Recovering Vista Bootloader

B

booradley

Member
Hi

Hoping the experts here can point me toward the right direction.
i'm having problem to boot my Vista.

I have done steps from the wiki - Recovering the Vista Bootloader from the DVD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki

Option 1 does not work
Option 2 also not working

Now trying on Option 3 but i'm stuck at @ bcdedit.exe /store command


bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force <<< I've run the bootsect from my pendrive

attrib -h -s C:\boot\BCD

del C:\boot\BCD
bcdedit /createstore c:\boot\bcd.temp <<< operation completed successfully

bcdedit.exe /store c:\boot\bcd.temp /create {bootmgr} /d "Windows Boot Manager"
<<<< stuck here error:
The boot configuration data store could not be open. The system cannot find the file specified


Anything i'm doing wrong ?
Other info : Acer Aspire, Vista 32, Only 1 HDD in my laptop, no other OS beside Vista

Thanks
 
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Hi, I have a similar, but very disconcerting issue on this same topic. I executed option 3 VERY successfully, and now the computer FAILS to turn on at all. I'm no dumbie, but now feel like one. Here's the skinny...

This is a work computer with sensitive financial data we cannot take somewhere else. It is NOT backed up, and was used by a non-computer person. HP laptop, with Vista 32 (I think) and all of that is exasperbated by the idea they have no records, manuals, boxes, etc. Never registered the OS or computer.

Monday of this week, the user reported having to run a repair every time he turned it on. Sadly, it is/has been bludgeoned with unnecessary software, TSR's and media stuff as well, and the users rare read pop-ups, click and make choices with no knowledge or care. When I got it, the user had gotten impatient during the last "repair" and hard-turned it off...seemingly, as many times in the past, The last "thing" he recalls, is updates being installed, and shut if off anyway. He's not sure.

When I got it, it would boot to a windows wallpaper with no logos, just the image and a movable mouse. Having no Repair Disc for the machine, I tried a Win7 Repair disc. It allowed me to try automated repair. It failed the first 6 times, and then began reporting that the automated process could NOT fix it. Prior to downloading and creating a Vista 32 repair disc, i went to the DOS prompt, and see that on C:\ it only saw the two standard directories with no nmaes, as c:\. and c:\..

With a newly burned Vista 32 Repair Disc, I then tried it all again, but option 1, simply says it cannot. Next I did option 2, which worked 100 percent, save for the shutdown command. Popping the rapair disk, Windows did NOT load and within seconds of the Windows load ticker, and "pres ESC" to enter set-up, I would get a DOS style (black screen message with white ascii font telling me that a hardware or software change had occurred, and directed me to either uninstall a program or run automated repair...but neither option (Enter to Continue, or ESC to cancel) worked. Computer was LOCKED.

Putting the reapir disc back in, I tried all options available under the repair window...but it sees no prior disc images. So, in my second day after lots of looking and thinking, I finally ran your Option 3 which worked PERFECTLY!!!!!!!! I popped the disc, executed re-start and GOT THE SAME LOCKED blackscreen message that there had been a change. At this point, as above, I only have one option which is to HARD TURN OFF and as soon as I did........after option three and this last lock - - - the computer will NOT turn on at all. No whirring, no sound, no screen flash. The power indicator light flicks 3 times, and that's all.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Addendum:

Okay, get this....cuz this is REALLY lame. The outlet I plugged the failing laptop into is dead, so after the last hard shut-down, so is the battery. Found a working outlet, lol, oh my how embarassing, and get the same blackscreen message, but this time hitting "Enter to Continue" gets me to a boot screen, that allows me to pick my OS. The only one there is "Windows Vista", which is from my new BCD I presume, but it fails. So, back to the drawing board. Ideas?
 
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The repair disc will only fix a broken boot into an otherwise working OS.
A corrupt OS can only be fixed by
system restore to a suitable restore point
backup from a suitable OS imaging app
factory reset from the OEM recovery partition.
Your user seems to have ruled out the first two.
If you want to save his user files before the "back to square one" option, do this
Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer - How-To Geek
or load the laptop drive into another working PC to copy the data files.
 
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