Win10 won't load - It stalls at the dots circling animation

[drpeppercan]

It loads only enough to show its dots-going-around animation, but then it never goes past that.
And that's whether I have called it from the rEFInd loader or from the Live USB Installer drive.

I decided to try again and wait longer on the Live USB Installer drive this time. It eventually loaded the repair tool. So the good thing is that I have access to using command lines in the Command prompt. I just need to find which command lines I can use to repair the MBR and or WBM (Windows Boot Manager). Anyone?!
Mind you, I already tried the Start-Up Repair tool. It said it was not able to repair it.

To give you some background on this situation: I just reinstalled Win10 in my 1Tb HD, then I installed Ubuntu 18.04 in my 125 Gb SSD. Somehow I ended up loosing my WBM as a choice in the list of drives in BIOS.
For many days it was not much of a problem since I still could load Win10 via the GRUB loader.
Then I installed a better loader: Tux4Ubuntu. Strangely this loader was opening GRUB when I chose Linux, as opposed to loading Ubuntu right up.
I was recommended to have a booting partition not just on one drive, but both. Along with their respective booting files, including rEFInd.
So I did that by booting off from an Ubuntu Live USB drive, ran Gparted (Partitions Editor), and copy the boot partition from HD drive, to the SSD drive.
Now when loading Tux4Ubuntu, it also loads rEFInd among the choices. However, whether I choose to load Win10 from the choices in T4U or from rEFInd, Win10 stalls.
Maybe I just have to wait long enough, as I did for Win10 Live USB drive.
But before I try that, since I already gained access to the Command promt, I figure I would take advantage of that and see if I can find a command line that could help repair the MBR and or WBM.

Specs: Acer Desktop, Predator G3-710, i5-6400, 16 ram

[Geek-9pm]

Some more specific detail please.
Which version of Windows 10?
Which model of Amer desktop?
Do you have a full backup of the Windows 10 partition?

Without knowing more details, here is the only think I can recommend.
Beg, borrow or buy another hard drive for use as a spare.. It does not have to be huge. Even  8 GB is big enough for a test. The objective is to see if you can do a simple install of Windows 10 without anything else. Small HDD are now super cheap and ought to be part of your tool kit.

Put aside the SSD and large HDD.  Put the spare HDD Install Windows 10 from a verified USB device. Make a note of how long it takes to install. reboot several times and make a note of the start up times. Normally Windows 10 should boot up and run in about 90 seconds. Longer would indicate Widows has found some issue.

If all goes well using the spare drive, this verifies that your do not have any mahjor hardware issues. Therefore the problem must be either the large drive or . more likely, the boot up method. IMO it is better not to use GRUB to boot Windows.

Unless you really need Ubuntu on your system, my advice is to avoid using it for now. My personal preference is to boot Ubuntu from an external HDD as a USB drive. Works good for me.  Ditto for Linux Mint. I use the BIOS to select the boot device, not the Windows Boot Loader.

Also, IMO, the SSD will do more for Windows  10 than  for Ubuntu.  Ubuntu is already a very compact OS and is fast enough. 

But others may have a better idea. That is the best I can do. I have spent countless hours trying to put both Linux and Windows on the same HDD. It is a real pain. 

[drpeppercan]

Hi Geek-9pm!
First off thanks a bunch for sharing your advise

I guess I should have put the specs at the top, I had them at the bottom of the post, here again:
Specs: Acer Desktop, Predator G3-710, i5-6400, 16 ram

I don't know what Win10 version that is. I can say that I obtained it directly from the Microsoft site about 2 weeks ago. Would I be able to tell by checking the Installer USB drive files?
Actually, I still had the ISO file: Win10_1803_EnglishInternational_x64

No, I don't have a full back up. But I could make one with Clonezilla.
Fortunately it's such a fresh install that I don't have much there I wouldn't mind loosing. It would mostly be the time needed to reinstall Win10, programs and games. Along with their respecting configurations.

I believe I have such a spare HD.

However, as I was explaining in the initial post message, having access to the Command promt, I figure I could just find a command line that could help repair the MBR and or WBM.
What do you think about that?
Do you know such command lines yourself?

[Geek-9pm]

..
Actually, I still had the ISO file: Win10_1803_English International_x64
...

However, as I was explaining in the initial post message, having access to the Command promt, I figure I could just find a command line that could help repair the MBR and or WBM.
What do you think about that?
Do you know such command lines yourself?

I have never done major repair from the command line.
Instead, I have another PC I can use to make a "rescue CD". The one I prefer Macrium Reflect,which also has variety of backup and clone options.

If you do not have a second PC, consider getting a Small Form Factor (SFF) used HP or Dell . I have an old Dell 745 SFF box.


These go for about $70 and you supply your own monitor, mouse and keyboard.

Here is a link to the Macrium Reflect site:
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
You really want the free version for now. Buy it later if you want. It has theability to rebuild the Windows Boot Loader, if possible.
Read this:
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/85198-use-macrium-reflect-rescue-media-fix-windows-boot-issues.html
It really does work.  And it is free. 

Please read the above link. It has much more information that I can give.

[drpeppercan]

Btw,

Also, IMO, the SSD will do more for Windows  10 than  for Ubuntu.

That's the way I had them before. But then Win10 started expanding, growing. And soon its capacity was no longer enough. Keep in mind at that time I had already moved all important programs and games to the HD drive, and I did not have any media in the SSD either. All photos, videos, and music was on the HD drive.
I had done just about everything one can think of to make space.

My personal preference is to boot Ubuntu from an external HDD as a USB drive.

For it to boot, I guess you had to do as you do with Linux Mint? Choose it from BIOS?

Thanks a lot for the recommendation on MR, I'll check it up

[Geek-9pm]

Forgot to mention.
When I set up any current version of Linux on an external drive, I disable my internal HDD so that the Linux GRUB will not see the internal HDD. That is somewhere in the BIOS. Alternatively, one could disconnect the HDD. The  result is the Linux gets installed on the only device available and does not try to include the internal HDD.

Later, I go into the BIOS and set it up for normal operation, with internal as the preference, followed bu the optical drive and then any bookable USB device present. Somehow the BIOS can determine if any USB device is bookable or not.

To force boot from the USB device, either flash or HDD, I must hit the F12 key during the POST thing and then it brings up a menu to select a boot device. Your desktop will have almost the same sort of thing.

About your SSD. Maybe others here know howto best use it it with Windows 10.
But I do not think your should sue Microsoft... 
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/microsoft-sued-court-windows-10-update-destroyed-peoples-data-damaged-pcs-a7651351.html

Microsoft is being sued by three people who claim a Windows 10 update destroyed their data and damaged their computers.

[drpeppercan]

LOL, yeah, good luck (to those 3 people)!

About Macrium Reflect. I installed it. You said: It has the ability to rebuild the Windows Boot Loader, if possible.
Except I only see options to do back ups and restore.
Unless that is found hidden in the Bootable Rescue Media, is it?

[Geek-9pm]

Yeah, it is almost hidden. You have to really look for it.
Links:
https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Fixing+Windows+boot+problems
Windows updates can be an issue
https://www.tenforums.com/backup-restore/110979-macrium-not-letting-me-fix-boot-1803-update.html
Clone problem:
https://forum.macrium.com/Topic14539.aspx
There is more. Many people use MR and it does the job most of the time.

[drpeppercan]

MR didn't help

I have been advised to reinstall Win10.
I have 2 partitions on that drive (HD). One is only 500 Mbs, it contains the boot files. In fact, there's a copy of these same files in the other SSD drive.
Should I:
1. format each of the HD partitions, or
2. only where Windows is, or
3. delete the small partition and format the HD drive completely?

Thanks guys

[Geek-9pm]

Try an install of Windows 10 on the same partition that had  it.
The old files will be in 'windows.old' just in case you need them.

[drpeppercan]

It turns out the easiest way to set up the dual boot was as follows:

This workflow assumes you have one SSD (120 Gb) and one HD (1 Tb). This is just a detail. Should your situation be different then just adapt the workflow.

• Install Linux on SSD, while HD is unplugged.
• Swap drives to install Win10 on the HD, while SSD is unplugged.
• Install rEFInd in Windows 10 (See instructions below).
• Plug the SSD with Linux.
• Boot up.
• If rEFInd doesn't show, go to the BIOS and swap the order of the drives.
• Done!
  

What you put and where it's really up to you, it depends on your situation. For my situation, I needed to move Windows to the largest drive available.

Install rEFInd in Windows 10.

• Get rEFInd.
• Expand the ZIP file, and copy the resulting folder to C:
• Open Command Prompt Admin
• Enter this command line: Mountvol S: /S
• In the same terminal move two levels up to C:
• Enter this command line:
  xcopy /E refind-bin-0.11.3 S:\efi\refind\ (accommodate the version number to the one you got)
• Go to the previouly mounted drive: S:
• Enter this command line:
  cd EFI\refind\refind
• Enter this command line:
  rename refind.conf-sample refind.config
• Enter this command line:
  bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\refind\refind\refind_x64.efi
• Done!

[drpeppercan]

Important Correction
Under: Install rEFInd in Windows 10.
Step #9: Enter this command line:
rename refind.conf-sample refind.config

Remove the red text above.