Startup Repair loop, how to do a repair install


  1. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
       #1

    Startup Repair loop, how to do a repair install


    My wife's PC crashed today and got into a startup repair loop. I'm hoping that I can do a repair install, but I can't figure out how to do so. Here's the details:

    Her system is just a few months old. Here are the specs:
    ASUS P8Z77-Mpro motherboard
    Intel i5-3570K (not overclocked) - intel cooler
    8GB RAM (can't remember what kind - maybe G.Skil)
    Galaxy GeForce GTX 550 Ti video card
    Corsair TX-850 PSU
    Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit from a clean install on a Corsair SSD (including Program Files/Program Files (x86)
    Users directory on Samsung SATA drive with other stuff that isn't installed in Program Files directories.

    The problem:
    Today she wanted to play Skyrim, so she ran the Skyrim Nexus Mod Manager.
    It had an update. She downloaded and installed the update, the tried to run the game.
    When the game launched it started Steam and tried to download updates (there is a new update to Skyrim that came out a couple of days ago), and she walked away.
    When she came back it was on Startup Repair screen saying it could not repair the problem. The Error text is:
    Code:
    Problem signature
      Problem Event Name:           Startup Repair Offline
      Problem Signature01:           6.1.7600.16385
      Problem Signature02:           6.1.7600.16385
      Problem Signature03:           unknown
      Problem Signature04:           21200018
      Problem Signature05:           AutoFailover
      Problem Signature06:           24
      Problem Signature07:           Corrupt File
      OS Version:                        6.1.7601.201.0.256.1
      Locale ID:                          1033
    In order to try to resolve it, I did the following from command prompt:
    Code:
    c:\>bootrec.exe /fixmbr
    The operation competed successfully.
    
    c:\>bootrec.exe /fixboot
    The operation competed successfully.
    
    c:\>bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd
    Scanning all disks for Windows installations.
    
    Please wait, as this may take a while....
    
    Successfully scanned Windows installations.
    Total identified Windows installations:  0
    The operation competed successfully.
    Code:
    c:\dskchk /f /r c:
    c:\dskchk /f /r d:
    c:\dskchk /f /r e:
    c:\dskchk /f /r f:
    Code:
    c:\>sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=C:\ /OFFWINDIR-C:\Windows\
    
    Beginning system scan.  This process will take some time.
    
    Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.
    
    c:\Windows\System32>sc config trustedinstaller startup= auto
    [SC] ChangeServiceConfig SUCCESS
    
    c:\>sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=C:\ /OFFWINDIR-C:\Windows\
    
    Beginning system scan.  This process will take some time.
    
    Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.
    
    c:\Windows\winsxs>rename pending.xml pendingxml.backup
    
    c:\>sfc /SCANNOW /OFFBOOTDIR=C:\ /OFFWINDIR-C:\Windows\
    
    Beginning system scan.  This process will take some time.
    
    Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.
    At one point, I did all this and it gave me an error saying,
    "C:\Windows\System32\CRYPTBASE.DLL is not designed to run on Windows or it contains errors.".....

    I backed up the original cryptbase.dll, then copied it from x:\Windows\System32. I no longer get that

    error, but just what is listed above.

    I tried using a System Restore (there are 4 restore points available), but each time I get:
    "System Restore failed while copying the registry from the restore point"

    So, from what I can tell, I'm pretty much screwed and have to re-install Windows 7. I'd like to try to do a repair install, but the user directory is on another drive and not in the standard location. According to the tutorials here, doing a repair install is impossible without moving the user directories back to their default locations. The problem though, is how can I move those directories if I cannot boot into safe mode?

    Is there anything I can do other than a clean install? That takes forever, so if I can avoid that, I'd rather.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #2

    BTW, I also tried to manually replace the registry files by copying from c:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\
    software
    system
    Sam
    security
    Default
    to the c:\Windows\System32\config directory (after backing up the original files of course).
      My Computer

  3.    #3

    YOu can only run a Repair Install from the Win7 desktop.

    If you still can't boot into Windows there are other steps here for Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start including how to rescue files to run Recovery or get a perfect reinstall.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    I've read a ton of the tutorials on this site about how to fix this, but I missed that one. I'll try it. Thanks.

    I'll respond with the results.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Unfortunately, none of that helped, so it looks like I'm doing a fresh install. She did have some virii on her computer, which Windows Defender Online was able to remove. Still can't boot though. When did they change the repair install thing? Is that new with SP1, or has it always been that way in Windows 7?

    Thankfully, I was able to back up the disk using the Partition Wizard program.
      My Computer

  6.    #6

    How did you back up the disk using PW CD? It doesn't really back up.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    gregrocker said:
    How did you back up the disk using PW CD? It doesn't really back up.
    When you run the program, it lets you copy partitions. So I copied the partition to another drive.
      My Computer

  8.    #8

    That isn't sufficient to back up an OS for later use. You need to save an image: Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
    Macrium - Image your system
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    gregrocker said:
    That isn't sufficient to back up an OS for later use
    I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that I backed up the OS. I just backed up the data, which was all on other partitions.
      My Computer


 

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