Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery

How to Recover from an Infinitely Looping Startup Repair Loop without Reinstalling Windows​

If you've ever experienced a Startup Repair that continously loops and fails to fix the problem of not being able to load windows, even in safe mode, then you'll know that usually the only way to recover from this when System Restore does not work is to do a clean install of Windows.

Until now.

This tutorial will show you how to use the System Recovery Options provided by Windows to recover your system to a working state so that you don't have to risk losing data by performing a clean install.

   Warning

The instructions presented withing this tutorial must be followed correctly, or you can damage your Windows 7 installation even further. This tutorial is designed to help recover from a bad registry that is causing the startup repair loop. You should note that there may still be some issues remaining that cannot be fixed by manually restoring the registry.

Recovering Your System

1. Boot to the System Recovery Options screen.
   • If Windows automatically opens Startup Repair, and subsequently fails to fix a problem, you can skip ahead to step 4 below.
2. In the System Recovery Options screen, click Startup Repair:
   
   
   
   
3. Windows will search for an attempt to repair startup problems:
   
   
   
   
4. If startup problems could not be repaired, you will receive the message Windows cannot repair this computer automatically. Click View advanced options for system recovery and support:
   
   
   
   
5. Click View advanced options for system recovery and support, which which bring you back to the main System Recovery Options screen.
6. Click Command Prompt:
   
   
   
   
7. Command Prompt should open to X:, which is an internal ram disk use by System Repair:
   
   
   
   
8. Now you need to find your system drive. Depending on how your system is setup, this could be either C: or D:.
   • Type C: and press <ENTER>.
   • Verify that this is your system drive by typing DIR and pressing <ENTER>. If you see the Program Files, Users and Windows folders, then you have found your system drive, and can continue to step 9 below.
   • If the drive is not your system drive, repeat steps I and II above, changing the drive letter to D, E or some other letter until the system drive is located.
     
     
     
9. When you have located your Windows system drive, type CD \windows\system32\config and press <ENTER>:
10. Type DIR and press <ENTER>, and verify that the following files and folders exist in the config folder:
    • RegBack (which is a folder)
    • DEFAULT
    • SAM
    • SECURITY
    • SOFTWARE
    • SYSTEM
      
      
      
11. Type MD mybackup and press <ENTER> to create a backup folder that you can use incase this procedure does not work as expected.
12. Type copy *.* mybackup and press <ENTER>.
    • If you are prompted to overwrite existing files, press A to allow all backups to be overwritten.
      
      
      
13. Now you need to check if you can use the automatic Windows backups to restore your registry:
    • Type CD RegBack and press <ENTER> to go to the RegBack folder.
    • Type DIR and press <ENTER> to view the contents of the folder. All the following files must exist:
      • The DEFAULT, SAM and SECURITY files should each be about 262,000 bytes in size.
      • The SOFTWARE file should be about 26,000,000 bytes.
      • The SYSTEM file should be about 9,900,000 bytes.
      • The file sizes presented here are approximate estimations, and may vary depending on your system. If any one of them are 0 bytes, then you should stop what you're doing now and seek an alternative method of recovering your system, because Windows cannot function with a 0-byte size registry hive.
    • If the hive files listed in RegBack are ok, then proceed to step 14 of the tutorial.
      
      
      
      
14. Type copy *.* .. and press <ENTER> to copy the backup hive files to \Windows\System32\config.
    • If you are prompted to overwrite existing files, press A to allow all file to be overwritten.
      
      
      
15. Type exit and press <ENTER> to close the command prompt.
    
    
    
    
16. Click the Restart button to reboot your computer. If all goes well, your system will boot normally.
    
    
    
    
    

Reference Information
This tutorial was made possible after learning how to manualy replace the Windows 7 Registry Hives after reading the Recovering Windows 7 Registry Hives/Files article on Microsoft Technet.

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Enable or Disable Automatic Repair in Windows 10
• Advanced Boot Options
• System Recovery Options
• System Repair Disc Create
• How to Run a Startup Repair in Windows 7
• Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times to Repair Boot Issues

 

[Darkmaechen]

@Dzomlija

You sir are a GOD.
A million thanks.
http://www.sevenforums.com/members/dzomlija.html

 

[dani0213]

Hello. I have followed every step up until when you said if any are 0 than do not proceed, well all of mine were 0, do you have any suggestions on what I could do next? Thankyou

 

[tonyme]

Hello, I followed this tutorial to the end and when I rebooted, Windows Repair ran again! :/

 

[expertexpert]

Thanks so much for making this tutorial! Worked great for me!

 

[whitefoote]

Awesome job. Worked great. The comment above about disabling restore was not an option for mine. I could get into DIR's but couldnt go any further. Thanks again!

 

[annazzi]

stuck in step 12

All well until step 12 where after typing: <copy *.* mybackup> it doesn't go any further than listing BCD-Template and components. The other ítems do not appear and I cannot type anything else. Any suggestions?

 

[searle]

ive had the same problem,

went through the whole walkthrough with no problems but didnt resolve anything.


the sizes of the files were different as others had mentioned, i had previously identified tcpip.sys as a problem file but havent been able to boot for a couple of weeks now, i dont know how to replace any corrupt files.


any suggestions as to what my next appoach should be?


startup repair hasnt helped at all, but did mention
problem signature 01: 6.1.7600.1638


and several other things


not sure if that helps, any thoughts appreciated, i suspect a virus as i was using COMODO which i didnt have too much faith in!

 

[skunky62]

Do you have a copy of your IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS? If you do, then I'll suggest a re-installation of Windows 7 . What brand do you have (Dell, HP, Sony VAIO)? Did you create the DVDs that the system suggested in case you had this possible imbroglio? Those DVDs will set your PC to Factory New, as it came when you first bought it.

 

[searle]

I don't have a copy of the license key, so can't reinstall windows. It's a dell, I have everything I need off it but just have no way of activating it, came preloaded on the laptop with no stickers or anything with the key on. Looking for a fix as having to pay for another copy of windows isn't an option for me.

 

[Brink]

Hello Searle,

Sometimes the COA sticker will be under the battery on laptops. You might check to see if it may be there.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[SIW2]

If you can't find the key, you have some options:

1) Ask Dell to send you recovery media. They will probably charge 15 bucks to send it.

2) There must be a recovery partition on there. It will contain a file called install.wim. You just need to Apply that wim to the existing windows partition. However, you can't do that from within the existing windows installation. You can do it if you can attach another machine, or if you boot up repair media and do it from there.

3) Install a free os. Linux Mint is popular. I am downloading Mate 64 bit as we speak. Download - Linux Mint

I don't have a copy of the license key, so can't reinstall windows. It's a dell, I have everything I need off it but just have no way of activating it, came preloaded on the laptop with no stickers or anything with the key on. Looking for a fix as having to pay for another copy of windows isn't an option for me.

 

[skunky62]

Like Brink just stated, sometimes the Win Lic sticker is underneath the battery pack. You can follow SIW2's suggestion and call Dell to give you the Recovery Disks or a Windows 7 copy. They gave me a Windows 7 installation CD/DVD but I had to beg for it and I had no Warranty left on the system so I got lucky. I'm sure you still have the Dell System Tag number (don't you?), that could help in deciding whether they charge you or not for the Recovery Disks. Do you still have Warranty on that system or is it expired?

 

[cr4fty1]

G'day
I need help desperately. I have followed the instructions to a T in the "Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery"
I was previously able to go to System Recoveries Options now NOTHING it's really completely stuck in
Startup Repair so I can even restore from an old backup, which I now know I should have done.
Any ideas???

 

[simono1]

I think you need to get out of all of it and start over... Hold down on the start button on the pc or laptop until the machine shuts down. Unplug the machine and wait 30 seconds and plug it back in and start it back up. See if you can follow the instructions again. I'm not sure if this will help but, it's worth a try at this point.

 

[MilkMee6]

Hello, all. I am in need of your help. I am running Windows 7 Pro 64bit. I have tried the Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery and it has been unsuccessful. When I get to step 10, I noticed that there is also a COMPONENTS.iobit, DEFAULT.iobit, SAM.iobit, SECURITY.iobit, and SOFTWARE.iobit. Are those supposed to be there? On step 13 my sizes are way off. My DEFAULT is 616,744, SAM 102,400, SECURITY 45,056, SOFTWARE 104,382,464, SYSTEM 25,976,832. I have also tried last known configuration, sfc scannow says I have errors but cannot repair them, running system repair 3 times, and all of the Bootrec.exe options. When trying to load windows, the Windows Boot Manager says the File: WDFLDR.sys Status: 0xc000000f failed to load because a required file is missing or corrupt. I would like to do a Windows Repair install but to use the "upgrade" option I have to be in windows to do it. I have an external case that I can put my corrupt SSD drive into, is it possible to run the Repair Install from a working system and repair the external drive when it is being used as a secondary drive? If that makes sense. Also, I am not sure when it happened but the Startup Repair disappeared after trying one of the options I have read online and I am now using a bootable USB drive of Windows to use the Startup Repair utility. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Brink]

Hello MilkMee6,

If you have not already, you might see if doing a system restore at boot using a restore point dated before this happened may be able to help.

Hope this helps for now,
Shawn

 

[MilkMee6]

Thank you for the response but I have already tried that and there are no System Restore points to rollback to. Any other ideas besides having to do a format and clean install? Will putting the corrupt drive into an external case allow me to run a repair install from another computer?

 

[Brink]

I'm afraid that wouldn't work for a repair install. It must be upgraded from within the running OS you want to repair.

As a test, see if you may be able to boot into Safe Mode, then use the tutorial below to troubleshoot with a clean start to see if you may be able to boot into Windows afterwards. If so, then you may be able to continue with the tutorial below to find the culprit to fix instead of doing a repair install.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ation-conflicts-performing-clean-startup.html

 

[MilkMee6]

Ok thanks. I am unable to boot into safe mode. When I run Startup Repair I receive two errors. msisadrv.sys is corrupt, Error Code = 0x2. And wdfldr.sys is corrupt. I copied those two files from another Windows 7 64bit OS and put them on my corrupt drive and it gave me the error code listed above. Any other way to fix these two corrupt files?

Update - Trying to start windows, windows boot manager now gives corrupt file ksecdd.sys.

 

[Brink]

Ok thanks. I am unable to boot into safe mode. When I run Startup Repair I receive two errors. msisadrv.sys is corrupt, Error Code = 0x2. And wdfldr.sys is corrupt. I copied those two files from another Windows 7 64bit OS and put them on my corrupt drive and it gave me the error code listed above. Any other way to fix these two corrupt files?

Update - Trying to start windows, windows boot manager now gives corrupt file ksecdd.sys.

Looks like it may be time to reinstall.