Won't Boot after Windows Update

[Ironhead]

I've been running Home Premium x64 on a RAID1 setup for a while now with no issues until today.

I got home from work and noticed that there were updates ready. One of those updates was a new driver for a Promise RAID controller and I stupidly selected it. The security update and the driver update both started installing and I went down to the kitchen for dinner.

When I came back to my PC after dinner, I was faced with a BSOD and have been fighting with the PC ever sinc

I know that the updated driver RAID caused the BSOD so I decided to boot up in Safe Mode and run System Restore. Nope! BSOD when trying to boot into Safe Mode too! OK, let's try Last Known Good Configuration (or whatever the Windows 7 equivalent is. I can't remember if that's what the option is called or not.) Nope! I get a little further into to the load, but it still results in a BSOD.

OK, let's go into the BIOS and undo the RAID so I just have to identical SATA HDDs and boot into one of them. No good. BSOD.

Put the drives back into RAID1 configuration and try booting from my disc and do a repair. Startup Repair tells me that there's an error in my boot record and it wants to fix it. OK... nope... can't write the new info to the MBR when it's on optical media. OK... create a bootable thumb drive that is basically an image of my DVD.

Launch repair, reboot, launch repair, reboot. repeat ad infinitum.

Launch repair and open a command prompt. Run "bcdedit" and this is what I get:

Windows Boot Manager
identifier            <bootmgr> 
device                partition=C:
path                  \bootmgr
description           Windows Boot Manager
locale                en-US
default               default
displayorder          default
timeout               30

Windows Boot Loader
identifier            <default>
device                partition=D:
path                  \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description           Windows 7 Home Premium (recovered)
locale                en-US
recoverysequence      {5932e978-cb75-11df-bf46-f08638593832}
recoveryenabled       Yes
osdevice              partition=D:
systemroot            \Windows

I have exhausted any and all ideas I could think of or find on the Web. Is there anything else I can do to recover my damaged installation? I really don't want to wipe and start over. I just did that a couple of weeks ago after buying new HDDs and it's too much work!

I've given all of the info I can think of to give (system specs are in my profile). If you need more info, just let me know.

I appreciate any and all help I can get.

 

[richc46]

1. Insert the Windows Vista installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.
3. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, choose the drive of your Windows installation and click Next
6. At the System Recovery Options Dialog Box, click onSystem Restore.
7. Follow the System Restore Wizard instruction as usual and choose the appropriate restore point.
8. Click Finish to restore the system.

or

1. Insert the Windows Vista installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.
3. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, choose the drive of your Windows installation and clickNext.
6. At the System Recovery Options Dialog Box, click on Repair your computer.
7. (Click the operating system that you want to repair), and then click Next.
8. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Startup Repair


.

 

[Ironhead]

Hi Rich,

I've already run Startup Repair approximately eleventy-seven bazillion times with no luck and a different consequence each time, but I'm running it again now.

It's currently saying that it's repairing disk errors and that it might take awhile. (I've seen this a couple of times already tonight)

 

[richc46]

If you try the above and still have problems you may have to fix the MBR.

1. Put the Windows Vista installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when you are prompted.
3. Select proper input methods, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, clickCommand Prompt.
7. Type Bootrec.exe, and then press ENTER.

If the above does not work you must rebuild the entire MBR. To do this, type the following commands at the Windows RE command prompt:

· bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
· c:
· cd boot
· attrib bcd -s -h -r
· ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
bootrec /RebuildBcd

 

[Ironhead]

Well, Startup Repair worked away for more than an hour "Repairing disk errors." When it finished, I rebooted and... BSOD!

Rebooted into Startup Repair again, chose Command Prompt, ran "Bootrec /FixMbr", rebooted and... BSOD!

Rebooted into Startup Repair again, chose Command Prompt, ran

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]c:[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]cd boot[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]attrib bcd -s -h -r[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]bootrec /RebuildBcd
[/COLOR][/FONT]

Got the following message:

Scanning all disks for Windows installations.

Please wait, since this may take a while...

Successfully scanned Windows installations.
Total identified Windows installations: 1
[1] D:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? Yes(Y)/No(N)/All(A):

Chose Yes, rebooted and... BSOD!

At least the text of the BSOD has changed some:

BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO

 

[richc46]

Start a new thread. Forget all this stuff (other than just for background). Say that you have a BSOD, it sould be diagnosed and repaired.
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/96879-blue-screen-death-bsod-posting-instructions.html

 

[Ironhead]

OK. Thanks.

Of course, I'm not going to be able to follow the instructions on how to properly post a BSOD thread because I can't install the software to get the reports that I'm supposed to post.

 

[richc46]

Actually your right. Can you go in safe mode?

 

[Ironhead]

Nope. BSOD when I try to boot into Safe Mode too.

I'm now running a chkdsk and it found a boatload of errors. It looks like that hour-long "repair" really screwed up. It's been deleting attribute records and index entries for at least 10 minutes now...

Now it's recovering orphaned files...

Not good... I think the "repair" really screwed my data.

I'll have to wait until chkdsk is complete before I can do anything else. It's 11% done verifying file data (stage 4 of 5)

 

[richc46]

This is the last that I have. Try to save your stuff and then clean install
Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer - How-To Geek

 

[Ironhead]

I have an old Knoppix Live CD sitting in front of me but I'm only using it as a last resort. I really want to try to recover my system without reinstalling Windows.

Even if I do concede defeat and reinstall Windows, I think I'll just unplug one of the 2 drives in my RAID1 setup, install Windows to the other one, and then plug the drive back in and recover my data from it.

That isn't going to happen right away, though. I'm going to spend a bit more time trying to fix it first.

 

[richc46]

I wish you luck.

 

[Ironhead]

I wish you luck.

Thanks!

I'll update this thread with the details of my trials and tribulations.

 

[Ironhead]

Had to concede defeat.

After two days of frustration, I disassembled my RAID and performed a fresh install on one of the 2 drives from the RAID. I'm now in the process of recovering all of my data from the other drive.

No more RAIDs for me for a while. I'll just make system images at regular intervals. I may as well take the 8 or 10 500GB drives I have laying around and put them to good use.

 

[stubbulus]

Had the BSOD and blank black screen before on my system after updates.

-I booted with Windows 7 Installation Disc and went into recovery mode

-chose command prompt and entered the following:

"bootsect.exe /nt60 sys /force" without quotes and hit enter

If it updates successfully try to restart your machine.

If it still won't boot try:

"bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force" without quotes and hit enter.

The first one worked for me.

Cheers.