Help Diagnose, Windows keeps deleting itself, Ubuntu works fine

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  1. Posts : 11
    Win 7 64 Bit
       #1

    Help Diagnose, Windows keeps deleting itself, Ubuntu works fine


    I bought a used Lenovo x230 and upgraded with a brand new Samsung EVO 840 SSD 250GB and Crucial 8GB of ram on August 1st of this year (2014). The machine ran perfectly without a hitch for about 20 days straight.

    I was running Windows 8.1 64bit. About 5 days ago, I was watching Netflix when all my applications started to disappeared and brought me to the log-on screen with no apps visible, no start bar, nothing but a blank log-on Screen. When I try to log back in, I got he User Profile has failed the Logon error.

    I Googled on how to fix that issue. After trying to replace the user profile with a working one from my other pc, after trying to repair it, after trying to delete it, nothing seemed to work. I ended up formatting the SSD completely and reinstalling Windows about 32 times (no kidding). Each time I re-install windows, I would be able to use the PC for about 10-30 minutes before it restarts itself and gives me the User Profile has failed the logon error again and again.

    I reformatted using every available method each time a fresh copy of Win8 was installed. I use a bootable USB, went thru command prompt, clean, and created a new primary partition but to no avail, the issue contiinues.

    I tried to install Windows 7 and the same issue persists. I installed Ubuntu to run ClanAV antivirus but it did not find anything. Back in Windows OS again, I went into an administrator profile and was able to run internet explorer and downloaded every single antivirus program I can think of before the computer restarts again and it did not find any malware or virus.

    The Anti-virus i have used are:

    Trend Micro
    Kaspersky
    McAffee
    Avast
    ClamAV
    and BitDefender

    As of this point I thought it was a hardware issue with the SSD. I went back to bestbuy and exchanged it for ANOTHER brand new one, same model. On this new drive, instead of the User Profile error, my windows partition would just keep deleting itself. The computer would restart itself, and then it says no OS found.

    In Bios, the SSD is listed, in command prompt the disk exist but there is no partition. I remake a new clean partition a few time using NTFS file system and the problem is still happening. I re-installed windows 7, then 8 a few more times but it keeps restarting itself and losing the partition about 15-30 minutes of run-time.

    I ran the Lenovo diagonostic via BIOS and it pass every test (Memory, Storage, Motherboard, etc...)

    For the past 5 days, i've googled and tried hundreds of things and none of them seem to fix it.

    Please help
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       #2

    Hello dc42nr86. Welcome to the forum!

    Well, you win the prize for the most confusing problem of the week. You sound very technically capable and I think you have done everything I would have tried. Given the results you post I have to say I'm baffled.

    Here are some things that pop into my head:


    Let's start with that and see where it goes.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 11
    Win 7 64 Bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Tyvm ill give it a try ill have to go buy an external CDROM unless I can use PW with USB.

    The Sata controller is set to ACHI. Boot sector seemed clean according to the AV programs, also did a fix mbr, fix boot and rebuildbcd.

    Unfortunately the laptop only has one SATA port
    The drive letter is gone accordingly to command prompt boot from USB, but the disk is listed in diskpart.

    This is the second brand new SSD I tried on this machine.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       #4

    Sorry, didn't get that this was a laptop.
    PW does have a Bootable USB download. You have to prep the stick I recall.

    Another thought: have you reset the laptop BIOS?
    Shut off > remove power > remove battery > press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to a minute > replace battery & ps > restart.
    A long shot - it does not sound like a BIOS problem, but a quick easy task.

    EDIT: Your "My System Specs" say PC/Desktop. You should change that.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 25,847
    Windows 10 Pro. 64/ version 1709 Windows 7 Pro/64
       #5

    dc42nr86 how many security programs do you have installed and could you please list them? All of them doesn't really tell us anything.


    Hard Drives Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB
    Antivirus All of Them
    Browser Chrome
    Use this tutorial by Brink to complete your system specs. Include the part number of your laptop.

    System Info - See Your System Specs

    **Did you use the tutorials from this forum to do your clean installs?

    **If not could you explain how you went about doing a clean install?
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 11
    Win 7 64 Bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Layback Bear, I have the AVs listed. I'll post the rest when I get to work! Thanks for the help!
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 11
    Win 7 64 Bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Already pulled the battery and turn on w/o it in. Sorry forgot to mention.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 25,847
    Windows 10 Pro. 64/ version 1709 Windows 7 Pro/64
       #8

    No problem we can wait. Proper and correct information is more important than time.
    We only know what you post. You are are eyes and ears when it comes to your system.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 11
    Win 7 64 Bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    I dropped the laptop off to get it diagnosed for $35. Im almost certain they will not find an answer though. I will get the laptop back Friday.

    I did my best to update the system's detail without running that .exe, I wouldn't be able to run it anyways because the Windows doesn't really exist lol.

    When i get the laptop back i'll run the Partition Wizard on it like you guys suggested.

    Regarding the clean install methods I used:

    1) Used Windows 7 Bootable USB to wipe partitions and install.
    2) Used Windows 8 Bootable USB to wipe partitions and install.
    3) Used command prompt through the bootable USB, did diskpart, selected my disk, clean, format fs=ntfs, create primary partition, select partition 1, made it active, restart and used the USB bootable disk to install.
    4) Repeated steps 1-3 on the brand new drive that I exchanged at best buy.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #10

    My two cents worth - the AV's why so many? and I know for a fact as I have run it for just on five years now that Kaspersky does NOT like playing with other AV's it tolerates the MBAM real time and some of the free on call scanners but those others are a real no no - in my experience.

    Now whatever media you are using to install it may be corrupt - I don't know for sure but you can do the install using this
    Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 choose only the version you had originally as some get greedy and think they can get a higher level version and it ends in grief because the activation code tied to your motherboard will only install and activate say Home premium for example if that was the first version put on. See pic
    If the problem carries on then maybe the SSD is faulty in some way - have you tried diagnosing it with Samsung Magician when you have had chance to keep it running?
    Samsung SSD (Solid State Drives) 840 EVO | Samsung SSD US

    The other way to wipe that drive is with a USB to SATA gadget and access to another machine then you can use diskpart or the Partition Wizard wipe feature
    Disk - Clean and Clean All with Diskpart Command

    see my pic for the PW wipe
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Help Diagnose, Windows keeps deleting itself, Ubuntu works fine-iso.png   Help Diagnose, Windows keeps deleting itself, Ubuntu works fine-mini-tools-_-wipe.png  
      My Computer


 
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