I wanted it or not.

An update to situation is that I have noticed that the mouse pointer leaves the edge of the screen (the purple screen I see) as if there was second monitor connected, even physically there was none. So I went ahead and typed in my password and the computer booted to desktop normally. Thus there was a log in screen, but it was displayed on monitor that was not really there and the purple screen that I saw was the "second" screen/monitor.

Meanwhile I have swapped out graphic cards between two computers (I have several identical computers) and same issue. That means is not the hardware (unless it is motherboard). This leads me to believe that is it software/OS related, and since I cannot budge with Nvidia drivers, I went ahead and did complete system reinstall. I will update you when it completes in 7 hours and let you know the result.

 

[bazz2004]

Maybe some joker was fiddling with your computer while you were away from your desk and set the Windows 8.1 upgrade in motion. Are you sure you are talking Windows 8.1 here and not update 1 for computers already running Windows 8.1 which is really Windows 8.2 but Microsoft don't want to call it that. Windows 8.1 is available only via the Windows Store App whereas update 1 which is also a massive install arrives automatically via the traditional Windows update. Microsoft are pushing to move everyone on to the latest version of Windows 8.1 and there may well be onscreen warnings about that. They have set a deadline for users to upgrade to the latest version of Windows 8.1. Are you confused yet? Probably, but not as confused as Microsoft seem to be about where they are going with their OS.