Windows 10 update Choose Your Own Keyboard Layout

[NebrGirl55]

Completing update & restart per computer prompt.  My PC desktop stopped on - Choose your keyboard layout, US option.  My mouse would not work so I hit Enter, no response.  I used arrow keys, same thing.  I tried Esc and then Ctrl Alt Delete, nothing would respond. I held down the on off button hoping to reboot the computer.  It just opened up to the same blue screen, prompting to choose keyboard layout. I have my whole life on this PC so I'm freaked out!  Help please!

[WAWood]

@NebrGirl55 

IF this was my PC, and I had a lot of personal stuff on it, then my focus would be on getting it running enough to copy off these important files that I failed to back up in case of such a problem.

You will need another PC and a USB stick of at least 8GB to make a boot USB that, if it works, will allow you to find and copy off these files to another USB stick:

So, what I propose is booting your PC from a USB stick containing a different Windows environment, plugging in a USB stick (once that it running), and using a file explorer app to copy the files you need to save from the SSD to the USB stick.

What MIGHT work is the following:
1) On a working PC, use this link to download and install a free copy of Macrium Reflect: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
2) Once that is installed, use the option to create a Boot USB stick (Other Tasks --> Create Rescue Media). This creates a bootable USB stick that runs a version of Windows.
3) Boot the PC from that USB stick. To do this, try pressing F9 repeatedly while booting to get a boot drive menu, or press the Esc key repeatedly while booting to get an HP utilities menu, and select the boot menu from that
4) Be patient ... as booting from a USB stick is really, really slow
5) Once in the MR recovery environment, you can then remove the USB stick.
6) Insert a USB stick for holding data and, down at the bottom left of the windows screen are some icons. Select the one on the right to open a form of File Explorer.
7) Use the File Explorer app to locate the files you need and copy them to the USB stick.

Good Luck

[NebrGirl55]

I'm going to copy this and keep it in case I ever need it in the near future.  After not getting a reply the day after posting, I took more time and went through the diagnostic help to see what was there.  All my stuff was backed up to Sept 2020 and after I calmed down some more I realized that most of my pics were in the cloud or on my cell phone yet.  The one time it was a good thing to procrastinate. I finally found the right diagnostic tools here on the HP site and walk thru about 50% of them before getting my computer to finish the update.  After it signed off I booted it back up and all was good.  It boiled down to turning it all the way off and hitting PF2 key to get the right prompts to come up and PF11, etc.  Thank you so much for your wiliness to help me for free.  I appreciate it.

[NebrGirl55 · Accepted solution]

This is NebrGirl55.  I found my solutions by going to the HP Support Center.  I clicked on Fix & Resolve Windows 10 update issue on HP computer.  Hit Computer folder tab, then Fix Issues.  After that you'll click on Blue Screen error PC's.  The next page that comes up click HP PC's - Error messages Display on a Blue Screen...  I started a chat and the bot walked me through possible solutions.  It didn't take too long and I got my computer working again.  Big sigh of relief!