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Win7 Failed To Start: 0x000000f
My mother recently threw the task of trying to fix her laptop. It absolutely refuses to boot Windows 7, which is her primary and only OS on the system. Here's what I've got so far:
1-HDD Boot returns:
"Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
1. Insert....
2....
3....
Status: 0xc000000f
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible."
So, I went into my BIOS setup, and switched my Boot Device Order to CD/DVD drive first. I try booting from my Windows 7 Disk, but before it reaches the "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD" I get this message:
"SMART Failure Predicted on Hard Disk 0: HTS541.......
WARNING: Immediately back-up your data and replace your hard disk drive. A failure may be imminent.
Press F1 to Continue."
So I boot from the CD/DVD and Windows loads the files....sometimes it stalls at a black screen afterwards. If not, then it tells me to choose an OS to boot from, and the only option is "Windows Setup [EMS Enabled]". I hit F8 to try an Advanced Option. I tried booting into Safe Mode with Command Prompt. It loads the driver files but then just hung on "disk.sys" and I had to force shut-down.
I'm assuming it's a HDD failure, though I've also heard that the drive may be fine and it may be a Motherboard/CPU problem. I've also heard of a problem with a windows update causing a problem after reboot. I can't check anything because I can't get windows to boot even with a CD, which makes me believe it's more than a HDD problem. Can anyone help me do any tests whatsoever to find out where the problem may lie?
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