Windows wont boot

[cometflash]

My PC was freezing every time I try to open a folder, and I had to turn off by the power button.

I try to use system recover, and now when I try to start the PC, its starts normal, but after the screen were the windows are loading, it becomes a black screen, and the system recover does not come up, and the windows don't load.

I tough I need to wait a while for the system recover to show up, but I wait 15+ hours and nothing.

I try to boot with windows XP cd, but as soon as I chose for repair, I got asked for a administrator password, and I have no idea what is the password. I never use password to log in.

Could anybody help?

[NooNoo]

Welcome to Windrivers cometflash

If you have never used a password, then there is probably no password, just press enter.

What make and model is this pc?
Do you have XP home?

Have you tried getting into safe mode? (press f8 a few times before the windows screen starts).

[cometflash]

Thanks for the reply, and welcoming.

Yes I did just press enter, but it says wrong password, yes it is a XP home, I did try loading in safe mode, the PC freezes after a lot of "codes" from the safe mode come up.

I might have entered a password when I first got the PC, I try several passwords that I could think of, but no luck.

Its a Gateway PC, Micro tower (as it says onto the booklet manual), I would have to be log on to know the right specification. But as right now, I know that is a celeron, with 40 gb, and 256 mb of ram, the hard drive is less then half full.

I hope it is enough info, if more need it, I'll do my best to provide.

[cometflash]

Ok, I got around the password thing, but I got another problem.

When I chose R for restoration, it asks me for a number, the only number it seems to work is 1, after I type 1, it asks for a password, which I got it, then it come up the message "C:\WINT\" and is like waiting for a DOS command, so what do I do?

I know is a DOS command, as I try to type Y, as I tough it want a command to continue, but it says, not a valid command, type Help if you do not know any commands.

I'm getting a new PC, I would erase the HD and give it away/sell it, but I got lots of pictures that I wanna it in the HD.

[Kodiak]

type chkdsk /r this will check for errors and bad sectors and try and repair them. Once finished I always run fixboot also. I have a hunch there is more wrong then this however. You may want to test your hard drive.

[cometflash]

I did what you suggest^^, it state it that it found one or more errors and fixed, but when I try to log in I still have the same problem.

Is it a way for me to delete, or stop the System recover? Because I have trouble getting into folders before, but at list I could log in, and after I chose system recover the PC did not reboot properly anymore.

[markduren2458]

now open up the computer and check and see who makes the hard drive and then go to their site and download and run the diagnostic software for that drive I think you will find you might have a bad drive...How old is the computer? is it under warranty? Call Gateway and see if you can still get restore disks for it or check here
http://www.restoredisks.com/

[street1]

Were you ever able to get to the boot screen in safemode and
choose 'Last Known Good Configuration' ?

[cometflash]

I'll try to open up the PC, and check which hard drive I got, but how could I stall the driver if I cannot log in the windows?

The computer is around 3 and a half years old, no warranty, I just want the pictures in the pc, I'm getting a new one.

I try to use another site solution to the problem, and it got worst, I have a missing file now:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM is missing or corrupted

For some reason the XP is stall as WINNT, and not Windows folder (the PC come with windows pre loaded)

I try to do the steps in the Microsoft web site, but when I chouse the steps

copy c:\windows(winnt)\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak

it says the file is missing. So how do I recover this file now?

I really don't wanna get another hard drive, but if the only solution, I might have to do that, making the hd a slave, and getting my pictures and erasing the drive later.

[NooNoo]

Go back into the recovery and type in

chkdsk /f

This will check the files and put back those that are missing

[cometflash]

I try that, and got the falling message:

"The parameter is not valid check /?...."

I didn't have time to open the PC up yet, I'll try as soon as I get home, and I will reply with the HD specification.

[Kodiak]

My suggestion at this point would be to do nothing until you have your new pc. I believe your hard drive is either failing or has failed and to do anything more would only make matters worse. If the files are important enough to you have someone come out and recover them for you if they can. STOP HERE. If you have a friend take the drive and hook it up as a slave drive to his and see if you can recover your files.

[CCT]

If he's missing a file or has a corrupted file, isn't the Recovery command 'sfc /scannow' ?


:)

[Kodiak]

He can't log onto his desktop. That only works from the run command.

[cometflash]

Ok I find a way around to fix the file, I was so happy as the windows seems to being starting normally, no black screen at all, until my happy face turned into an angry face as I got a error message that restart the computer by it self.

error:

"When trying to update a password,
this return status indicates that the value provided as
the current password is not correct."

After fixing the system file, I notice by chosing F8 that I got other options in the F8 menu:

Windows Advanced Options Menu
please select an option:

Safe mode (I try, got same error, and reboot it self)
safe mode w/ networking
safe mode w/ command prompt

enable root logging
enable vga mode
last know good configuration
directory service restore mode (I try this, it said it was clean, and the windows start it in safe mode, and I got the same error)
debugging mode
disable automatic restart on system failure (I was about to try this option, but I decide it not to, and wait to see sugestions here)

start windows normally
reboot
return to OS choices menu

I just need the pictures files in the PC, I don't care if all the programs failed on me, as longer as I can log in and get the pictures on a disk I'm happy.

[NooNoo]

How did your fix the system file?

[CCT]

In post #9 you said: 'copy c:\windows(winnt)\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak'.

Wouldn't you have been copying FROM the system.bak TO the system ?


There is also the Expand option I believe under Recovery Console.

[cgonzo]

If the most important thing is to recover the photos, try booting your computer from a CD such as Knoppix or Barts PE Builder. That way you can get your computer running and try to browse the hard drive and see if your picture files can be rescued.

Here is a good instruction for using Knoppix to rescue files
http://lifehacker.com/software/disk-recovery/geek-to-live--rescue-files-with-a-boot-cd-192982.php

PE Builder is good too, but a little more complicated to create the disk.

[mart69]

Hi try Norton Ghost 9 Boot disk this came in very handy for me a couple of times where I could not access the drives in normal boot

[cometflash]

How did your fix the system file?

I locate the RP files from the system restore folder, and copy the system file from there.

I think the problem was that I try Microsoft suggestion and copy/delete files:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

So the sam file probable got lost or corrupted in the process, and I get the password error message.


I'm getting my new PC today, and I don't have a anti virus just yet, is it any good free anti virus the anyone here would recommend?

[NooNoo]

www.avast.com do a nice free version for domestic use.

[cometflash]

If the most important thing is to recover the photos, try booting your computer from a CD such as Knoppix or Barts PE Builder. That way you can get your computer running and try to browse the hard drive and see if your picture files can be rescued.

Here is a good instruction for using Knoppix to rescue files
http://lifehacker.com/software/disk-recovery/geek-to-live--rescue-files-with-a-boot-cd-192982.php

PE Builder is good too, but a little more complicated to create the disk.
Now that I got my new PC, I download the files on the link you post it, and burn then to a cd (boot cd), the thing is when the computer starts I get to a DR-dos command, and I have no idea how to use, from the page were you post, it doesn't say anything about a DR-dos command.

[cometflash]

Sorry for double post, I don't see a option to edit post.

I find out what I did wrong, I burn it as a dater and I supposed to burn as image cd. Now it works, thank you so very much for your help. And thanks for everyone that tried helping me.

[cgonzo]

Glad to be of help.

[cometflash]

Ok I finally got the USB drive to get the pictures out of the old PC.

First I wasn't able to copy and paste to the drive, it seems that all the files in my old PC had become "read only", so I uncheck that in the drive, and the USB drive as well (which for some reason was check as read only as well), and I was able to copy and paste to the USB drive.

Ok, so no problem there, until I try to paste those files in my new PC, lots of the pictures that I paste to my new PC, is not opening. I try to get then again, but I keep getting that the picture is to small, or corrupted, and cannot be open. I try open those pictures on the old PC, and it did open with no problem. Is it something I'm doing wrong?

I tough about just using the internet and uploading then (I haven't try using the internet on this boot CD), but I got 1000's of pictures, so that would take forever.

[cgonzo]

The fact that the drives were 'read only' at first is normal with Knoppix.

At this point, since the Knoppix rescue seems to be giving you problems, have you considered attaching your old hard drive to your new system and configuring it as a slave? Then you could copy files from the old drive to your new one.