On Wed, 16 Sep 2020 17:12:02 -0700, Mike Easter wrote:

If the sequence is:
- BSOD followed by
- consistent inability to POST
- then the same hardware problem that is causing the inability to POST
likely *caused* the crash/BSOD;

Hi Mike,

Again, you know this better'n I do, as I agree with you.
o The hardware problem likely caused both the BSOD & the inability to boot.

as opposed to
- a software/windows crash/BSOD isn't going to cause a POST failure,
but the other way around

I don't think at this point that the BSOD is due to software, per se.

Sometimes a machine might 'accidentally' fail to POST but that should
not persist through such as removing the power to the PS.

Yup. EVERY boot, of about a score or two (I didn't count them but I wrote
'em down so that I can count them if I want to), was from a position of
power removed from the computer for long enough for the green LED to go off
on the power supply & on the motherboard.

The business about capacitor discharge is that the capacitors discharge
*sooner* if the power to the PS is NOT removed; but I believe an
alternate strategy which involves removing the power to the PS (by rear
case switch or power block switch) can be aided by holding down the case
power switch.

What I did, every time, was:
a. Shut down the machine via the power button
b. Turn the power strip off
c. Wait for the green LED on the motherboard to go out
d. Turn the power strip back on
e. Turn the machine on via the power button

I was religious about it as I wanted every step to be only a small
deviation from the prior step if there was any (e.g., if I hit a different
key after POST to do something else).

Eventually I can get to a POST though, so I should build a "rescue stick".
o Create a recovery drive
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852

I don't know exactly what that is for win10, but it doesn't seem any
better or more useful than the Hirens PE.

I have never used a Windows "RECOVERY" drive before, but it "claims" to be
able to recover your operating system, which Hirens PE does _not_ do.

While Microsoft doesn't say how big it needs to be, I think this'll work:
1. Put an 8GB empty USB stick into the PC
2. Win+R %windir%\system32\RecoveryDrive.exe

I read that it wants 8-16.

Oh, I read plenty. It's all wrong. Most of what I've read said that for a
32-bit Windows 10, you need 8GB and for a 64-bit Windows 10 you need 16GB.

Turns out the Microsoft web page I referenced _did_ say, and it said 16GB;
but the software itself also did say, and it clearly said 8GB, and both
were wrong.

It took 5.47GB and it named the drive "RECOVERY" with the following dir:
o Boot
o EFI
o sources
o System Volume Information
o bootmgr 405kb
o BOOTNXT 1kb
o reagent.xml 2kb

So all always benefit from every action, here is my log how I created it.
o Create a recovery drive
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026852
1. Boot to Windows normally
2. Make sure you have no USB sticks in the computer
3. Some say the USB stick needs to be 16GB for a 64-bit Windows 10
(but others say 8GB will suffice if you don't add "system files").
4. Win+R %windir%\system32\RecoveryDrive.exe
Create a recovery drive
[x]Back up system files to the recovery drive [Next]
Please wait...
About five minutes later, it said:
Connect a USB flash drive:
The drive must be able to hold at least 8GB and everything on the
drive will be deleted.
That's odd, because the 16GB drive was already connected.
So I unplugged & re-plugged it in again (in another USB port).
Please wait...
About three minutes later, it said:
"Select the USB flash drive"
The drive must be able to hold at least 8GB
and everything on the drive will be deleted.
There is a warning:
"Everything on the drive will be deleted.
If you have any personal files on this drive,
make sure you've backed up the files.
[Create] (4:15
Creating the recovery drive
Formatting the drive
Copying utilities
Copying system (this took 2-1/2 hours)
The recovery drive is ready.
[Finish]
5. The resulting USB stick was named RECOVERY & was 5.47GB.

o To restore or recover using the recovery drive:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12415/windows-10-recovery-options

Those are confusing instructions indeed, but here they a
1. Connect the recovery drive
2. Then "turn on" your PC.
(Hmmm... to me, that "boots" the PC to POST.)
3. Press Win+L to get to the sign-in screen
(I never heard of that; is it a replacement for "F8"?)
4. Then restart your PC by locating at the bottom right
of your login screen a "power" button icon and then
a "restart" icon.
5. That starts your PC in the WinRE environment
(aka the Windows Recovery Environment)
6. You will see a "Choose an option" screen.
7. Select "Troubleshoot"
8. Then select "Advanced Options"
9. Then select "System Restore"

(I'm not sure "when" to press the "Win+L" for example,
i.e., whether that's before, during, or after POST).