Windows Startup Loop - System Recovery

Had another first the other day (they are almost always "firsts" these days it seems).  Someone came to me with a Win-10 system stuck in a Startup Repair Loop (be sure to check the images in that G-Search).  They claimed that beforehand a supposed "Microsoft Security Essentials" rep. had control of their system and wanted to bill them $200 to $300 for a fixm and a year of support.  I never did resolve that one, nor did I find any indication of infection after running the usual litany of checks.  At first I suspected Ransomware, but the system seemed to be clean.

• Installed and Ran:
• Trend Micro - Housecall
• AdwCleaner
• CCleaner
• Use the Piriform download site.  FileHippo adds a lot of garbage to the installation.
• Created a System Restore Point

Fortunately I found nothing wrong, all the data was OK, and the system was returned to normal.

Tracking down the problem and doing all the checks took about 3 hours, and at my usual rate of $60/hr for this kind of work (some places charge double that)... you do the math.  Now they want to come back to have me create a System Image and Recovery Drive... plus install Linux Mint, so they will have a Dual-Boot system, which is a great idea (to choose to boot into Linux or Windows OS [operating system] at the system startup).  That will probably be another 2-3+ hours though... so now you are looking at possibly $360+ for the whole deal.  You can get a new MintBox Mini for less than that.  (See also: Chromebit.)

Like most folks, this person had NO Backups of their Data, let alone a System Recovery Drive, or a System Image.  It is OK to not have all this, as long as you are willing to take the data loss... and possibly need to buy a replacement OS.

There is a LOT to be said about Cloud-Based storage and services.  They at least can keep your data relatively protected.  Any by using services like Google Apps (free or paid), you do not need to maintain or buy any software.  (Most software for systems like Linux Mint are all "free and open source".)

Protect Your System & Your Data

In most cases, to create your System Recovery Drive and System Image, you will want to have the following:

• 16 GB Flash Drive
• This will make a boot drive for you to recover with.
• You may need a 32 GB drive or larger... so you may want to prepare for that.
• External USB Drive
• 30+ GB will be needed for the OS and a modest amount of Data.
• If you are backing up a lot of Music, large Images, and/or Video, you will need a much larger External USB Drive.  Fortunately the prices on these today are pretty reasonable, especially considering the costs if you loose all your data, and have to buy a new machine / OS.

Here are some resources to start with and consider:

• How to Use the Advanced Startup Options to Fix Your Windows 8 or 10 PC
• How-To-Geek
• Minimal instructions for all the options
• How to Use All of Windows 10’s Backup and Recovery Tools
• How-To-Geek
• Detailed overview of all the options,,, Including:
• System Image Backups
• Be Prepared: Create a Recovery Drive for Windows, Linux, Mac, or Chrome OS
• How-To-Geek
• Make a Bootable Recovery Drive … as a substitute for no OS source DVD.

As always... the above are a suggested starting point.  feel free to add other keywords to refine your search.

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