I actually did use it for the quick Safe Mode, since I figured after 4 hours of the repairs not finishing, there had to be something wrong, but I wasn't able to get to Safe Mode without your trick! Thanks!
Repairs were then completed in about 45 minutes and voilĂ ! Problems fixed and I have sound again! Haven't attempted a System Restore, but since my main problem has been fixed, I think I'll wait till I won't be messing with anything that All-In-One just fixed. Had to relocate my desktop to how I like it, but that was a minor deal. Gotta admit tho', it's things like this that have always made me leary of Windows updates in general and for me, anyway, the jury remains out about upgrading to Windows 10!