Computer lost power and now Windows will not load

I am running Windows 10 with the Windows Temp file and FirefoxCache in a SoftPerfect RAM drive.

I had a power outage while the computer was shutting down, and now it will only boot into recovery mode.

I can see (using Notepad's 'Open File' dialogue box) that all my files seem to be intact.

I have checked all the disks using chkdsk and no errors are reported. (Except for disk X:, which I guess is a recovery partition, where chkdsk reports: 'The volume is in use by another process'. Is this the command prompt itself?)

I have copied the RamDriveImage file to another computer and mounted it, and it seems fine. It contains the expected Windows Temp file and FirefoxCache.

So could it be that my SoftPerfect RAM Disk installation got corrupted, and this is preventing Windows from loading? How can I investigate this further?

If a power outage occurred during system shutdown, it's likely that some essential system files were damaged, which is why Windows is booting into recovery mode. However, it's unlikely that the RAM Disk itself is responsible for preventing Windows from loading, as the RAM disk does not store persistent system-critical files like those required for booting.

Here are a few points you can consider for further investigation:

• The fact that the RAM Disk image file appears intact and contains the expected files suggests that the RAM Disk's virtual image wasn't corrupted.
• The issue is more likely related to the unexpected shutdown, potentially affecting system files on your main drive (e.g., system registry or boot files), rather than the RAM Disk.

To investigate further, you can:

1. Follow the recovery mode recommended actions, such as automatic repair.
2. Boot into Safe Mode and check the Event Viewer for any error logs around the time of the outage.
3. Enable boot logging via recovery mode (using the command bcdedit /set {current} bootlog yes) and examine the ntbtlog.txt file for clues on what might be preventing the system from booting normally.
4. If none of these steps help, consider using the sfc /scannow command from recovery to check and repair any corrupted system files.

It doesn't appear that the RAM Disk itself is directly responsible, but these steps can help you narrow down the issue.

Thanks for this.

1. I have followed all options, except reinstalling / resetting Windows. No joy.

2. The system will not boot into safe mode.

3. I ran bcdedit /set {current} bootlog yes, which executed successfully. Where will I find ntbtlog.txt?

4. When I run sfc /scannow, I get:
> Verification 100% complete.
> Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.

The ntbtlog.txt file, which is generated when you enable the boot log using bcdedit /set {current} bootlog yes, can be found in the following location after a reboot:

C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt

If the file is not present or doesn't contain useful information, your system may be corrupted, and you might need to reset the BIOS or reinstall Windows. Here is a list of additional troubleshooting steps you can try, but it's likely best to back up all your data and perform a fresh installation.

FYI, the solution is that the interrupted shut-down somehow caused the BIOS to change the boot sequence (back to its default?). The machine should have been booting from its SDD, but this had been relegated to the 4th option. I corrected the boot order, and it fired up perfectly.