Computer locks up durring start up and login

[MarCylinder]

The last time I used my computer, it ran normally, I hadn't installed any programs, and I had a normal shutdown. I went to start the computer again later and after the BIOS said "loading operating system", the screen went black and I had to force shutdown.

The next boot got me to a screen recommending I run the startup repair utility. It was unable to fix the problem and the search for solutions yielded no results.

The next couple of boots I was able to get to the login screen, and even saw my wallpaper for a few seconds once. But the computer would always lockup before it finished loading the desktop.

The last failed boot took me to a bluescreen with the message "Stop: c0000135 The program can't start because %hs is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix the problem."

I found a handful of fixes online, but none of them pertained to me. Some of these fixes included checking the ControlSet001 and ControlSet002 keys in the registry and ensuring the "Windows" values had the correct information. They had the correct values. I also checked for a ZeroAccess infection. This yielded no results. I also ran an FRST scan and as far as I can tell, there is nothing noteworthy. I can post this log if anyone is interested in seeing it. There was a fix I found that recommended modifying the RegBack folder in some way, but this folder does not exist on my computer. Also, I unplugged any unnecessary peripherals.

I was able to boot into safe mode. I tried disabling any programs or services on startup that weren't 100% necessary. This yielded no results.

Computer specs:
-Windows 7 64 bit
-Intel i5 2500k @ 3.3Ghz
-8gb DDR3 @ 1600Mhz
-Gigabyte motherboard, don't remember the model #.
-2 X EVGA 570 HDs in SLI (I have tried with and without the SLI bridge; had no effect.)
-300Gb Velociraptor
-750Gb Seagate Barracuda
-1Tb Western Digital black edition
-850w Silverstone OP850
-some basic Creative soundcard

If anybody can recommend anything other than wiping the hard drive, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[gregrocker]

I'd work through the steps for Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start starting with the Malwarebytes scan in Safe Mode with networking.

Once its clear of infection, try System Restore to before the problem began.

If this doesn't start it see what Startup Repair finds.

Report back results and continue with the steps which try everything possible to get it started leading up to if necessary rescuiing files to do a perfect reinstall.

 

[MarCylinder]

Thank you for the very helpful reply. I'm sorry it's taken me awhile to get to responding. I did end up solving this problem, and the issue was unusual. I simply pulled out my RAM and put it back in. For some reason, the RAM was no longer completely seated in the ports.

 

[gregrocker]

I'm glad that worked for you. I was hesitant to include it in Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 for fear that some might short their mobo if they dont' take enough precaution when touching the sticks without first touching the case to discharge static electricity. We even get scare warnings from knowledgable tech people saying that isn't enough unless the PC is grounded at the time. So we worry about these things. Yet we've never had anyone fry their mobo as far as I know. So we persist.