Startup Repair

SIW2 said:

This my own method for doing it - don't go making tutorials out of it please.

Boot your 7 recovery cd. Go to command prompt.

Type :

notepad

(then press enter )

when notepad pops up, click File >Save

Navigate to Windows\system32\config\regback

(It's a pain , but you will need to keep selecting "All Files" in notepad dropdown. )

Rt click and copy SOFTWARE (file with no extension )

then navigate to Windows\system32\config rt click and paste - overwrite the existing SOFTWARE .

Now go back to Windows\system32\config\regback , copy SYSTEM

then navigate to Windows\system32\config rt click and paste - overwrite the existing SYSTEM

repeat for DEFAULT, SAM and SECURITY .

Then try startup repair and reboot.

Can you follow that ?

Ican try that. In case it works, where would this lead me? to the same point before the crashdown, or somwhere else? just to be sure

thanks

It always works for me - I did it just the day before yesterday on my own system.

You should be able to boot straight back into windows.

You might find you need to download a couple of the most recent updates -depends how recent those backup hives are. It will take you back to the time the backup hives were updated - a few days, probably.

SIW2 said:

when notepad pops up, click File >Save

Navigate to Windows\system32\config\regback

tried to do this, but when I get the window to save, I can´t get to windows\system32
I only can choose disc C, and then only a folder called temp, that´s all I can navigate, Am I doing something wrong here?
thanks a lot again

Never come across that before.

Unless you have already begun some kind of reinstall proces and deleted everything already.

SIW2 said:

Never come across that before.

Unless you have already begun some kind of reinstall proces and deleted everything already.

Ok sorry, I find now that I find that folder, but it is located in a disc called BOOT X:
is it normal? will it work if I do it there, or if I cant find anything on C i´m in trouble

thanks a lot

Looks like the partition table is damaged.

First you could try and recover the partitions.

It worth a go as it is free and quick .

Download Partition Wizard Bootable CD allows user to boot computer directly to manage partition. boot it up, select Partition Recovery,select Full Disk, do a Quick Scan, Tick ALL the partitions you want keep and click APPLY.

If that works - you will be exactly as you were before the incident.

If it doesn't, then you will have to try a custom install - but if the windows7 installer only sees that one partition ( c) and the rest as raw/unallocated then not sure you will be able to save anything into Windows.old.

You might be able to reinstall onto that one partition ( if it's big enough ) , then recover the others - and get your data that way.

Tick both , click Finish, click APPLY at the top left of the main window.




Assuming it recovers them - you will be fine - should be able to boot back in.

[ If the APPLY button is greyed out - then those partitions already exist.

If that is the case - go ahead and do a custom install - but don't format the partitions - that should save most of your data into a folder called Windows .old. You can then copy it back after the windows 7 reinstall is complete. You will have some setting up and reinstalling of programs to do.]

SIW2 said:

Tick both , click Finish, click APPLY

[ If the APPLY button is greyed out - then those partitions already exist.

If that is the case - go ahead and do a custom install - but don't format the partitions - that should save most of your data into a folder called Windows .old.

You can then copy it back after the windows 7 reinstall is complete.

You will have some setting up and reinstalling of programs to do.]

ok,. so apply button is indeed greyed out.
so now I come with a few last questions before you start to hate me,
first, when I´m running the recovery boot cd, in the step when it tries to find the operating system, it finds WIN7 on a disc E:, not in C:, and it sais PARTITION SIZE 0 MB
That looks strange for me, is it?

then, when I try to do the notepad step you mentioned, I have this options
C: SYSTEM RESERVED which only have a temp folder, and sais 70 mb free of 99 mb
D: LOCAL DISK , says nothing about space, and can´t access it
X: BOOT 28.9 mb free of 31.4 mb

I don´t know if this clears anything else up for you.

Anyway, as I see, I will have to do a custom install. Hope it works.
Just a last question, will I have to reinstall ALL the programs and drivers, or is there any chance of not losing some of that information. Just to be aware.

thanks again, and again, for your help and patience

7 will install it's own drivers.

You will need to reinstall all programs ( except those that don't need installers and run as executables )