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Difficulty: MediumTroubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that experiences a continuous boot loop. During the Windows splash screen, the system crashes with a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) displaying the stop code SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED. The issue began immediately after an automated driver update for the dedicated video card. Which of the following is the most appropriate initial action to resolve the boot issue?

  1. Boot the system into Safe Mode via Startup Settings in WinRE and roll back the video driver.Answer
  2. B
    Execute bootrec /rebuildbcd from the WinRE Command Prompt to scan for installed operating systems.
  3. C
    Run chkdsk /r on the system partition from the recovery command line.
  4. D
    Use Disk Management in WinRE to change the boot partition status to Active.

Answer

Boot the system into Safe Mode via Startup Settings in WinRE and roll back the video driver.
The stop code SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED following a driver update indicates that a third-party driver is crashing the Windows kernel during startup. Booting into Safe Mode loads generic display drivers instead of the third-party driver, allowing the operating system to start so the technician can roll back or uninstall the problematic driver in Device Manager.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the cause of the boot failure from the BSOD error message.
The stop code SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED following a driver update indicates a kernel-mode driver crash.
A newly installed device driver is executing invalid instructions during the OS boot phase.
2
Access Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) Startup Settings.
Select Enable Safe Mode from the Startup Settings options after restarting through Advanced Options.
Safe Mode boots Windows with a minimal set of generic drivers, bypassing the problematic video card driver.
3
Perform driver remediation in Safe Mode.
Open Device Manager, locate the display adapter, and select Roll Back Driver or uninstall the device.
Restoring the previous working driver resolves the kernel crash and allows normal startup.

Key Concept

Using Safe Mode and WinRE Startup Settings to isolate and repair driver-induced startup crashes.
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Topics

Troubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

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