Hi: after the January Windows updates, my office i5 Asus H97-plus  computer will no longer boot.  I have tried to repair the MBR, but it does not help.  I even used a DVD version of Windows to repair the MBR, but it still does not reboot.   I can restore to a previous update, but then when I go to reboot, it will not boot.   I have heard that the new windows updates caused some computer to no longer boot.  [FYI--I have not updated my DAW computer, and have kept it offline until I get this fixed on my office computer.]
 
So I am considering a Windows RESET.  I have everything backed up, but I wonder if the computer's id will be changed by the reset.  I am hoping it will stay the same so that when I reinstall some of the computer programs, it will not see this as a different computer.  I have a couple programs that only allow 2 or three computer authorizations, and hope that even if I have to reauthorize, that it will see the reset as the same computer.
 
Will the computer's name and computer's "ID" still be the same after a Windows reset?
 

Have you tried safe mode?
Otherwise you need to do a repair. I can't see your signature so I will assume it's Win10:
https://www.laptopmag.com..icles/repair-windows-10

If you haven't done any backups with something like Acronis Trueimage consider it a lesson learned.

Yes, Win 10 64 home version (not Pro so I can't stop automatic updates).  16gigs of Ram, Asus H97 Plus MB.  OS is on WD Black 1TB.  MB is 2.5 years old, and ASUS is not giving Bios fixes for ones that are no longer in production.
 
I have Acronis True Image. and make backups and resent clones; so my data is good, I just can't turn the computer off to reboot because it does not reboot.  I have already tried Safe mode, but it won't boot, so I can't get to safe mode.  I have already done a Command prompt bootrec fix, but it still does not boot. 
 
Unfortunately, I had just made a batch of OS system clones (all done in January) and seem to be infected with this new windows January Spectre and Meltdown fixes that did not help this computer.   So, January clones also have this same issue not booting.
 
I can use System Restore to an earlier version, and get it up, but then it will not boot.
 
So, I am going to try the Windows Reset on one of the clones to see if a "Clean install" of Windows will fix the MBR.
 
My question is:  does Windows "Reset" still keep the same Computer Identification and name?
 
FYI--this is my home office computer.
 
Thanks for any help.

You realise that you can boot off an Acronis CD and restore from backup?

No idea about the answer to your actual Q but when you've got no choice then you've got to do what you've got to do.

I don't know if fdisk /mbr works nowadays or not..

If you have "digital entitlement" on Win 10 you can reinstall/reset and when you log into Win 10 it will recognize and automatically reactivate.  e.g. I have a Microsoft Hotmail account and I log into Win 10 with that and it is considered "entitlement".  I even built a new PC and when I logged in with my Hotmail account it automatically activated.
 
 I bought a new Dell laptop back in August and use it with Sonar for on-site recordings.  Rather than tweak the OS so it is acceptable for recording, I kept the Dell image and installed a second SSD and installed a "clean" Win 10 from a Microsoft Win 10 download (not the Dell OEM disc image) and when I logged in with my Hotmail account it automatically activated.  
 

The reset will likely lose everything, just like a format and clean install. Your Windows will reactivate automatically online or if not you can get help from MS if you have a valid license. One problem is that you will lose all your activation tokens for other software. For some applications , reactivation on the same machine will not burn another activation, but for some programs you will lose one of your allowed installations unless you deactivate or uninstall them from the original installation. If that is the case and you can boot again with an internet connection make uninstalling those applications a priority prior to a reset. You will need to reinstall everything after a reset of course. 
 
Incidentally, the AMD system failure to boot with the original Meltdown patch has reportedly been fixed in a subsequent update. Windows Update knows that you have an AMD system and should apply the new patch. So if you can get connected via "check for updates" using a bootable version/build there is a good chance that you can fix this if that is the problem. Alternatively you can try to download the latest Windows 10 version and do a repair installation from that. If it has the latest fix, it should use that, and it will not require you to reinstall everything.
 
https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10-update-packs-fix-amd-boot-issues
 
https://neosmart.net/wiki/windows-10-repair-installation/
 
 

Thanks  for the helpful replies.  I was most worried about the issue of activations buring one of my activations with a reset.  This is an home office computer, but I do have some of my DAW software on it just to play with when I am not down in my studio where the i7 DAW is with all the music softare.   On the home office computer, I will be able  to deactivate most of the software by logging onto the vendors site and doing it online.  I also just realized that I can also move some activations off the machine by using my iLok account (I know people hate iLok, but this situation is an exception).  I think that only one company actually has a hard limit of activations allowed; most of them I can contact and get them to help with the deactivation or reactivation.  Most have a limit of two while the computer is being used at the same time.  They would allow a new activation for the loss of the computer OS.  However, I did just installed Samplitude Suite on this home office i5.   Samplitude only allows three total activations.  I may be wrong, but I have read somewhere that the three is the total limit.  Cubase is has their own proprietary eLicenser, so that is not an issue.
 
Since I can get the computer up and running by doing a Restore.  I will be able to deactivate anything from it when I get it up from a Restore.  It just does not reboot after the Restore.  So I can temporariliy do the Restore runaround dance every time I need to restart the computer, and just leave it on all the time until I get it fixed.
 
The other way I might use Reset option is to take one of my C:OS clones and try the Reset option on it and see what it does, but then keep other clones of the C:OS so that I can go back to the Restore cycle if needed.
 
Last night I also found a much older clone from two months ago that may not be infected by this boot record error.  Since this clone is prior to all this trouble, I may just try it, and just reload the few plugins I acquired in the last couple months.  FYI--I have all the data backed up; so I am not worried about losing anything (other than one of my three allowed Samplitude activations).
 
Last resort, I will take the computer with the bad C:OS drive to a repair shop and see if they can fix the boot record.  I have tried fixing the boot record by using a Windows repair CD, but have not been successful.
 
Again, thanks for the helpful replies. You guys are helping me think through all the options before I do anything drastic.
 
C2

If there are no hardware changes, your "Machine ID" will most likely NOT change for your various plugins/etc.
If you change drives, motherboard/processing, etc... that's usually when your "Machine ID" changes.
 
If you've got a backup created with Acronis True Image, by all means... boot from the "Bootable Recue Disc" and restore the backup (prior to the issue).
 
BTW, You can do an in-place upgrade to Win10 Pro.
Once that's done, you can put in Registry Tweaks that will stop all automatic updates.

Thanks for all the help.  I got it to boot (sometimes), but then after a week or two, it will not boot, so I restore to an earlier point and it boots for a week or two, then repeats the problem all over.
 
I am thinking about taking one of the Clones of C:OS and doing a Windows Reset on just that clone as a test to see if this fixes the problem.  If it does not fix the problem, then it is probably a hardware issue. 
 
I have several Acronis backups of the C Drive; some with the entire Drive (with Sys Reserve and REcovery partition) but I also have some backups with just with C Drive proper (without the System Reserve and REcovery Partitions).  I am considering doing a Reset the Windows on a Clone to fix the MBR and Boot Section of the C Drive, but then use Acronis to restore the C:Drive (without the System Reserve and Recovery Partitions).
 
Before I do this, I have one more question for you guys:
 
If I do a Windows Reset on just one of the clones, I want to make sure that this Reset only impact that specific clone.  I want to make sure that if later put in a different clone that the REset will not somehow make it impossible to log into my logon screen.  I assume the Reset only is on that clone and not something that changes my Microsoft Account for that computer. 
 
Question:  Will Reset only impact that specific C Drive clone?  Will I be able to install a different C: Drive Clone and it not be affected by the Windows Reset?
 
Thanks
 
C2
 
[PS:  I am starting a separate thread about building a replacement computer]