After Toshiba BIOS upgrade 5.10 Win 8.1 refuses to start

rodec

New Member
Messages
7
After a Toshiba update utility installation of the latest BIOS (5.10) on my Win8.1 Laptop, the PC won't reboot the OS.
I can reboot to the WinRE partition (0) on the disk but System Repair does'nt work.
I did a complete system RESET from the Factory Recover partition and the OS still refuses to boot.
I can get to Command Prompt.
-PC is 1-yr old, model Satellite C50t. Win 8.1 home, EUFI install
-All 5 partitions seem ok.
-I see a Key in BIOS table MSDM
-Tried bcdboot, bootrec /fixboot on C: and bootsec /nt60 C:

Any suggestions welcome,
Thanks.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
This is a UEFI system, correct? Is BIOS setup for UEFI and GPT, not Legacy or MBR?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Yes BIOS is set to UEFI boot mode and Secure Boot enabled. Disk drive is 1TB, has GPT with 5 partitions. Partition 1 is System EFI.
I'm not sure but from what I can see, the bootmgr runs and then the winloader, I see rotating dots for about 10 or 15 sec. then they freeze. I reboot (long press on power) and system goes to Automatic Repair by itself. I can get to the Command Prompt and look at the Srttrail. Tests where run successfully but the last entry I see shows: 1 cause found "Failure while Setup in progress".
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
What about downgrading to the previous BIOS:

14 Apr 2014​
Bios Updating Bios (V1.30) for Satellite C50-A (P0014_P0015_E0011_P0110) Bios Update 9.96 MB
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Try pulling the Battery, power and the Cmos Battery on the Motherboard. You have to remove the Hard Drive to get to it. Otherwise you can remove the back, which is not that hard.

It is also possible that something happened during the Bios Upgrade. Will the unit boot up in a Win PE disk or Linux Live DVD?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Yes the unit can boot from the DVD or from a USB drive or from the WinRE partition on disk (partition 0). I could load and run the WIN81RESE_x64.ISO on a USB.

Before downgrading the BIOS I tried to re-install the OS to see if the unit would boot Windows normally with Secure boot enabled. I installed W8.1 from the ISO DVD and it started OK so I guess the BIOS is not the problem and some corruption probably occur during the BIOS update.

But I'm now having problems installing the missing drivers. Device Mgr found 4 missing drivers in "Other devices": 2 where for Intel, 1 for a PCI card reader and one for a PCI Network Controller. I managed to install 3 of the 4. I can't install the Network Controller. It's deviceID property indicates an Atheros WLAN.
I installed the latest version of that driver from the Toshiba support site but it crashes Windows at the end of the install proc, when it tries to initialize the device.

Now I'm back to freezing dots and system Reset. It seems that the re-install also replaced the WinRE partition with a new one where the path to the factory recovery image in partition 4 is now missing. It might be possible to reset to factory now that windows can boot but I don't know how to tell WinRE to use partition 4 instead of the install DVD.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
I had a very similar issue on my ASUS laptop. Did a BIOS upgrade and on the next boot up all I got was the ASUS logo. I never saw the circle of dots, it just keep rebooting to the LOGO over and over again. After lots of trial and error, BIOS resets, etc. I discovered it only failed to boot if my second Data hard drive was connected. There was something about the partition structure or something Windows didn't like. I ended up connecting that drive to my desktop PC and running a Diskpart clean command. Then I put it back in my laptop and Windows booted up fine. Then I just partitioned it, formatted it, and copied all the files back to it from my portable backup drive. This laptop has UEFI. I've flashed the BIOS on it before and never had an issue. For a while there I thought I had bricked it. I was trying anything and pulled the hard drives and optical drive to discover it booted to the BIOS. Then I started plugging things back in one at a time. I still have no idea what happened, I'm just relieved I got it working again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Thanks for all the input and suggestions. Here's the current situtation:
-the Network Controller Device without a driver is a Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 Wireless Network Adapter.
-Device Manager does not show an Ethernet adapter, Very strange since there is one in the unit. But I remember trying to use the wired port unsuccessfully before doing the BIOS upgrade. The laptop has always been connected via Wi-Fi. The LAN card is supposed to be a Realtek but does'nt show even after the driver is installed.
-The latest Atheros driver supplied by Toshiba could not be installed without freezing the system.
-Pressing F12 will Activate Airplane Mode (cut Wi-Fi from the Atheros), the LED goes Of.
-Using a USB Wi-Fi dongle, Windows found a driver online and did the install without crashing. Device manager then shows it as a Network Adapter and not a Controller. Status is Device working properly.
-After the USB adapter is removed and the Atheros is reactivated (F12 Airplane mode Off), the system freezes and a reboot is needed.
-During reboot, hitting F12 again turns the Atheros Off before the OS is loaded and the system will start normally.
-The re-installed OS is up-to-date, Windows Update applied 134 updates when the USB adapter was connected. It also shows the W10 update available.

With the RecoveryMediaCreator utility supplied by Toshiba, I copied the original factory recovery partition to a USB drive but did not attempt to restore it. It may or may not be possible to boot it even when the Atheros is inactive (F12). I should try it after doing a system image of the current working system.

The previous version of the BIOS is not avaliable for this model on the toshiba site. Model C50t-B-00V.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Thanks for all the input and suggestions. Here's the current situtation:
-the Network Controller Device without a driver is a Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 Wireless Network Adapter.
-Device Manager does not show an Ethernet adapter, Very strange since there is one in the unit. But I remember trying to use the wired port unsuccessfully before doing the BIOS upgrade. The laptop has always been connected via Wi-Fi. The LAN card is supposed to be a Realtek but does'nt show even after the driver is installed.
-The latest Atheros driver supplied by Toshiba could not be installed without freezing the system.
-Pressing F12 will Activate Airplane Mode (cut Wi-Fi from the Atheros), the LED goes Of.
-Using a USB Wi-Fi dongle, Windows found a driver online and did the install without crashing. Device manager then shows it as a Network Adapter and not a Controller. Status is Device working properly.
-After the USB adapter is removed and the Atheros is reactivated (F12 Airplane mode Off), the system freezes and a reboot is needed.
-During reboot, hitting F12 again turns the Atheros Off before the OS is loaded and the system will start normally.
-The re-installed OS is up-to-date, Windows Update applied 134 updates when the USB adapter was connected. It also shows the W10 update available.

With the RecoveryMediaCreator utility supplied by Toshiba, I copied the original factory recovery partition to a USB drive but did not attempt to restore it. It may or may not be possible to boot it even when the Atheros is inactive (F12). I should try it after doing a system image of the current working system.

The previous version of the BIOS is not avaliable for this model on the toshiba site. Model C50t-B-00V.

See if a version of the BIOS model no C50-B-14Z will do as that is what mine is and it updated OK
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64 Home Version 1803 (Build 17134).472
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP 15-bw067sa
    CPU
    AMD Dual-Core Processor E1-7010(1.5GHz)
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    4096MB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon tm R2 Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 Pixels
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba
    Case
    True Blue
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Prection Touchpad
    Mouse
    Built in with touch keyboard
    Internet Speed
    Fast
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Microsoft Office 365 new version: Fast Track Office 2016
    CCleaner
It really sounds like you have a hardware failure with your network controller. Failed hardware can cause lock up issues with Windows, along with BSOD's and many other issues.

You said it works with a WiFi dongle. Is that the way its always been connected, or did the built in WiFi work before the BIOS update?

If it isnt a hardware failure, then my next guess would be that the BIOS update botched up somehow.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 @ 3.3-3.7 Ghz
    Motherboard
    MSI Z77-G41
    Memory
    16 GB Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GT 730
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual 20 Inch Dell
    Screen Resolution
    1680*1050
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB
    Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB
    PSU
    Thermaltake 550W
    Case
    Antec Nine Hundred Two
    Cooling
    Arctic Freezer i30 CO
    Keyboard
    Logitech K330
    Mouse
    Logitech M215
    Internet Speed
    60 Mbps
    Browser
    Comodo Chromodo
    Antivirus
    Comodo Internet Security Premium
So try downgrading the BIOS as I suggested earlier. Could be a conflict between Windows 8,1 and the updated BIOS.

Seems like the logical thing to do as this problem started when you upgraded the BIOS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
The problem is definitely with the Atheros AR9485. It was OK before the BIOS update but now it will freeze the system when activated. In order to boot Windows the wireless must be quickly disabled using F12 twice (the led goes off) during boot, before windows activates it. Once booted it can be disabled in Device Manager and Airplane mode turned ON. Now windows will not try to activate it when it starts.
I did not find a suitable replacement BIOS yet so I will use a USB Wifi dongle in the mean time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
There are 4 BIOS levels available on the Toshiba web site.

C50TBIOS.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Thanks Ztrucker, I found the site to download the BIOS for this model. I tried to reflash the latest version but it would'nt do it, I wonder why not. I won't try to downgrade the BIOS and risk loosing the system now that it is running fine using a small Linksys USB adapter.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hi Rodec.

I am having the exact same issue apart from I am on Windows 10.

After the 5.10 BIOS update Windows hangs on startup unless I boot in safe mode with no networking and disable the "Qualcomm Atheros AR956x Wireless Network Adapter"

I am now having to use another external WiFi adapter when networking is turned on. Also my LAN port is completely missing (not even in Device manager). This BIOS update has really messed my machine up.

I have tried updating the Qualcomm WiFi adapter driver to the latest version but this still crashes the machine instantly if the device is enabled causing the machine to hang and a restart needed (and then go the disable wifi drivers in safe mode process again before restarting)

I guess we will have to report this to Toshiba?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
You may be able to swap out the WIFI card for a different brand? Say Intel. I can on my two laptops. Mine are Mini PCIe cards. One screw and two cables. I swapped the one out my ASUS for a dual band card.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
risck2k, the LAN interface does'nt show up in Device Manager here also. The nearby earphone jack does'nt work but the built-in speakers are OK. I was suspecting a motherboard problem but I'm not sure if these ports where functional before the BIOS update.
Toshiba is aware of my problem, if you have the same issue then please let them know. A new BIOS may fix it.

The Atheros 9485 is a single chip PCI Express (56-pin) interface so it may be a bit difficult to replace if this is a hardware problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
There are lots of Mini PCIe WIFI cards out there. The hardest part is getting access to it. Swapping it out is easy. Mine was under the hard drive access panel, just 3 screws to open it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
Back
Top