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Windows won't boot? Try these tips
By: Lion_Heart Date: January 30, 2013, 1:40 am
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Try these tipsWhen faced with the blue screen of death, you have
options
HTML http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/boot1.jpg
It's an absolute nightmare: You're on your way to a client
meeting, only to find out that your PC won't boot. Windows just
died. Maybe the boot loader shows you an error message; maybe it
gives you the Black or Blue Screen of Death. And you've got only
one hour to fix things and get your PC up and running again.
"Try safe mode!" or "Do a startup repair!" -- these are the
usual pieces of wisdom you think about when Windows fails to
boot. In some cases, this just doesn't get the job done. This
article will go a step further: We'll show you how to get your
PC up and running in no time and how to be properly prepared for
this worst case scenario, everywhere you go.
Prepare for the worst
I've experienced my ugly share of Windows boot problems over the
years: I've seen my laptop working perfectly fine at home, only
for it to inexplicably quit on me when I try to start it up on
an airplane a mere two hours later. That's why, wherever I
travel, I'm prepared for a total crash of my machine -- and you
should be too.
Create a Windows image
Keep an up-to-date image of your entire machine on a portable
USB disk drive, and take it everywhere you go. There are some
great third-party tools out there, but I tend to use Windows'
built-in solution, which is available only on Vista or Windows
7. It gets the job done and is built into the startup repair
tools (more on which in a moment). You'll find it right under
Control Panel -> System and Security -> Backup and Restore ->
Create a system image. XP users don't have this option, but
there are a number of applications
HTML http://www.pcworld.com/article/230103/will_an_image_backup_protect_my_data.html<br
/> that will do the trick.
To speed up you restore times, try offloading all your larger
and personal files (music, photos, documents, virtual machines,
etc.) to a separate partition, but still let Windows back up
both partitions. By doing so, you'll keep the system image size
much lower and reduce image restore times for your system
partition immensely. In case of an emergency, you can the system
image (Windows, your applications, your user account data) and
get back to work faster. Your D: drive should still be there --
and even if that's messed up, you've still got an image you can
mount. To do so, use the Diskmgmt.msc command to launch Disk
Management, go to Action -> Attach VHD, and select the secondary
partition from within the image folder \Windows Image
Backup\PC_NAME\Backup Date -- it'll be the one with the higher
string number in the file name.
HTML http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/boot2.jpg
Restoring a partition
Keep the Windows DVD or a recovery CD with you
If Windows detects boot problems, it usually automatically runs
the Windows Recovery Environment (or WinRE -- we'll discuss this
in more detail below) and presents you with options to restore
an image or perform various repair commands. However, if your
hard disk is really screwed up for whatever reason, it might
even affect the hidden recovery partition that contains WinRE
HTML http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/does-windows-7-create-a-recovery-partitionif-so-at/5eaeb8ca-c42e-42a2-82e9-210bb0b459b9.<br
/>If you're using Windows 7 or Vista, in such situations you can
use the Windows DVD, or the recovery CD that Windows backup
creates right after it's finished creating your image. You can
burn such a recovery disc any time by going to Control Panel ->
System and Security -> Backup and Restore -> Create a system
repair disc. You can also put WinRE on a bootable thumb drive
HTML http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/deployment/using-a-usb-flash-drive-to-recover-windows-vista.
HTML http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/boot3.jpg
WinRE offers tools to restore a botched disk
Restoring an image works in most cases, but it takes its time
(even with the strategy mentioned above) and effectively
destroys all data or settings created after you've set it up.
It's a last resort.
Try some quick troubleshooting
Before really digging in and mucking with boot and system files,
you should try these troubleshooting tips.
[list]
[li]You can invoke a "Last Known Good" mode you by hitting F8
repeatedly just before the Windows boot screen appears -- it
works more often than you might think, as it restores all
changes made to your hardware profile and registry made during
your last session (or successful boot). That's why it's smart to
use this mode before you run Safe Mode. If that's not working,
Windows Startup Repair and Safe Mode are your anchors.[/li]
[li][/li]
[li]I'd also advise you to unplug all devices from your
machine: If you're staring at a black screen before or after the
Windows logo appears and don't get any error messages at all,
you're usually looking at some form of hardware detection error.
In that case, unplug all USB devices, starting with hubs, that
don't work. Next, try disabling all built-in devices, such as
onboard Wi-Fi chips, sound cards, or LAN adapters. These things
sometimes work wonders.[/li]
[/list]
Repairing Windows XPWhile some of our tips work under Windows
XP, that OS has no equivalent to Windows Recovery Environment or
a startup repair tool to help you deal with boot issues in the
most effective way. However, Microsoft detailed literally all
troubleshooting techniques (for XP, not Vista or 7) in a TechNet
post called "Troubleshooting the Startup process
HTML http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457123.aspx."
Go to
the "To start Recovery Console..." chapter and read all there is
to know about saving and restoring Windows XP’s boot process.
Note: The fixboot,fixmbr, and chkdsk commands are also available
and will help you get your XP client back on track.
Safe mode is your new best friend
If your PC boots into Safe Mode, it's a great way to get things
moving again. Obviously, your first priority should be to roll
back drivers or uninstall programs that might have rendered your
system useless – you probably know all that, so let's jump into
some lesser known steps if all that fails.
Verify drivers
Windows features a well-hidden tool to help you detect driver
issues. Run Verifier.exe and go to Create standard settings ->
Automatically select all drivers installed on this computer. If
Windows detects any driver issues, you'll be presented with a
blue screen (on purpose!) upon next boot that'll tell you which
drivers aren't running properly. Make sure that "Automatically
restart" is disabled for system files: You'll find this checkbox
under
System Properties -> Advanced -> Startup and Recovery ->
Settings.
The blue screen will give you a file name and an error code
that'll help you determine the problems source.
To get back from this blue screen, invoke the "Last Known Good"
configuration we discussed earlier to disable all driver checks.
This is a good place to start to figure out which driver is
acting up. Solution: Disable it, roll it back, or update it to
the latest version (if possible).
msconfig
Run msconfig and disable all processes that might interfere with
Windows booting. First, go to the Services tab and check Hide
all Microsoft services. Disable all third-party services and see
if your PC boots. If that worked, re-enable each service one by
one to find the cause of your boot problem. Repeat this step
with all Startup processes as well, if necessary.
HTML http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/boot4.jpg
Disabling third-party services that might interfere with your
bootup process
Event viewer
Whatever is going on, it's highly likely that Event Viewer will
catch it. Launch Event Viewer from your Start menu search, go to
Custom Views, and take a look at all the critical Administrative
Events.
HTML http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/boot5.jpg
Go to the details tab and find out everything about the service
or process that's preventing Windows from starting up properly.
In case the event isn't found here, go to Application and
Services Logs and open up Microsoft -> Windows. From here,
entries beginning with "Kernel…" are a good start for figuring
out critical errors at boot time.
System File Checker
An inability to boot Windows might be caused by defective or
replaced system files. To repair essential Windows data, open up
a command prompt and type in sfc /scannow. This replaces all
non-default OS files with the original ones and should get you
back to normal in no time.
Autoruns
If Windows fails to boot because of a defective file (which will
usually produce an error such as "Failed to load library
xyz.dll"), try excluding this specific file from bootup. To do
so, use Sysinternals Autoruns
HTML http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/Autoruns.zip,
try to find
the file that's giving you trouble, and uncheck it.
Restore Windows logon
A third-party tool or a virus might have replaced your standard
Windows shell (explorer.exe) with a different shell. Try to run
Safe Mode and open up regedit.exe; if you don't see your
desktop, use Ctrl-Alt-Del and open Task Manager to run regedit.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Windows NT
-> CurrentVersion -> Winlogon, double-click Shell, and replace
whatever is there with "explorer.exe".
Startup Repair
As we discussed earlier, Windows Vista and Windows 7 include the
Windows Recovery Environment, or WinRE. If Windows fails to
boot, WinRE should automatically launch its Startup Repair
feature, which will try to repair corrupt disk data (using a
superficial chkdskcheck), restore the partition table, and fix
boot configuration data
HTML http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463059
(BCD).
If it can't help, Startup repair asks you to restore the last
system restore point.
As Startup Repair combines several troubleshooting techniques
into one, it's likely to solve most boot problems. Check out
Microsofts Technet to get a detailed overview on what gets fixed
once you run Startup Repair
HTML http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722188(WS.10).aspx.
HTML http://www.itworld.com/sites/default/files/boot6.jpg
Startup Repair goes to work
Use WinRE for full-on troubleshooting
Startup Repair didn't work? Then the root of your problem lies
much deeper. It's likely that some essential master boot
information, registry information, or file system data got very
screwed up. For that, you need to use the full power of Windows
Recovery Environment. Simply boot from your DVD, CD, or thumb
drive (as described in above) to enter WinRE. From here, you
should first try an older restore point. If that fails, walk
through these steps to get your system up and running again.
Run chkdsk with its most thorough options
As mentioned above, Startup Repair runs a very basic version of
chkdsk, which tries to find filesystem metadata corruption.
While that's a good place to start, it's not anywhere as
effective as running the utility with its more thorough options.
For that, go to the command prompt and enter chkdsk X: /f /r /b
(replacing the X with the driver letter from your system drive
-- note that WinRE might have assigned D: or E:, and not C:, to
your system drive). By performing this thorough chkdsk, you'll
fix all errors on your hard disk, such as file system metadata
and security descriptors. chkdsk will also check the entire
volume for bad clusters, recover what's there to recover, and
mark the clusters as bad in order to avoid new information being
written to them.
Run memory diagnostics
Windows Memory Diagnostics, also part of WinRE, finds defective
memory modules. Launch it and set it to "Restart now and check
for problems." If it finds anything and you've got more than one
RAM chip, try to remove one of the modules to see which one's
not working.
Use the offline System File Checker
As mentioned above, the System File Checker will scan and repair
the most critical system files. However, if Windows itself is
too damaged, you might not get to Safe Mode at all. In such a
situation, you can use an offline version of System File Checker
to inspect your damaged Windows installation from inside WinRE.
Type SFC /scannow /offbootdir=d:\ /offwindir=d:\ (substituting
the correct drive for your Windows partition for d if needed).
Restore the MBR and fix your system partition's start sector
Your master boot record may be damaged in case of a sudden power
failure, or if you try to run Windows XP on a newer machine. To
restore the MBR, boot into WinRE using your Windows DVD, the
recovery CD, or a flash drive (see above) and go into the
command prompt. Use the following commands to rebuild your MBR:
bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot
Now that your MBR has been wiped clean, you'll need to rebuild
the Boot Configuration Data, as outlined below, to set the boot
information back up.
Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data
Windows' new boot loader, dubbed BCD (Boot Configuration Data),
includes all boot information and parameters. If BCD is
defective in any way, Windows simply fails to boot. If startup
repair can't fix your problem, it's time to rebuild the entire
Boot Configuration Data from scratch. From the command prompt,
type in the following commands to rebuild the BCD:
bcdedit /export C:\oldBCD cd c:\boot attrib bcd -s -h -r ren
c:\boot\bcd bcd.old bootrec /RebuildBcd
These commands will back up your BCD store, rename it (as a
double-backup) and then rebuild the entire thing in seconds. The
last command detects all currently running Windows versions and
restores their boot data.
Reset system partitions back to Windows 7
If you get an "Operating system missing" error, and all the
steps listed so for haven't helped, partition information might
have been screwed up -- by an older backup-program, for example.
In this case, you need to reset your system partition to the
Windows 7 standard. Go to WinRE's command prompt and type in
bootsect /nt60 C:\. This will mark your C drive as a proper
active Windows 7 partition.
Wipe out boot infections once and for all
If your PC has been infected with a boot virus, you might be
able to get rid of it using the steps detailed in the previous
section. However, there's nothing hindering the virus from
re-infecting the files once your system is up and running again.
My advice: Go with one of the countless antivirus live CDs
HTML http://www.livecdlist.com/purpose/windows-antivirus.
Also give
Windows System Sweeper
HTML http://connect.microsoft.com/systemsweeper
(which isn't on the
list in the first link) a try. It's a version of Microsoft
Security Essential 2 that can be burned to CD/DVD or copied over
to a bootable thumb drive.
Thank You. Hope It will Help You.
Source:
HTML http://www.itworld.com
** It is actually provided in the above website. I only Reshare
it with more people so that More people can get help from them.
You should give also a thanks to IT World.
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