Hello new friends, I have a bizarre problem that I'm not sure how to fix. I should also say I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to be making this thread, so if it is in the wrong place could a mod please relocate it? Thank you.
So the problem I'm having is that some months ago my computer was disconnected from the internet and was only recently reconnected (albeit with a tethered connection). Naturally as soon as there was an active connection Windows started to install automatic updates, literally every single time it was connected. Ordinarily this isn't an issue, but because it's a tethered connection it will drop out and need reconnected etc.
The problems started the very next time I rebooted my machine and was told that Windows was repairing the HDD, again, literally every single time I started the machine. Then one day it told me that Windows couldn't repair the HDD. I did a hard reboot and it started without the repair issue at all. Then it (the more generic automatic repair) immediately came back and a few days later this was followed by it telling me Windows couldn't repair the HDD.
During all of this, my USB ports won't work (when it got past the Windows repair they'd work no problem. Prior to that, for the likes of accessing the BIOS, they would work fine. It's only during Windows repair and the like that they don't work). I eventually found an old PS/2 keyboard and this let me navigate past telling me Windows couldn't repair anything. This is where I end up with the options of
Regardless which of these I choose none of them will work. Startup Repair obviously doesn't work and just tells me that it can't fix the issue.
System Restore fails no matter which date I choose (I get an error code for this, although I can't remember it off the top of my head, and it'll be difficult to find out what it is again as I'll explain. I did Google it though and got zero help).
System Image Recovery tells me there aren't any System Images saved anywhere (there are).
WMD isn't really relevant?
Command Prompt is almost impossible to use because my PS/2 keyboard is broken so some keys don't work, I can navigate with it though as these keys still work. Of course USB ports don't work so I can't use my regular keyboard or mouse.
I didn't have a Windows repair disk and instead had to download and burn one on an old computer I have. I changed the BIOS boot order and booted from the CD rom. Initially I though this would be an issue as the CD rom is external and connected by USB. However it did seem to be working, but then I was suddenly greeted with a prompt telling me the Windows disk I'm using isn't the correct one for my machine. But I only had two options; 64bit and 32bit. My machine is 64bit so that's what I downloaded. Although (I think) it's Professional and I'm not sure how much of a difference, if any, this makes to the recovery disk. Either way, immediately after it gives me that prompt the USB ports die and the CD will stop spinning (I'm not sure if this would happen anyway even if I were using the correct CD because of the USB issue).
Originally I'd installed W7 from a thumbdrive, and still have it on there. In fact, I had originally saved my repair image to one of these thumbdrives which is still on there. Of course they don't work because the USB ports won't work which sort of defeats the object of having copies of them on thumbdrives. It also means it isn't possible for me to do a fresh install (which I'd prefer to be a last case scenario).
A few things of note: There's nothing wrong with the USB ports in general. As a matter of fact I'm using them right now without issue as I only have the one machine which connects to the internet, albeit I'm having to use a distro version of Linux do this with.
There's also nothing wrong with the HDD as I can access everything on it using what I'm using now. It's just Windows that's the problem.
What's really confusing me is that during the first install of W7 I had to use Linux, copy the USB drivers to the HDD where I was installing W7, restart the computer and the USB ports worked for the W7 installation. Otherwise I'd have had to use a PS/2 which I couldn't find at the time. What's confusing me is that there's nothing wrong with the HDD itself and these USB drivers are still installed on it, which to me means that they should still be working regardless whether Windows itself is working or not.
Once, and only once, I was asked if I wanted to start in safe mode which I did. I tried to do a system restore from here, but there was a power outage and that was the end of that. I've never had the option since. I'm not sure if it's because my mobo is ASUS or not, but pressing F8 only brings up the boot options (from where I want to boot, not safe mode or safe mode with networking etc) and I've read numerous different things said about how to access safe mode with ASUS hardware (F8 and esc, F2-F12 etc) none of which work.
If I knew how to do a tl;dr version of the epic I've had to type out then believe me I would have done. I thank anyone who reads through it and greater thanks to anyone who can offer me a solution.
Thanks for your help.
So the problem I'm having is that some months ago my computer was disconnected from the internet and was only recently reconnected (albeit with a tethered connection). Naturally as soon as there was an active connection Windows started to install automatic updates, literally every single time it was connected. Ordinarily this isn't an issue, but because it's a tethered connection it will drop out and need reconnected etc.
The problems started the very next time I rebooted my machine and was told that Windows was repairing the HDD, again, literally every single time I started the machine. Then one day it told me that Windows couldn't repair the HDD. I did a hard reboot and it started without the repair issue at all. Then it (the more generic automatic repair) immediately came back and a few days later this was followed by it telling me Windows couldn't repair the HDD.
During all of this, my USB ports won't work (when it got past the Windows repair they'd work no problem. Prior to that, for the likes of accessing the BIOS, they would work fine. It's only during Windows repair and the like that they don't work). I eventually found an old PS/2 keyboard and this let me navigate past telling me Windows couldn't repair anything. This is where I end up with the options of
- Startup Repair
- System Restore
- System Image Recovery
- Windows Memory Diagnostic
- Command Prompt
Regardless which of these I choose none of them will work. Startup Repair obviously doesn't work and just tells me that it can't fix the issue.
System Restore fails no matter which date I choose (I get an error code for this, although I can't remember it off the top of my head, and it'll be difficult to find out what it is again as I'll explain. I did Google it though and got zero help).
System Image Recovery tells me there aren't any System Images saved anywhere (there are).
WMD isn't really relevant?
Command Prompt is almost impossible to use because my PS/2 keyboard is broken so some keys don't work, I can navigate with it though as these keys still work. Of course USB ports don't work so I can't use my regular keyboard or mouse.
I didn't have a Windows repair disk and instead had to download and burn one on an old computer I have. I changed the BIOS boot order and booted from the CD rom. Initially I though this would be an issue as the CD rom is external and connected by USB. However it did seem to be working, but then I was suddenly greeted with a prompt telling me the Windows disk I'm using isn't the correct one for my machine. But I only had two options; 64bit and 32bit. My machine is 64bit so that's what I downloaded. Although (I think) it's Professional and I'm not sure how much of a difference, if any, this makes to the recovery disk. Either way, immediately after it gives me that prompt the USB ports die and the CD will stop spinning (I'm not sure if this would happen anyway even if I were using the correct CD because of the USB issue).
Originally I'd installed W7 from a thumbdrive, and still have it on there. In fact, I had originally saved my repair image to one of these thumbdrives which is still on there. Of course they don't work because the USB ports won't work which sort of defeats the object of having copies of them on thumbdrives. It also means it isn't possible for me to do a fresh install (which I'd prefer to be a last case scenario).
A few things of note: There's nothing wrong with the USB ports in general. As a matter of fact I'm using them right now without issue as I only have the one machine which connects to the internet, albeit I'm having to use a distro version of Linux do this with.
There's also nothing wrong with the HDD as I can access everything on it using what I'm using now. It's just Windows that's the problem.
What's really confusing me is that during the first install of W7 I had to use Linux, copy the USB drivers to the HDD where I was installing W7, restart the computer and the USB ports worked for the W7 installation. Otherwise I'd have had to use a PS/2 which I couldn't find at the time. What's confusing me is that there's nothing wrong with the HDD itself and these USB drivers are still installed on it, which to me means that they should still be working regardless whether Windows itself is working or not.
Once, and only once, I was asked if I wanted to start in safe mode which I did. I tried to do a system restore from here, but there was a power outage and that was the end of that. I've never had the option since. I'm not sure if it's because my mobo is ASUS or not, but pressing F8 only brings up the boot options (from where I want to boot, not safe mode or safe mode with networking etc) and I've read numerous different things said about how to access safe mode with ASUS hardware (F8 and esc, F2-F12 etc) none of which work.
If I knew how to do a tl;dr version of the epic I've had to type out then believe me I would have done. I thank anyone who reads through it and greater thanks to anyone who can offer me a solution.
Thanks for your help.
My Computer
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- OS
- W7 64bit
