Windows 7 freezes turn into inability to boot into anything

Hi,
I hope this isn't a repeat of previous threads (I DID google to try to find an answer).

My problems started several weeks ago with random freezes and BSODs. Upon investigation I learned to run sfc /scannow which I did and it always found problems that it couldn't fix (even if I ran it 5 times in a row). At this point everything I read recommended re-installing Windows. So I did.

That fixed things for awhile, but I started to get random freezes. i ran sfc /scannow but it didn't find any errors. Eventually the freezes turned to total hangs. Then I began to have problems even getting back to Windows. I couldn't boot straight into Windows, I couldn't boot into (any of the) safe mode(s), I couldn't boot into the repair disk. What I mean here is that the boot process would proceed to a certain point (usually the Starting Windows screen) and just stop (even though my hard drive light would be running). I'm not sure how I did it (because every time I tried to re-create it I couldn't), but eventually I'd get to a chkdsk prompt and it would find and fix problems. Once that happened I would be able to get back into Windows.
I tried diagnosing the freezes, but couldn't come up with anything. One time I got into Windows Repair (from my Windows 7 install disk) and I ran Windows memory checker and it told me that I had RAM problems. A couple of years ago I ran into a bunch of BSODs that pointed to my RAM, but I was able to work around the problem. So this time I ordered new RAM (16GB (4x4Gb) of Crucial). By the time the RAM arrived my system was totally hosed (I couldn't boot into anything no matter what I tried). I replaced the RAM, fought with a stuck chckdsk switch (I have a USB keyboard and couldn't tell chkdsk not to run!) and everything was back to (better than) normal!

And then...

And then I started to get the temporary and intermittent freezes. I again googled for answers but was a little overwhelmed by all the results I found. I looked through my event manager, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. I brought up my resource manager so I could see what was running when it froze and the best I could come up with is that my network load was always huge when it froze. I have a wireless router and several items that run off of it besides my computer (Yamaha receiver, DirecTV, Wii, PS3 and my wife's laptop). I had an older USB wireless modem so I bought a new one (Netgear N600) and disconnected the Yamaha receiver and the DirecTV. There were still freezes. Then I got up this morning and all of my programs were hung. So I hit my reset switch and I'm back to my original problem.

That is, I can not boot into:
- Windows 7 normal
- any safe modes
- Windows 7 Install disk
- Windows 7 repair disk
- last known good configuration

The only thing I CAN boot into is an emergency boot disk that contains all kinds of diagnostic tools (Ultimate Boot CD). I've run Memtest but it found no errors.

I believe if I can somehow get to a command prompt to run chkdsk I can get back into Windows. But how can I do that?

Plus, once I'm back into Windows how do I diagnose the freezes? I've run a Western Digital program to check my hard drive, but it found no errors. If it's not my RAM and not my hard drive what could it be (and how do I figure that out)?

And please note that I'm NOT getting any BSODs - it just freezes.

Any/all help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Some more information:

- I have MS Security Essentials and have kept it up-to-date
- I also use Spybot S&D and Spyware Blaster
- Just yesterday I updated MalwareBytes Anti-Malware and ran a quick scan - nothing found
- I have two external hard drives (500 Gb WD and a 750 Gb Seagate). I have unplugged (from the USB) the Seagate and my Netgear just to see if they are bogging down my computer (other than the RAM, they are the newest additions to my PC)
- When I try to boot into Windows repair (either from the Windows 7 install disk, the F8 menu or the Windows 7 repair disk) it usually gets all the way to the point that I see a cursor arrow on a black screen. And then it stops (although my HD light keeps blinking)
- When I try to boot into any of the safe modes I get all the drivers loaded and then it stops with the text still on the screen (again - the HD light keeps blinking)
- When I try to boot into normal windows, I get the "Starting Windows" screen and the Windows logo forms and then starts to 'pulse' and that's where I end (again - the HD light is on and blinking)
- these boot stop places are pretty consistent

I am at a total and complete loss with this issue. My gut is telling me that it's something with the hardware, but I just don't know. I'm hoping it's not MB related.

To get into a command prompt from a repair or installation disk. When you ran memtest86 how long did you run it? you should run it for at least 7 passes, usually overnight. You may also want to run the Misrosoft stand alone system seweeper to ensure your problems are not from a virus.

essenbe,
No, I didn't allow Memtest to run that long. I'll try it tonight.

In regards to the stand-alone system sweeper, I'm downloading that now and will try it out.

I know I'm no expert, but it sure doesn't seem/feel like a virus. But best to check it out and remove that option from the list of possibilities.

Two more thoughts:

- I have friend telling me that a hacker has gotten into my computer and removed the start-up part of your operating system. This doesn't seem right since I can't boot from my Windows 7 Install disk (and I keep my wireless DSL modem and PC protected). But anything's possible.

- When I re-installed windows I didn't reformat my Hard Drive. I wanted to, but I hit the wrong button and simply removed the partitions (the Windows repair partition and the normal Windows 7 partition). Could this be causing problems?

cnauta said:

Two more thoughts:

- I have friend telling me that a hacker has gotten into my computer and removed the start-up part of your operating system. This doesn't seem right since I can't boot from my Windows 7 Install disk (and I keep my wireless DSL modem and PC protected). But anything's possible.

- When I re-installed windows I didn't reformat my Hard Drive. I wanted to, but I hit the wrong button and simply removed the partitions (the Windows repair partition and the normal Windows 7 partition). Could this be causing problems?

Click to expand...

I would defently not try to repair but do a fresh install ,That is most likly giving you the headache

They probally got you with malware that does root searches for keys and took your key and left you empty handed

Anything is possible

You can also call MS to make sure your key hasn't been used or security of your product breached

They could issue a new key for security purposes if you were hacked just have to let them know about it

Many times that is what fixing computers is, thestin all the possibilities and eliminating one thing at a time. As Irecall, you said that ram has been indicated twice before and after the new ram. That makes testing ram more important. Here is a tutorial on running memtest86. Just remember in testing ram, the problem can be the ram sticks or the dimm slots on the Motherboard. You have to check both which can make it a long ordeal. When you finsh those, run startup recovery from the repaid disk. You may have to run it 3 times. But, after each time try a normal boot. If the normal boot fails, run startup repair again. Do this for 3 times at least. Once you get into windows, enable driver verifier. This puts strain on your drivers. The object being that if a driver is causing this, you want it to crash so which driver can be determined. This should be a good start. Let us know how these go.

Solarstarshines is right. It is usually easier to do a repair install or a clean install than finding and fixing the problem. My only thing is that we need to make sure it is not a hardware problem causing this. If it is hardware, even with a clean install, we are going to see the same problem again. If it is not a hardware problem, I would think a clean install might be good with a clean all from diskpart. If we get that far we will give you help in doing that. Let us know if you get into windows.

Essenbe,
I will definitely test my RAM tonight, but I wanted to let you know that once I put the new RAM in I have not (yet) run into any indicators that it might be the problem.

I have downloaded the MS Stand-Alone scanner and am running it (and am surprised it is actually running! I saw the "Starting Windows" screen and thought to myself "that's as far as THAT is going to get". I'm glad I'm wrong.)

Huh.

The MS Stand-Alone scanner just stopped with this error message:

Windows Defender Offline cannot be started.
Error: Unable to detect a Windows system drive. This could be
due to missing drivers, an encrypted drive [it isn't], or a corrupted
Windows installation.

Error Code: 0x8004cc01

UPDATE
I rebooted into the Stand-Alone scanner to try again, and this time it DID hang on the Window's start-up screen. -sigh-

Try to run startup repair from the repair disk. Do it the way the tutorial says with attempted normal startups between each one. See if it can find an installation. If we can't get into windows, we have a problem.

Also, do you have current backups of all of your personal files? Documents, pictures, music and such.

Update:

I turned my PC off for a while and decided to try something with the RAM.
As I said earlier I had put in brand new 4 x 4Gb Crucial sticks.
My MB is a dual channel (DIMMS 1 & 3; 2 & 4), so I took out the "second" set (DIMMS 2 & 4).

I started my computer, made sure the BIOS recognized the changes, and then booted into my Windows 7 Install disk.

Surprise, surprise! It actually booted! So I started Startup Repair and turned away to type this message (I'm using my wife's laptop to do this).

However, when I just looked back I had a BSOD. "The system encountered an uncorrectable hardware error."

Technical information:
STOP: 0x00000124 (0x0000000000000000, 0xFFFFFA80073F5028, 0X00000000B2000000, 0X0000000000010005)

I'm going to try rebooting back into my Windows 7 Install disk (repair startup)

UPDATE
Re-booting and again got into my Windows 7 Install disk. Went to command prompt instead this time and am running chckdsk /f /r

However, I just got an "unspecified error". I will try to re-run.

I'll try to get someone who is familar with the codes, but I think the 0x00000124 is a hardware code. Try taking the 2 dimms out and placing the other 2 sticks in the other 2 slots.

So I decided instead of re-running chkdsk that I would re-run the start-up repair utility. It started, then hung up! But no BSOD.

So I hit my reset button and let it try to boot regularly into normal Windows hoping that chkdsk would run. It did.

It didn't seem to find anything (the screens move so fast I didn't have time to check them out), and then actually booted all the way into Windows.

However, as I was typing this something happened because I looked back and it was at the Windows safemode prompt screen. I hit the option to boot normally and it (again) completed booting into Windows 7.

Which now completely confuses me all over again.

Windows repair did NOT finish successfully, so how can I be booting into Windows? It doesn't seem as if I can trust things.

What further diagnostics do you suggest? Should I back up my stuff now and do a complete re-install (with only the 2 DIMMS of memory)?

UPDATE
It had booted into Windows so I went to the kitchen to get a bite to eat. When I got back it was back at that Windows Safe Mode prompt screen. So obviously I still have something that's wrong.

You should backup your stuff now. But hold off on the install. Please post a screenshot of the full disk management page showing both the top and bottom portion. (right click computer, select manage, provide admin approval and select disk management in the left column) Once you get there, type snipping tool in the search box or use the print screen button and open paint and paste it there. save it to somewhere you can get to easily.

also, your specs say you have a Western Digital drive. Download their diagnostic utility, data Lifeguard and run it. The fact that it will boot after running check disk, would make you think about the hard drive.

essenbe,
First, I want to thank you so very much for your patient help. It's been a pretty crazy last half a year - in September our house was flooded out from TS Lee, my Dad is battling (and slowly losing to) cancer and my mom just had major surgery to remove a tumor. (I know, I should write a Country song!). So having major issues with my computer is just something I can't really deal with. So I really appreciate the help you're giving me.

First, I rebooted into my Windows Install Disk and re-ran the startup recovery program - this time it didn't find any errors! I tried to run Chkdsk from the command prompt but again it hung up the system.

Next, I rebooted and hit F8 and went into Windows repair from there. Again, the start-up recovery didn't find any problems. I then went to the command prompt and ran "chkdsk /f /r". It is presently up to stage 4 of 5 and 11% complete (and no errors found, yet).

In regards to the screen cap, I will try to do that when this is done, providing Windows stays up long enough for me to get it.

In regards to the WD program data lifeguard, that is the program I downloaded and ran to check my hard drive. When I did that it returned with no errors. Obviously, though, I will re-run it again.

Lastly, since removing DIMMS 2 & 4 (and DIMM 2 sits VERY close to the CPU and the heatsink) I have been able to consistently boot into things (Windows repair, Windows) although, as stated above, I can't STAY in Windows 7 for very long.

Download core temp and keep it open to monitor your CPU temps. Also be sure to backup everything. The next time you do bott, go into bios. Go to the dram configuration. If you have to do it manually, make sure your dram voltage is set to what your ram is rated at, set the timings yourself if needed. They are (the first 3) on a sticker on the ram sticks. If still having problems, find the CPU-NB setting and bump it up to a max of 1.2. Most times that will help stabalize ram, if that is your problem. It still seems to be a hardware problem. If that's the case, a clean install will not help for very long, which you have found out.

Sorry to hear about your problems. You have my sympathy. I could write a contry album, so I know where you are coming from.

Back from lunch!

It finished chkdsk with no errors found.
I re-booted and checked/changed my DRAM settings.
Booted into Windows. Noticed that it was not recognizing my USB Wireless adapter. I changed USB slots and got it working.
Next I went to get the full disk management info like you asked, but when I clicked on "manage" it froze and then went to a BSOD (Machine_Check_Exception code 0x0000009c). I haven't had time to check that out, yet.

So, I rebooted again and again got into Windows (am I finally past THAT hurdle??!!) and again it didn't recognize my USB Wireless adapter. Before I moved the USB cord I went to get the disk management info and AGAIN it froze up (no BSOD this time, though).

I'm rebooting again and this time I'll refrain (for a while) from getting the disk management info. Let me see if I can backup my info before anything else happens.

UPDATE
Re-set my USB Wireless Adapter and this time when I booted it found it. However, I was only in Windows about 5 minutes before it completely froze on me again (and, again, no BSOD).

One other thing - a couple of friends recommend ccleaner. I thought that reg-cleaners were pretty much snake-oil (didn't really do anything). What are your thoughts on ccleaner?

Good idea. Best to backup now. Keep watch on CPU temps. we'll be around whenever you get through.

While you are in there, go to C:/windows minidump. Copy the contents and paste them to your desktop. Right click them and select send to compressed zip file. You can save the zip file to a usb drive to send them to us in another post. Saving to USB would help transfer it from the computer you are on to the one you are sending messages from.

A couple of more updates:
I keep having problems in normal Windows 7 so I booted into Safe Mode with Networking.

Oh, before I did that I tried booting to my MS Stand Alone System Sweeper. It booted fine and started to run but then froze up. So, THEN I booted into SM/Networking.

I got there successfully and have been there longer than I have been in normal Windows.
I installed core temp (but can't run it in safe mode!) and as I was checking out the disk management screen (I can get there, but you can't see all the info with the safe mode video settings) My action center came up with a notice - I need to remove the Win32/Small.CA virus!!!!!!!

I'm currently running MS Safety Scanner (Full Scan). Hopefully it will find it and delete it.

Now to check what that virus is and if it could cause all the damage I'm seeing!

UPDATE
I've done some checking on the Win32/Small.CA virus and it looks to be a nasty bugger! My initial Google search turned up several people having it and not being able to remove it with the MS Safety Scanner and even Malwarebytes. On the MS Answers forums there is a response about this and suggests Malwarebytes or to go to this site for a removal tool: http://www.spywaredb.com/remove-trojandropper-win32-small-ca/

The problem with that site is that my WOT (Web of Trust on Firefox) tells me that spywaredb is not a trusted site. Anyone have any info on how to get rid of this virus?

I was just fixing to post that link to Microsoft answers. The first thing you need to do is backup your personal data. But, when you reinstall, scan the backed up files very well before putting them back on. I'm still not sure it is not a hardwar problem as well as the virus. But, we will need to be able to get back into windows to test much. Do you happen to have a spare hard drive you could install windows on? Also, those programs that won't run with your DVD drive, if you download the ISO file of them, which I think you usually do, you can burn them to a USB drive with this program. Maybe it will run from USB.

essenbe,
I have two external hard drives I use (one for my MP3s and one for backups).

I'm backing up my important stuff as we speak.

My question, though, is if none of the major anti-virus/anti-malware programs detect this virus, how do I scan my backup stuff with any degree of confidence?

I've gone through a dozen or more pages discussing this virus and I've seen no real answer on how to get rid of it (other than a couple of mentions of reformatting).

Have you been able to understand any of it? Plus, is there any chance this virus has anything to do with my "freezes"?

It is quite possible. I read one account which seemed very similar to yours. You are still getting hardware warnings. How much is one and how much the other, I don't know. There probably are other ways, but if it were my computer, I would wipe the drive absolutely clean and do a reinstall. A simple format will many times not get rid of a stubborn virus. I can tell you how to wipe the drive using diskpart, but it takes several hours to do and I don't know if your computer will run that long. But, if we can manage to get it done, we should be reasonably assured that any other problems are hardware related. Are you familar with the command prompt and diskpart?