Vista won't boot

I

irac8199

Member
I have posted in the past about a recurring problem I have with Vista on my laptop where randomly (with no apparent cause) one night I will shut down the computer and the next time I turn it on I get the "windows failed to start" screen and no matter what option I try I get a black screen. It was suggested to me to install SP1 for Vista to solve this problem. Once I can get my computer to work again I will try this.

Now in the past in order to get the computer to work again I just put in the Vista recovery disc and go into system recovery options, and do a system restore to a past restore point. Usually there were plenty of different restore points to choose from and eventually through trial and error I would pick the correct one and the computer would work again. This time, however, the only restore points I have are the scheduled checkpoints. I've tried restoring to all of the restore points on the list, and it always says that the restore was successful, but when I reboot I get the same problem again (black screen) and when I go back into system recovery and back into system restore the same restore points are on the list (even the ones that should have disappeared because they occurred after the restore point that I last restored to, if that makes sense. I don't know what else to try because I really really don't want to do a full install (I'm stupid and I haven't backed up in a while and there are things that I don't want to lose). Any suggestions?

And I've also tried startup repair a bunch of times. Most of the time it says that there weren't any problems to fix, though a couple times it actually performed the repair yet the computer still didn't work.
 
Vista Won't Boot...

Many issues are asked in your post. First things first though....My suggestion to you would be this one. Boot your Laptop in safe-mode. Run windows Update to SP1 as fast as possible. After the install, Reboot Vista normal. Go to Config panel, System, and Security, make a save (restore point) of your laptop. A point of restore which you will have all the files and programs you want to keep in the future.

Hopes this helps, and that the black screen ends...Usually with SP1 you won't have this problem.

Good luck,


Simonb
 
simonb said:
Many issues are asked in your post. First things first though....My suggestion to you would be this one. Boot your Laptop in safe-mode. Run windows Update to SP1 as fast as possible. After the install, Reboot Vista normal. Go to Config panel, System, and Security, make a save (restore point) of your laptop. A point of restore which you will have all the files and programs you want to keep in the future.

Hopes this helps, and that the black screen ends...Usually with SP1 you won't have this problem.
Click to expand...

How do I download SP1 from safe mode? I can't get online that way so how do I download it?

Addendum:

Makaveli213 said:
Repairing the Windows Vista Bootloader - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki

Try repairing the Vista bootloader with these methods. Then update.
Click to expand...

I tried them all and none of them worked :frowning:
 
Last edited:
If none of those steps worked your options at this point are a Restore Point. Which you say you have tried.

You will need Safe Mode with Networking to access the internet and download SP1 to install it. Either that or download it to your PC, the full package, and install it in Safe Mode.
 
The advanced options menu has 3 safe mode options. Select the one most appropriate:

1) Safe Mode (Only core components are loaded)
2) Safe Mode with Networking (Same as safe mode except drivers are loaded for your network cards and adapters so that you have access to the network/internet)
3) Safe Mode with Command Prompt (You use the command line instead of GUI tools to troubleshoot and fix the computer)
 
When I go into safe mode with networking all I get is a black screen. No matter what key I press nothing happens. How do I access the internet to download SP1?
 
Can you download it with this PC and then transfer it to the other PC via USB Thumb Drive or CD?
 
No matter which type of safe mode I go into all I get is a black screen that says "Safe Mode" in all four corners of the screen and at the top it says Microsoft (R) Windows (R) (Build 6000). I tried downloading SP1 to a cd and it wouldn't boot from the cd, so I went into safe mode and all there was was a black screen, so then I went into the repair menu and use the command prompt but I couldn't figure out how to get it to run from there (if it's even possible). I guess that my safe mode is messed up too. Any other suggestions?
 
The black screen with Safe Mode in the corners is normal. Your computer may not look as it normally does when you are using safe mode because it only loads the basics. Are you able to log in and access the desktop. If you can, then safe mode is working.

While Vista SP1 can be installed from a CD/DVD, it is not in itself a bootable disc. I'm not sure if installing from the recovery enviornment is possible, but is worth a try if you really can't do anything in safe mode.

If you downloaded the x86 5 language standalone, try typing X:\Windows6.0-KB936330-X86-wave0.exe in the command prompt where X: is the letter assigned to your CD drive to see if it well run. I'm afraid that won't work though as you are not logged on as an administrator to install it.
 
I tried what you said and it started to run the disc but then I got the following error: "This application has failed to start because sqmapi.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem." I tried re-downloading it and burned it again. Same problem. Any suggestions?
 
If safe mode, startup repair, restore points, and a CD won't fix the problem, i'm afraid short of attempting to manually repair the BCD store that you'll need to do a clean install. Open a command prompt from the recovery options menu on the recovery disc and type "bootrec /rebuildbcd" to see if that fixes the problem.
 
hi, i was having the same problem due to SP1

after i typed "bootrec /rebuildbcd",
and it shows "total identified windows installation: 0"

i then typed "bootrec /scanos",
it shows "total identified windows installation: 0" also

any idea what happen?
 
Hey Mak:

tried, but while typing
e:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force

It shows
"e:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force" is not recognized as an internal or external command operable program or batch files


what does this refers to?

thanks,
tcy
 
tcy, It's telling you there's no such command in the place you've told it to look. (i.e. your e:\ disk )
Try changing the drive letter till you find it.
 
As Terry say, you'll need to select the right drive for that command to work.

If bootrec can't find any valid installs, that's fine... just move on to the next section in the recovery guide.
 
hey Terry,

I think it wasn't a problem in my boot loader,

but instead the crcdisk.sys is causing the booting up problem, I already search through the internet, but non of the solutions work,

any help is appreciate T-T

thanks,
tcy
 
Hi Guru,

I'm using an Acer Laptop, I think it could be considered as SATA disk @@, (I don't know how to differentiate the types)
 
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