@gregrocker
I whole heartedly agree with you comments on time and benefits of a clean install.
However I am a bit stubborn
I believe there should be a way of making the laptop work correctly, since I can access the drive.
It boots but incompletely probably.
I have patience at the moment.
I will work on it at my leisure and post my work.
erm how do i get files from the troubled laptop ?
If you'd read the Clean Reinstall tutorial you'd know.
@gregrocker I have skimmed the clean install tutorial you kindly linked.
It does make the assumption that you can boot into your windows os.
It is during that login that you can copy files.
It does not boot into a working os from the usb stick.
You use the usb stick to install a clean version of windows.
The clean install outlined will overright both your existing os and any files on that partition.
Either I have missed something during me quick read or you have when you mention that it will tell me how to copy files from the repair option of a us stick os installer boot.
Step 3:
• For unbootable Windows copy data out externally using free Paragon rescue disk or Copy & Paste - in Windows Recovery Console.
I am continuing with trying to solve this issue.
My present problem would be getting files off the c: drive.
Having read the above work around to copy files i am still having a problem.
Namely anything i save to the usb boot stick disappears.
Only having an internal hdd and usb boot stick seems to not be the way forward.
I have also had a go at using the paragon repair kit 11.
whilst this seems like a good program all it did was leave me back at the 0xc000000f bcd problem.
it does find the os easily. but like i say none of the options seem to do anything.
it is my present thinking that when the laptop boots to black screen with pointer there are some files either not present or corrupted. this may be due to mcafee going a bit potty with the tuesday 9th windows updates.
i will try and see if there is a huge pile of files mcafee has sent to quarantine or deleted.
not sure where the quarantine folder is located yet, but i think the deleted files may be in the recycle bin
i have noticed an issue with sfc.
if i boot via usb stick the first command prompt is for x:
i think the sfc and or other repairs are writing to x: instead of c:
i say this because pending.xml is not present on c: but is present of x:
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows failes if executed from x:
changing to c: does allow sfc to try and do something.
running it from x: brings up an error about pending changes, which i believe relates to the x: pending.xml file.
so yes i am still working on this one.
i think an in place upgrade install would probably solve my issue however as i understand it i need to log into the os to be able to perform an upgrade install. this obviously is not possible with my current situation.
i am surprised that no solution other than clean install has surfaced since the windows update chaos caused on the 9th. from my research it appears that a considerable number of people are having a similar issue to me.
\boot\bcd 0xc000000f can be resolved by c: bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bcdboot c:\windows /s c:
Are you using Paragon Rescue CD, booting from the CD? If so it should copy files to flash stick or USB drive.
I would also burn a System Repair Disk or the Win7 DVD to disk to try the repairs again as there may be a problem with your stick.
Then boot into the installer, delete all partitions except the small Dell OEM (Diagnostics) partition, create new as shown in Steps 7/8 of Clean Install Windows 7.
Your problem may be related to using the worst possible anti-virus, one which can ruin the OS and the source of all kinds of problems we see here. Use only the tools and methods recommended in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.
Slight problem with booting from dvd. my dvd/cd/blu-ray machine is a little portable one. i got it to replace the internal one on the laptop when i swopped it out so i could put in a 2nd hdd. anyways the dvd thing uses both usb ports. doh!
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