# Stuck at "choose your keyboard layout" Windows 10 "Preparing



## cvoptimus (Aug 21, 2002)

This PC is an HP Desktop model Pavilion 6520f with an AMD Athlon II x4 635 2.90 Ghz processor and 12 MB of memory. The PC is from about 2010 but the 1 T hardrive, memory ,added video card (NVIDIA) and power supply were upgraded about a year and a half ago before the installation of Windows 10. I performed a clean install of Windows 7 on the newer harddrive last summer and then upgraded to Windows 10 Home edition.

A few days ago I started experiencing random BSOD errors. This was a few days after the most recent Windows 10 system update.

I initially suspected that there was a simple system volume mismatch after the update so I scheduled a CHKDSK scan on the C: drive. It froze at 10% then crashed. I tried again with the same result. At this point the computer was booting normally and could be used for a while before any freezing or crashing.

I decided to run SFC. It froze at 50% then the computer crashed. I tried this a few times as well. Always stopped at 50% and then another Blue Screen crash.

Following some online advice, I tried to run DISM command (DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restore

It got to 29.2%, froze , then crashed. Now when I try to boot I only get the "preparing automatic repair" and then the keyboard select screen and I am stuck.

The keyboard and mouse inputs do not work, so there is no where to go. I tried switching to a wired keyboard and mouse but no luck.

Please help. I am at a loss as to where to go from here.

Also, I have many questions. I am usually pretty sophisticated at repairing computer but am clueless in this instance and in shock at how quickly everything went south. A few days ago I wasn't aware of any problems at all with the computer. It was fast and error free. Is it suspicious that this started after a major system update?

Could the harddrive be failing so soon? It's only a few years old. The SMART drive built into the BIOS reads "functional" during the boot. 

If it is failing what are my options for rebuilding the system?

How can I install windows 10 on a clean hard drive as I used to do with earlier versions?

If I can ever figure out how to boot this machine again, can I clone the data to a new drive using Acronis software or something similar? What if it crashes in the middle of the process?

Please help.


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## lunarlander (Sep 22, 2007)

You can do a clean install with MS Media Creation Tool . It can create a ISO for burning to DVD or a memory stick.


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## cvoptimus (Aug 21, 2002)

Thank you for that information. That is at least one part of the puzzle.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

> This PC is an *HP Desktop model Pavilion 6520f* with an AMD Athlon II x4 635 2.90 Ghz processor and 12 MB of memory. The PC is from about 2010 but the 1 T hardrive, memory ,added video card (NVIDIA) and power supply were upgraded about a year and a half ago before the installation of Windows 10. I performed a clean install of Windows 7 on the newer harddrive last summer and then upgraded to Windows 10 Home edition.


You appear to actually have a *HP Pavilion p6520f Desktop PC* (WW640AA).
It was introduced in April 2010 in the U.S.A. and Canada and came with the original version of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

If you go HERE, you can download and save the *Windows ISO Downloader.exe* tool, then use it to download and save the ISO file for Windows 10 Home/Pro 64-bit, then burn the image of that ISO file to create a bootable DVD.
Select "Windows 10", then select "Windows 10 Home/Pro", then select your language, then select "64-bit Download".
The download process will then start.
After you create a bootable DVD and start the install process, make sure to select "Windows 10 Home 64-bit" from the list.

Since Windows 10 Home 64-bit was previously installed in that desktop, there's no need to install Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit first and then upgrade to Windows 10 home 64-bit.
And Windows 10 should automatically install drivers for the NVIDIA graphic and Realtek audio and Realtek ethernet devices.

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