Windows 7 Boot Issues

[epic]

This just happened yesterday evening. Currently I'm running Windows 7 64bit (system specs posted below), everything was running superb until after I decided to evaluate Faronics 'DeepFreeze'. After installing that POS, the application stated it would automatically reboot the system...that wasn't a lie. After the installation it killed everything currently running and exited immediately and rebooted. So, during boot...it took over 45 seconds at the 'Welcome' screen, then displayed a Grey Blank screen with the animated cursor for about a minute. After that finished, still no desktop, nor a login to access the system. So, I read ctrl-alt-shift-F5 brings up the login...I log in and still a grey screen, eventually everything loads, but with problems. Action center displays the firewall is disabled...also the network adaptor has an X around it, which funny enough TCP has all static entries, sidebar widgets are loaded but display a rectangular box no graphic.

After removing Faronics DeepFreeze ... rebooted several times , safe mode , safe mode networking. All result in LONG boot times and the Grey blank screen. Eventually, everything will load. Well, I have default acronis image backed up to a separate drive. I've loaded that...the issue CONTINUES to persist. That image is fine, I loaded it several times after I imaged it! I then tried booting from a Fedora Live USB pen, everything loads fine...no hangs nothing. I installed Fedora, no hangs or anything...even imaged the system with an old copy of acronis XP and that worked flawlessly. I reformatted the drive with the USB Live pen twice...then reimaged the system with my Windows 7 image... here I am, the issue continues to persist! So, uninstalled nvidia network and display drivers, reboot ... issue persists ... reinstalled the drivers ... issue does not seem to resolve itself.

Images display exactly as directly AFTER installing Faronics 'DeepFreeze' and the CURRENT state after formating... and several other OS installs. Windows 7 just doesnt seem to work now.

Immediately after Safemode starts, Help and Support usually displays it's information...it is not here.

TCP/DHCP dependencies sit at "Starting"... with the system running for over an hour now, still starting.

"Failed to connect to windows service..."

Red X on lan icon ... settings are manual ... also Event log is started but unable to access.

This is a fresh image... I can vmware it and works fine, a day ago and the day before the same image worked fine, no changes were made to the image itself.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
CRUCIAL_CT64M225 SSD
EVGA nForce 750i SLI
EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
OCZ2P10662G PC2-6400 DDR2-SDRAM UDIMM x 2

Suggestions?

Edited April 11, 2010 by epic

[MagicAndre1981]

have you tried system restore to a point before you installed that bad tool?

[epic]

What is that going to do over re-imaging from a previous state which never had this application on it?

Edited April 11, 2010 by epic

[cluberti]

I think the problem is faronics installs a boot driver that loads before windows - although imaging should have made it go away, I would think. If you open a cmd prompt and run "set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1", then "start %systemroot%\system32\devmgmt.msc", then click View > Show Hidden Devices, did it leave any drivers around that the new OS is picking up perchance (or any other odd/nonexistant drivers, especially under non plug-and-play devices)?

[epic]

Hadn't seen anything that is related. I really have no idea...this is an SSD drive so, perhaps something is lingering deep in one of the chips. I've reformatted this drive to EFS, Fat16, Fat32, NTFS, reloaded an XP image, installed Fedora and all seem to work fine, but this Windows 7 Image. Just stumped...this image was never touched or had this crap software on it.

As for writing multiple 0/1's or low level format to the SSD drive to wipe it...I hear that is not a good. I don't know what alternatives there are to wipe an SSD. I'm wondering, since reformatting does not delete data on SSD Cells, that perhaps...the chips on this drive still recognize the software installed with Windows 7, even though the software is technically NOT installed and this image never being touched, it's what had been copied and formatted over the Cells that is trying to make some relation with Windows 7. I don't know I can't explain it well.

Edit:

CRUCIAL_CT64M225 SSD

I've found HDDErase... need some input from anyone experienced before I decide to go about using this on SSD.

Edited April 11, 2010 by epic

[cluberti]

As long as you're not going to do a DoD wipe every month, doing it once or twice isn't really that bad. I've done it many times (not on the same drives, of course) without any issue. In fact, using one pass via DBAN (assuming you're not worried about someone "finding" data on the drive, as you're the one who will be using it once the disk wipe is complete) should be sufficient.

I've had mixed luck with HDD Erase - it almost seems dependent on the machine's controller if it is going to work properly or not.

[epic]

Well, from what I understand...that's why TRIM is there... to obscure data from recovery. Running a DoD or Gutmann pass over a NON TRIM device is useless, the data will always be there and is recoverable. Once TRIM is enabled SSD data is nearly impossible to recover. So, the reason writing over and over, DoD or Gutmann, you kill the CELLS and lifespan...eventually it will fail because the CELLS fill with copied data, SSD drives (CELLS) need to be purged. Unlike mechanical drives the data is saved on platters you could run an infinite number of 0/1's until it mechanically fails.

Crucial boards state 'Sanitary Erase' from OCZ... still waiting on word to what is what. I really do not want a coaster.

Edited April 11, 2010 by epic

[epic]

Love the hoops... the nVidia chipset (750i FTW) does not support AHCI... so running Sanitary Erase, which needs the controller set to IDE vs SATA, can not be done.