First, thanks in advance for any help! This site was recommended to me from another forum friend. I truly need help!
I should start my saying that I am logged onto a different pc than the one I am having issues with.
It is a Dell Inspiron 15, about 3.5 yrs old, it HAD Windows 8 installed from the beginning but about a week or so ago, it loaded 8.1 (I THINK). I did not have the option of declining the upgrade and my pc has been stuck at the welcome screen ever since. Well, except for once when I managed to get to a screen that allowed me to refresh the pc but I can't even get to that point again. When it did try to reboot, I got an error message "Kernel Security Data Error".
Do you have a recovery disk? If so, shut down the computer, insert the recovery disk and boot from that to start the Automatic Repair tool. I found the instructions below in this thread: Get Stuck at Windows 8 Welcome screen - Microsoft Community (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-update/get-stuck-at-windows-8-welcome-screen/20f1a0cc-83a5-4fe5-82a6-caabfb9c69f7?page=1)
Method 1: I would suggest you to disconnect all the external devices except mouse and keyboard and check if you are able to boot to the desktop.
Method 2: Perform system restore to previous working date.
a. Boot from the Windows 8 DVD.
b. Once you get the welcome screen of installation with the option “Install nowâ€
c. Click on Repair your computer
d. On the next page click on Advanced Options
e. Select System Restore and check you can start the computer.
System Restore disclaimer: When you use System Restore to restore the computer to a previous state, programs and updates that you installed are removed.