Windows fails to boot

I'll try the boot winpe media as I don't have an installation disc to reinstall windows. Thanks for the step by step instructions.
But will experiment with Avast first as that could possibly be the cause.

If you want to try and fix corrupt W7 files try this.

Use the command prompt running it as administrator (right click on command prompt/run as administrator) the type after the command: sfc /scannow

There is a space between sfc and the /scannow

This can take several minutes to complete and depending on the corruption may take several runs. After each run you need to reboot computer. I have had to run through this procedure as many as eight times before all corruption was fixed.

I would still recommend installing W10.

SIW2 said:

dc8flyer,

Not everybody considers it an upgrade.
Why did you buy a copy when you could have "upgraded" for free?

SIW2,

Just like you I am offering the OP a suggestion to help, nothing more. You come across rude so let's focus on helping the OP and not your personal preference of W7 over W10 because that is plain juvenile.

I know your personality type and offer you the last word while addressing your post.

I did upgrade to W10 initially but because my system has certain bells and whistles along with three monitors and proprietary software/hardware it did not work well. I tried once again a year or two later because W7 was acting up again but not all the kinks could be worked out and went back to W7. I noticed however that certain W7 issues were corrected by the attempted W10 install which corrected the W7 issues I was having.


A couple of years later W7 was having problems I believe were associated with nothing more than being outdated and not working well with websites and general performance issues. I bought W10 as a last hope and am extremely happy. The performance is better than when the system was first bought in 2009, works much better with my system upgrades, and he kinks with the proprietary software/hardware are non existent.


Also, W10 works better with online streaming, has DirectX 12 which allows my few games to run and look better and as MS Edge continues to work out the small details it is running much better than ie11. W10 coupled to a new router has also improved performance to the point my system will now last for at least another five years all for 120 dollars and not at the expense of a new system.


In conclusion, the OP was worried he might have to buy a new complete system and is still having issues correcting W7. I have offered a couple of suggestions, like you, to help the OP with his current W7 while suggesting the simplest solution of installing W10. In fact I stated he could install W10 to correct his W7 along with a software link that would give him the ability to emulate W7 UI (which I use) if he didn't like the W10 UI. Then lastly I suggested that if he did not like W10 he could revert back to W7 while benefiting from the W10 install that would correct his W7 issues all within 30 minutes as opposed to spending days/weeks trying to correct his W7.


Just two points related to W10 install for the benefit of the OP. If you have music or movies downloaded from years past, those downloads may no longer be supported as they use outdated formats. Windows Media Player for W10 will allow you to either reinstall or by right clicking on the dead music title search and install the album from the web. Any movies however will be lost. W10 will examine your system and see all of this before installing and alert you to these issues. You can then either proceed or cancel the install and return the W10 purchase.


As for SWI2, you have the last word but I hope you have the maturity to direct your efforts to the OP.

Throughout this topic I have seen many options that could be able to fix my problem, I'm happy to upgrade to W10 if all else fails, but if that happens to be the case I may need to buy a whole new PC as I purchased this computer when W7 was first released and am not sure how well it will cope with W10. I also want to thank everyone for their advice, with problems like these it helps me to gain extra computer knowledge.

I have tried to make progress with the computer today, here's what happened.
I still get various blue screen messages, even when attempting to run it in safe mode, sometimes I go round in circles and can't get Windows to boot normally or in safe mode. But if I come back to in later it will boot normally, and when I was on it today the computer made a strange noise, as if its just shut down, then I get a blue screen message saying that windows was forced to shut down to protect my computer, I can reboot the computer a few times and get it to boot again, but after a short while I get the same message, this even happens in safe mode.
Sometimes when I reboot the computer I simply get a message saying to insert boot media or to select a boot device.
So I thought I would try and launch the startup repair tool, but this found no errors. And then I see an option in the list to re-install windows from the disc that I had previously made when I bought the PC. The option I selected was the "Destructive Recovery Option" which it said it would return the computer to factory settings, as it was when I got the PC, so I went for this as all my files and programmes are backed up. But 5 minutes into the process and I hear the computer "shut down" inside, then it gives me the following error message:
ERROR: X:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DISKPART.EXE /S
X:\TGM\UTILS\DISKPART_CREATETWOPARTITIONS.TXT
PATH NOT FOUND

I repeated the process and the same thing happened.
Now of course the PC is unusable, so unless I can install a version of Windows from somewhere else I reckon I will need a new PC, and with the W7 Microsoft support to end Jan 2020 I will only be using it until then anyway if my system won't support W10.

BJC1992,

Sorry to hear this.

If you can get it back into the command prompt I hope you try the sfc /scannow command as it is imbedded in Windows for the sole purpose of fixing corrupt window files.

Any attempt to alter the registry in an attempt to fix your type of issue is asking for more trouble. Digging around into the computers OS usually ends up right where you are today. Best to use the resources provided by the OS (such as sfc /scannow) to attempt repairs or the programs on the recovery disk.


That said, it still doesn't resolve your problem. Unfortunately, not knowing what was actually going on, not knowing what or how you attempted repairs, or the condition of your components, it is doubtful a repair can be posted here for you in my opinion. Again, never mess with the registry when having OS issues even if you back up the registry since there is no guarantee your system will reboot.


IF you can get back into command prompt try sfc /scannow before doing anything else. One last thought. As old as your computer is, have you ever replaced the CMOS battery on your motherboard? Other issues can range from a bad drive to bad memory.


NEVER edit the registry.