Windows 8.1 hangs on many operations

[garyoreilly12]

I have a Windows 8 machine with Windows 8.1 upgrade.

On my operations such as restarting and shutting down it hangs and does nothing (I understand this a common problem but I have tried 3 solutions I found on the internet and none of them worked.) I still have to turn off my computor by holding the power button......

It isn't just shutting down however. Often when I try to open a program I have downloaded from the internet (the latest example being a driver scanner) nothing happens.

To try and fix these issues, I attempted to refresh Windows 8. Again it did nothing. After clicking the Get Started button it just hung on Preparing. I only left it for about 20 minutes, I thought something would have happened by then. The same is true for reinstalling Windows.

I'd be grateful for any help, thank you

 

[Wynona]

I looked at your system specs and all I see is OS Windows 8. We need information on your whole system. Like make, model, how much RAM, etc. Whatever the form requests. Is Windows 8/8.1 the core or Pro version? How old is the machine, and is it still in warranty?

This information will help us to help you solve your problem.

I have updated three machines from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, all of which were the core version. I have Windows 8 Pro on my laptop, but haven't updated it yet. I haven't encountered your problem on any of these machines, although I did have other problems with my first install of 8.1 on this system. Which it not to say you don't have the problem.

I am assuming you bought your system with Windows 8 preinstalled. I'm also assuming you went to the Microsoft Store to update to Windows 8.1. Correct me if I'm wrong.

There are lots of helpful people here, but they need information before they can help.

 

[garyoreilly12]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I have updated my system specs as much as I can.

The laptop came with Windows 8 and then I upgraded it to Windows 8.1.

 

[caperjack]

I have to say I don't like driver scanner program from the internet , maybe you got a bit of a bug from this program or others like it that you may have downloaded from the internet .if it were mine I would start with a full scan with malwarebytes to check for nasties you may have picked up from the internet . how to download use free malwarebytes in link below
How to use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to scan and remove malware from your computer

and yes update you system specs is a VG idea

 

[garyoreilly12]

I have used Malewarebytes program on an previous laptop and it was good. I will run it now and see if anything turns up

thanks for reply

 

[caperjack]

I have used Malewarebytes program on an previous laptop and it was good. I will run it now and see if anything turns up

thanks for reply

your welcome hope it helps with your issue

 

[Wynona]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I have updated my system specs as much as I can.

The laptop came with Windows 8 and then I upgraded it to Windows 8.1.

You're very welcome . . .

How old is the laptop and is it still in Warranty? The reason I ask is that like me, you may have to send the laptop for repair if we can't solve your problem here.

 

[garyoreilly12]

The laptop is only about 4 months old and within warranty. I'm sure the issue is with the software, not the hardware though.

 

[caperjack]

i would backup my data (documents ,pictures ,music ect ect ) and restore laptop to factory setup

 

[garyoreilly12]

i would backup my data (documents ,pictures ,music ect ect ) and restore laptop to factory setup

I ran malewarebytes and it picked up a few bugs. It didn't rectify the problem however, I still cannot restart my computor.

I believe restoring it to factory settings must be the best way to sort this out. Thank you

 

[Wynona]

i would backup my data (documents ,pictures ,music ect ect ) and restore laptop to factory setup

I ran malewarebytes and it picked up a few bugs. It didn't rectify the problem however, I still cannot restart my computor.

I believe restoring it to factory settings must be the best way to sort this out. Thank you

You're right, Gary. Restore to factory settings is best. Once there, if it works, reinstall Windows 8.1 through the Microsoft Store.

However, if restoring to factory settings doesn't work (I don't know why it didn't work for me), don't waste any more time on it. Bite the bullet and send it back to Acer for Factory restoration. After you back up all of your data! When it comes back from Acer, it should be in the pristine condition it was in when you bought it and you'll have to set it up all over again.

Oh, and BTW, have you created the Restore Disks yet? That will be your first job. Although, it's most likely there's a restore partition on your computer that you'll be able to use without the disks.

And another caveat . . . Neither worked with this system, so be prepared for the worst, which will be sending it back to Acer for repair.

Final bit of advice: As someone said, you probably picked up some bugs off the Internet; so be careful where you go and only go to sites you know to be safe.

 

[garyoreilly12]

Yes, I attempted to restore to factory settings.

After trying to refresh the PC is says the drive where Windows is installed is locked. UNlock the drive to try again

And after trying to set the PC it says unable to reset your PC. A required drive partition is missing.

 

[Wynona]

Yes, I attempted to restore to factory settings.

After trying to refresh the PC is says the drive where Windows is installed is locked. UNlock the drive to try again

And after trying to set the PC it says unable to reset your PC. A required drive partition is missing.

Oh, crap, that's what I was afraid of, Gary. I went to the tutorials and can't find anything referring to locking or unlocking a drive where Windows is installed.

The fact that your laptop won't allow you to recover to factory specs makes me wonder about a theory that's been running around in the back of my mind; when you update to Windows 8.1, do you need to create a new Restore disk? I haven't checked this out, since my computer is working fine with Windows 8.1, but maybe I should? Although, in the past (Windows 7), Windows has only allowed one set of recovery disks to be created for my laptops.

Another question is how many times has this happened to those who've updated to Windows 8.1?

Looks to me like you should contact Acer and start the warranty process. Unless someone smarter than me can offer a better solution.

 

[garyoreilly12]

thanks for the reply Wynona, I'd never heard of this forum before today, but you're a nice bunch!

http://www.eightforums.com/installa...dows-8-hard-drive-locked-can-t-refresh-8.html

here is a thread from this very forum which I am going through slowly.

Many people on that thread had similar problems, some had solved them, but as there were many different OS's involved and different levels of IT expertise, I don't think there is a universal solution. Let alone an easy one.

I read somewhere about the computer locking after 5 forced shutdowns, which I did before even thinking about it I reckon.

Anyway......lol. I'll give that thread a finish now I've had some coffee