From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Wed, 2/4/2026 4:19 AM, Ed Cryer wrote:   
   > ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ wrote:   
   >> On 2/3/2026 12:27 PM, Ed Cryer wrote:   
   >>> ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ wrote:   
   >>>> Before making a change, consider opening an Admin Powershell window and   
   entering:   
   >>>>   Get-Volume   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Look in the OperationalStatus column.   
   >>>> Are there any partitions(with or without assigned drive letters)   
   indicating need of repair(i.e. any that do not state as 'OK'   
   >>>   
   >>> Thanks for that. That's a new system view for me.   
   >>> There are 4 drives listed; all show Healthy with an OK in the Status   
   column.   
   >>>   
   >>> Ed   
   >>>   
   >> One of those items should be the EFI partition, by design no drive letter   
   >>   - this is the boot manager that hands control to Windows(the boot   
   loader)   
   >>   - if not OK, this partition operationalstatus column report a repair is   
   needed.   
   >>   
   >> If, OK...i might be looking elsewhwere for a system crash on lock-out, or   
   no-boot issue.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >   
   > The EFI system partition is fine; no sign of any fault. The box boots   
   admirably well. There's no sign, either, of any problem in Device Manager.   
   >   
   > I'm trying to find some way to solve the issue without having to get all   
   updates and see what happens. So far I haven't found one.   
   > If I could ascertain for sure that it wasn't an MS update that caused the   
   crash, then I could go ahead with updates.   
   >   
   > Ed   
   >   
      
   1) Do a safety backup.   
   2) Do the first update (say it is December).   
   3) Reboot.   
   4) Click the check for Updates again. Do January update.   
   5) Reboot.   
   6) Is it still booting OK ?   
   7) Make sure the "update well" is empty.   
   8) Mark the backup filename with the "ERASEME" tag which   
      indicates that any time space is needed, this is a file   
      that can be removed.   
      
   Any time something I'm doing has risk, that's the approach I use.   
   At some point, I feel reasonably confident (but never absolutely   
   sure) that an evil thing is not going to happen, and I move on.   
   Another day could pass, some new calamity could arise, and   
   I deal with those as they show up.   
      
   There are probably *a dozen* Safety Backups on my 8TB drive right now :-)   
   That's because I work for the Bomb Squad.   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)