Windows Failed To Start After Enabling Clean Boot.

billybong001 · 27 Sep 2014

Hi all,

I have a very serious problem.

Some misguided Microsoft tech asked that I perform the following:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135.

Immediately after the restart I was faced with the following message:

Windows failed to start.
Status: 0xc000000e
Info: A required device isn't connected or can't be accessed.

Startup Repair doesn't work. - Root cause found: the partition table does not have a valid Sys Part.
System Restore doesn't work - system cannot find the file specified (0x80070002)
Bootrec -rebuildbcd doesn't work - Element not found.
Bootcfg doesn't work - Cannot open BOOT.INI file.
Bcdedit doesn't work - The requested system device cannot be found.
Gparted doesn't work - can't load module ntfs: invalid argument.

How can this be fixed, please?

remm · 27 Sep 2014

billybong001 said:

Hi all,

I have a very serious problem.

Some misguided Microsoft tech asked that I perform the following:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135.

Immediately after the restart I was faced with the following message:

Windows failed to start.
Status: 0xc000000e
Info: A required device isn't connected or can't be accessed.

Startup Repair doesn't work. - Root cause found: the partition table does not have a valid Sys Part.
System Restore doesn't work - system cannot find the file specified (0x80070002)
Bootrec -rebuildbcd doesn't work - Element not found.
Bcdedit doesn't work - The requested system device cannot be found.
Gparted doesn't work - can't load module ntfs: invalid argument.

How can this be fixed, please?

I hope I am wrong my friend, but that sounds like a bad drive. Doing a clean boot should not have caused this, and if you were having problems previously, it might have been read/write errors from a failing drive.

What I would do is try re-seating my RAM first. Just on the off-chance that might work.

If it's a laptop I'd next unplug it, remove the battery, then press the power button for 45 sec's or so.... then put the batt back in and try rebooting.

Assuming all that fails I would make a bootable USB stick (e.g. http://www.howtogeek.com/136987/how-...dos-usb-drive/ ) and add the hard drive's manuf's diagnostic tool on it [available from their website, Seagate, WD, etc.], then check the hard drive for errors. This assumes POST/BIOS is coming up and the BIOS is configured to boot from a USB or a boot menu can be had.

If the drive comes up clean, I'd boot to my BU program's restore disc (in my case Macrium Reflect) and restore my last BU from an external drive to the internal. It will put back all the partitions, MBR, etc. I just hope you have a BU. Good luck.

billybong001 · 27 Sep 2014

Hi Remm, thanks for the quick reply.

Let me assure you that there is zero chance of this being a hardware problem. Reason being this machine has been running perfectly for a very long time now, and only immediately after I carried out this Microsoft tech's instructions did the problem occur. (Namely: enabling clean boot)

remm · 27 Sep 2014

Can I ask what the problem was that caused you to do a clean boot?

EDIT: And did you try a cold boot? Shutting down, leaving off a few minutes, then starting back up?

billybong001 · 27 Sep 2014

Here is the original issue: Boot Degradation: Application of a user policy caused a slow down - Microsoft Community

(Feel free to laugh at how much of a disaster such a small issue has become)

Some relevant information that I left out in my haste:

MSI H77MA
Intel 3570K
2x4GB OCZ Gold
CoolerMaster 1kW Silent Pro Platinum
Powercolor HD7850 2GB PCS+
Windows 7 Ultimate x64

remm · 27 Sep 2014

billybong001 said:

Here is the original issue: Boot Degradation: Application of a user policy caused a slow down - Microsoft Community

(Feel free to laugh at how much of a disaster such a small issue has become)

We've all been there. Many times!

Some relevant information that I left out in my haste:

MSI H77MA
Intel 3570K
2x4GB OCZ Gold
CoolerMaster 1kW Silent Pro Platinum
Powercolor HD7850 2GB PCS+
Windows 7 Ultimate x64

So that's a UEFI BIOS (GPT formatted disk?) which I am not familiar with.... but for purposes of general troubleshooting it shouldn't matter....

You can try booting from a W7 repair disc, (you can download the iso if you don't have one, burn to CD and try that). Or maybe someone remembers how to get Windows to boot to the last good restore point... it's easy to do once inside Windows but there is also a way to access that from the DOS screens before Windows loads. I believe the repair console has to be installed for that, however, and that is optional so most users don't have it installed. The options will be accessible using the repair CD, however.

I assume you have another machine you are using to post... hopefully it's not a phone. :) You may have some downloading/burning to do... I hope not. I hope you have a repair CD handy.

billybong001 · 27 Sep 2014

It is a UEFI BIOS. All this while I've been working with a Win7 live USB and a laptop to look for solutions. Anyhoo, you spoke of cold boot and it occurred to me I haven't actually shut down the machine at all so far. So I turned it off for a couple minutes and back on again.

I then booted from the flash drive but this time it automatically started scanning for Windows installations and afterwards asked if I would like to repair automatically. Yes please of course.

After this was done, it restarted and quite surprisingly, booted straight to desktop. So far, so good. I have reinstated all startup items in msconfig.

remm · 27 Sep 2014

Good show. :)

billybong001 · 27 Sep 2014

Thanks a lot for your help.

remm · 27 Sep 2014

You are very welcome. Glad you worked it out. :)

Windows Failed To Start After Enabling Clean Boot.

[Solved] Windows Failed To Start After Enabling Clean Boot.