Windows won't boot, neither will the CD!

[Koma]

Hi, sorry for registering just to ask for your help!

Somebody over at a Linux forum recommended this site to me and said I might find somebody who knows an answer to my problem!

Overview:

I dualboot Windows XP Home (32-Bit) US version and Ubuntu 8.04 (amd64) German version.

I do not use a pirated copy but an OEM CD.

I have preinstalled drivers and SP3 with nLite. Windows worked without any problem for 3 months now. I have Kaspersky Internet Security 2007 set to maximum security. I updated graphics drivers once* (two days before Windows crashed) - I haven't changed the system any other than that!

* NVIDIA PhysX System Software

Problem:

One day Windows just wouldn't boot anymore. Instead of loading the login screen the PC just rebooted and sent me back to Ubuntu's GRUB loader.

Loading the last working configuration for Windows didn't change anything.

I can boot into Safe Mode but there's not much I can do. I tried running Kaspersky to search for a virus but it reported it can't do much in Safe Mode.

All I can do is use system restore. So that's what I did.

To my dismay I had to find out that Windows' System Restore DOES remove and alter files, although it clearly says that it does not!

However, Windows loaded back normal again - just some files went missing.

But hell, next restart XP won't boot again. I try System Restore again but it does not work this time - XP reboots before showing the login screen. I try loading an even older configuration with System Restore and it boots up again, losing more data on the way (some new files remained, though). I tried changing couple of settings and uninstalling everything I do not need.

Next restart it still won't boot anymore. I got really upset at this point! I'm ready to format and reinstall XP and insert the original Windows CD...

(Ubuntu still works without any problems - I'm using it now!)

"Press any key to boot from CD..."

"Please wait while setup configures your hardware..." Black screen. No answer. I waited for 30 minutes. The red light indicates that the system is trying to do something but I don't recall waiting longer than 3 seconds for the setup screen to appear. Pressing the power button results into a restart but the CD still won't access the setup.

I've also tried the nLite tweaked version of my Windows CD but nothing changed! I also tried my girlfriend's copy of Windows without success.

Short: I can boot neither Windows nor the Windows Boot CD! I can keep system restoring my PC but on the way I keep losing more and more files and it will only work until I restart!

My guess:

Windows loads in Safe Mode but it reboots as soon as it's supposed to make use of the graphics card. I fear that the newly released Nvidia PhysX drivers jacked my graphics accelerator. Windows doesn't let me remove the drivers in Safe Mode, though.

What makes little sense to me is that I could reboot several times after installing the new drivers and that the card has absolutely no problems under GNU/Linux (using Compiz-Fusion), yet the Windows CD has problems recognizing the hardware...

Your help is greatly appreciated!

[Ponch]

Do you have any tool to (hardware-)test your HDD ? I'd begin with that.

[jaclaz]

Also, INSTEAD of "safe mode", I would try the /BASEVIDEO switch in boot.ini:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb963892.aspx

alone or together with /SOS and /BOOTLOG

You can use the Linux install to see the contents of %SystemRoot%\Ntbtlog.txt, though often it does not help much.

jaclaz

[Koma]

Thanks for your help!

Is it maybe possible that just my Windows partition got messed up?

Also, INSTEAD of "safe mode", I would try the /BASEVIDEO switch in boot.ini:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb963892.aspx

alone or together with /SOS and /BOOTLOG

You can use the Linux install to see the contents of %SystemRoot%\Ntbtlog.txt, though often it does not help much.

I tried the alternate boot.ini and this is what I got:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check for viruses on your computer. Remove any nearly installed hard drives or hard drive controllers. Check your hard drive to make sure it is possibly configured and terminated.

Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption, and then restart your computer.

Technical information:

*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0xBACC3524,0xC0000034,0x00000000,0x00000000)

I don't know how I can run CHKDSK as my Windows CD doesn't work. Which command line would be appropriate for FSCK?

I couldn't find a Ntblog.txt although Windows said it would create a log upon booting. It doesn't seem to save before the crash, though.

[jaclaz]

*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0xBACC3524,0xC0000034,0x00000000,0x00000000)

Typically 0x0000007B means "inaccessible boot device", usually a missing/wrong MASS STORAGE driver for the BOOT HD, a defective cable, a bad HD or a corrupted HD.

A possible troubleshooting path (after having DOUBLE checked cables and connectors):

1) run from Linux TESTDISK:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

it may be able to fix the problem at least to a level where the booting from CD works

2) DO NOT try booting Windows after TESTDISK did (hopefully) some fixes, rather try again:

3) boot from CD and run in first instance CHKDSK with NO parameters from Recovery Console, MAKE SURE that the CD RC does contain AUTOCHK.EXE, otherwise you need first thing to have a CD with it, see here:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=5316

(and links within)

4) If CHKDSK reports no errors, you may try booting from HD, if it does:

5) Run CHKDSK with the /F parameter

6) 4) If CHKDSK reports no errors, you may try booting from HD, if it does:

7) Run CHKDSK with the /R parameter

Report if anything goes wrong.

jaclaz

[Koma]

Typically 0x0000007B means "inaccessible boot device", usually a missing/wrong MASS STORAGE driver for the BOOT HD, a defective cable, a bad HD or a corrupted HD.

A possible troubleshooting path (after having DOUBLE checked cables and connectors):

1) run from Linux TESTDISK:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

it may be able to fix the problem at least to a level where the booting from CD works

All cables seemed fine. And I wouldn't know why they shouldn't I haven't moved the PC for a month.

I analyzed my hard drive with TestDisk and it found nothing so I selected "search deeper":

Disk /dev/sda - 320 GB / 298 GiB - CHS 38913 255 63

Partition Start End Size in sectors

* HPFS - NTFS 0 1 1 13967 254 63 224395857 [Windows]

D HPFS - NTFS 13968 1 1 36301 254 63 358795647 [Eigene Dateien]

D HPFS - NTFS 13968 1 1 38911 254 63 400725297 [Eigene Dateien]

D Linux 36302 1 1 38798 254 63 40114242

D Linux Swap 38799 1 1 38912 254 63 1831347

Structure: Ok. Use Up/Down Arrow keys to select partition.

Use Left/Right Arrow keys to CHANGE partition characteristics:

*=Primary bootable P=Primary L=Logical E=Extended D=Deleted

Keys A: add partition, L: load backup, T: change type, P: list files,

Enter: to continue

NTFS, 114 GB / 107 GiB

Further:

Disk /dev/sda - 320 GB / 298 GiB - CHS 38913 255 63

Partition Start End Size in sectors

1 * HPFS - NTFS 0 1 1 13967 254 63 224395857 [Windows]

Boot sector

Status: OK

Backup boot sector

Status: OK

Sectors are identical.

A valid NTFS Boot sector must be present in order to access

any data; even if the partition is not bootable.

How am I supposed to proceed?

So you guys think the problem's based on hardware? I did get my hard drive from eBay

[jaclaz]

The filesystem appears to be OK, as TESTDISK reported.

The 0x0000007b then must be a driver, missing or corrupt.

Is it a SCSI or SATA drive?

I don't think the hard drive is bad, usually that would prevent also Linux from working, but in some - VERY rare - cases a corruption of just the MBR or boot partition may prevent a Windows based boot CD to work.

However, there is no apparent reason why a boot CD won't work.

Try again with your boot CD or make a new RC one as per links in point 3) of my previous post.

See what CHKDSK says.

jaclaz

[Koma]

Since the system wouldn't let me boot from CD anymore I decided I don't want to rescue Windows anymore.

This is what I did:

I loaded GParted from Ubuntu and removed the Windows partition compleltely. I created a new partition which I haven't formated yet. (Preparation for a fresh Windows installation.)

I insert the Windows XP CD (it doesn't ask me to press a button to boot this time) and I get the message that the system is looking for my hardware configuration (or something like that) and the screen goes black and I never get an answer.

I tried several Linux CDs and they ALL boot without ANY problem!

Neither my retail XP CD nor my tweaked CD work. I have yet to test another Windows CD and will ask a friend if I can try his Vista copy. How can Windows cause problems when it's not even installed anymore? What the hell happened to my system? I need a tissue...

[jaclaz]

I'll try again :

Is it a SCSI or SATA drive?

jaclaz

[Koma]

Is it a SCSI or SATA drive?

Whoops, sorry!

Well, uhm, eh, I'm really confused about this one... Actually it should be SATA-II but it's labeled as SCSI.

System Info (siw172.exe) says:

Samsung HD321KJ SCSI Disk Device

BTW, Vista DVD booted without any problems. Too bad I sold my Vista copy 6 months ago and got me XP instead

[bungadunga]

Could you be missing a driver for your SCSI HD? I had a huge headache trying to reinstall windows (Windows cannot find a harddrive type error) until I found a disk that came with the computer, which contained a driver for my RAID controller. I stuck the driver on a floppy and pressed F6 when asked to when booting from my OEM disk, then popped the floppy in. Worked beautifully.

[jaclaz]

If it is a missing driver, doesn't matter whether SCSI or SATA, the error should be 0x0000007b as well when booting from CD.

But the "first part" of Setup should run, otherwise you wouldn't have ever a chance to press F6 to load the drivers from floppy.

I am afraid it appears to be something "hardware", cannot say what.

A few hours of memtest+:

http://www.memtest.org/

won't make any harm anyway.

jaclaz

[Koma]

A few hours of memtest+:

http://www.memtest.org/

won't make any harm anyway.

"Pass complete, no errors, press ESC to exit"

Oh well, I'll ask my friend for his Vista copy again, install it, leave it unactivated and see if I THEN can boot XP...

[mikecrad]

I realize that this is an old post, but I got the exact same error code last week. It took me 3 days to determine the cause and it turned out that my master boot sector was infected with the NYB virus. I cleaned the virus but am going to end up doing a wipe and reload, because my system restore doesn't work and I can't boot using the safe mode. This virus got past my regular anti-virus program (AVG Free). I discovered it by sheer accident when I inserted an old Norton System Works 2003 CD and the anti-virus program, which had never been updated, detected it.

[jaclaz]

I realize that this is an old post, but I got the exact same error code last week. It took me 3 days to determine the cause and it turned out that my master boot sector was infected with the NYB virus. I cleaned the virus but am going to end up doing a wipe and reload, because my system restore doesn't work and I can't boot using the safe mode. This virus got past my regular anti-virus program (AVG Free). I discovered it by sheer accident when I inserted an old Norton System Works 2003 CD and the anti-virus program, which had never been updated, detected it.

Well, you can still use a Repair:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

make sure source Xp install CD has been slipstreamed to the same SP level.

Just for the record, we have found in another thread that a reason of this may also be entries in partition table "moved" from their "natural" order, i.e. first partition (first in LBA address) must be in first entry, second in secnd and so on.

jaclaz