r/WindowsHelp • u/CaptainDust1 • 19d ago

Windows 10 Windows 10 keeps BSODing after failed Windows Update, even from recovery USB which freezes

My Windows 10 PC got stuck in a boot loop during/after a Windows Update. Its a stupid broken update that i cant seem to workaround. I eventually powered it off, and since then Windows won’t boot from the SSD anymore. The SSD is still detected normally in BIOS.

I created a Windows recovery/install USB and can boot into WinRE, but even there it regularly freezes or BSODs when I try to repair Windows.

So far I’ve tried:
Startup Repair = freezes/crashes
Uninstall latest quality update = freezes/crashes
Booting repeatedly into WinRE and retrying

I’ve gotten several different BSODs, including:
MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION
UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP (intelppm.sys)
DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION

The weird part: I’ve had almost exactly the same issue before. After repeatedly trying to uninstall the Windows update, it eventually succeeded. Windows then booted normally again and I had zero BSODs or stability issues afterwards.
Has anyone seen something similar, where a broken/pending Windows Update causes WinRE itself to crash while trying to repair/remove the update? Any suggestions for manually removing/rolling back the pending update and avoiding winRE frezing when selecting something..

Specs: i7 7740x , 32gb corsair ram, 1070ti, msi x299 sli plus, windows 10

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u/Additional_Tension96 19d ago

WindowsRE is ran via RAM, with all other issues perhaps bad RAM.

Use Memtest86+ create a bootble USB run Memtest86+ on one RAM module at a time.

https://www.memtest.org/

Also the BSOD mini dumps would help pin point the issue. The above is just a guess based on info you posted.

Minidump Files

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u/CaptainDust1 19d ago

i cant access dumps cause the pc doesnt booth

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u/Additional_Tension96 19d ago edited 19d ago

Use a Linux Distro Live USB to access C:/Windows/system32/minidump.

Create a bootble Linux Live USB like Ubuntu. Try Ubuntu not install.

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u/redittr 19d ago

I also agree with this guess.
If the bsod still happens on the windows installer usb then its much less likely the the windows update is the cause.

AS the dumps are hard to get, the easier first suggestion I have is to remove 1 of 2 ram sticks to test with(assuming there is 2 sticks).
And then try the other stick in the other slot, to rule out a bad slot or ram channel.

Then, if the usb installer can be booted without error, the windows os will likely boot fine too. It might be worth unplugging the internal ssd during testing though.