I installed a system update and it made my Acer Nitro laptop unusable

michaelm987

Hello,

I'm sorry this post is so long, but it outlines extensive troubleshooting I've done.

I have an Acer Nitro V laptop that I bought brand new a few months ago. It came installed with Windows 11, but after I bought it, I did a clean install of Windows 11 from a USB drive, and then I installed all of the drivers from Acer's website.

The computer has always worked fine, with one exception. Something that would rarely happen is: when I would close the laptop to put it on sleep mode, and I would open it back up, rarely, the computer would just stay on a black screen no matter what keys I pressed or mouse clicks I did, so I would have to force shut down the computer by holding the power key for several seconds. Does this imply a possible hardware issue?

The following is the main problem. A couple of nights ago, I went to shut down my computer, and I saw that some Windows updates were required, so I chose "Update and Restart". The computer then restarted, and, this was unusual, it went to the Acer Nitro startup screen, and it said "Installing System Updates" with a progress bar. I think the computer shut down after it completed. After that, the next time I turned on the computer, it eventually gave me the frown face blue screen with the error code INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE.

Then when I start up the computer again, it goes to a blue screen that says:

"Choose your keyboard layout."

I choose US.

On the next screen, the 2 options are:

1: "Troubleshoot: Reset your PC or see advanced options"

and

2: "Turn off your PC"

So I go to "Troubleshoot".

The 6 options on the next screen are:

1: "Startup Repair: Fix problems that keep Windows from loading"

2: "Command Prompt: Use the command prompt for advanced troubleshooting"

3: "Uninstall Updates: Remove recently installed quality or feature updates from Windows"

4: "UEFI Firmware Settings: Change settings in your PC's UEFI firmware"

5: "System Restore: Use a restore point recorded on your PC to restore Windows"

6: "System Image Recovery: Recover Windows using a specific system image file"

Option 1: When I select "Startup Repair", it goes to the Acer Nitro screen and says "Diagnosing your PC". After 5 seconds, it says "Startup Repair couldn't repair your PC." It then gives me the option to shut down the computer, or go to Advanced Options. When I click "Advanced Options", it just goes back to the first screen where it says "Troubleshoot" and "Turn off your PC".

Option 2: I know what the Command Prompt is, and someone in another forum recommended some commands.

When I use the command prompt and type

bootrec /fixmbr

it says "The system cannot find the path specified".

If I type:

bootrec /fixboot

it also says "The system cannot find the path specified".

When I typed

bootrec /rebuildbcd

it said "Scanning all disks for Windows installations.
Please wait since this may take a while.
Successfully scanned Windows installations.
Total identified Windows installations: 0
The operation completed successfully."

Option 3: "Uninstall Updates". When I click Uninstall Updates, it gives me the options "Uninstall latest quality update", and "Uninstall latest feature update". When I choose "Uninstall latest quality update", it immediately sends me back to the starting screen where it says "Troubleshoot" and "Turn off your PC". If I select "Uninstall latest feature update", it goes to a screen explaining how uninstalling the latest feature update could fix problems I am having. And it gives me the options "Uninstall Feature Update" and "Cancel". When I select "Uninstall Feature Update", it almost instantly goes to a screen that says "We ran into a problem and won't be able to uninstall the latest feature update of Windows. Try resetting your PC instead."

Option 4: When I go to "UEFI Firmware Settings", it restarts the computer and opens up the BIOS. I'm not sure what options to change here. Is there a solution somewhere in the BIOS?

Option 5: I know what a System Restore Point is. I'm pretty sure I have not made a restore point in the entire time I've had the computer. And, when I choose System Restore, it gives me a red X window that says "To use System Restore, you must specify which Windows installation to restore. Restart this computer, select an operating system, and then select System Restore."

Option 6: "System Image Recovery: Recover Windows using a specific image file". Not really sure about this one.

Does this sound like a hardware issue where I should use the warranty? Or is there a solution somewhere else?

Thank you for any help.

AnhEZ28

@michaelm987

Go to the BIOS by tapping F2 after pressing the power button. Navigate to the main tab, press CTRL + S, and either disable or enable the VMD controller.

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/709369/i-installed-a-system-update-and-it-made-my-laptop-unusable

You should not have done a "Clean Install" of Windows with a brand-new Windows11 machine and installing drivers is only done by Windows11 during the installation process. You managed to corrupt the bootloader on the boot drive and the best thing is bringing the laptop to Acer Services in your country to reset the system to factory default with OEM Windows11 for a small service fee.

AnhEZ28

@michaelm987

Go to the BIOS by tapping F2 after pressing the power button. Navigate to the main tab, press CTRL + S, and either disable or enable the VMD controller.

michaelm987

Thank you for these replies. The suggestion from AnhEZ28 worked!

However, I am also inclined to believe the information from Puraw as well. So maybe I should back up my stuff and send my laptop to Acer for a system reset. I found information on this page here: https://community.acer.com/en/kb/articles/583-set-up-repair-for-your-acer-product

Thanks