Help to Fix, Recover and Repair Windows Vista When a PC/Computer Crashes or Fails to Boot

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CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE

Click the relevant link to go to that information

Introduction to recovering and repairing Windows Vista

Windows Vista Boot Manager startup recovery options

How to use the Windows Vista installation DVD to run Startup Repair

How to install the Windows Recovery Environment - Windows RE - on a computer's hard drive in order to repair damaged Windows Vista systems

Windows Vista password recovery

Windows Vista Microsoft Knowledge Base articles [Separate page]

How to diagnose and fix problems with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business and Ultimate Editions

Introduction to recovering and repairing Windows Vista

System recovery in Windows Vista should be a simple matter, because the process has been automated.

The Windows Vista installation DVD provides a comprehensive automated recovery suite called the Windows Recovery Environment.

Windows XP users have to fix a corrupt MBR and hard-drive boot sector manually by making use of the relevant commands used by the Recovery Console, which no longer exists in Windows Vista. The hard drive also has to be scanned for errors manually by making use of the chkdsk utility in Windows XP. However, the Windows Recovery Environment provided with Windows Vista corrects a corrupt MBR and boot sector, and performs a hard-disk checkup automatically.

How to use the Startup Repair feature that uses the Windows Recovery Environment is discussed further down this page.

Note that you can only recover an installation of Windows Vista if the cause of its failure is software-related. If the failure to boot, etc., is cause by a hardware failure, such as a faulty motherboard, faulty RAM memory, etc., the defective hardware has to be identified and then repaired or replaced.

Read METHODS OF RECOVERING WINDOWS XP for information on recovering a system from a hardware failure.

Windows Vista Boot Manager startup recovery options

The Advanced Boot Options menu allows you to start Windows Vista in advanced troubleshooting modes. You can access the menu by switching the computer on and pressing the F8 key repeatedly before Windows Vista starts.

The following information appears on this page:

Advanced startup options (including Safe Mode) -

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/f9c50a72-04ec-4088-9fd4-a4f979eef5a71033.mspx

"Some options, such as safe mode, start Windows in a limited state, where only the bare essentials are started. If a problem does not reappear when you start in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers as possible causes. Other options start Windows with advanced features intended for use by system administrators and IT professionals. For more information, go to the Microsoft website for IT professionals."

Repair your computer

"Shows a list of system recovery tools you can use to repair startup problems, run diagnostics, or restore your system. This option is available only if the tools are installed on your computer's hard disk. If you have a Windows installation disc, the system recovery tools are located on the installation disc. For more information, see Startup Repair: frequently asked questions."

More information on these recovery tools is provided further down this page.

Safe Mode

Starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services.

Safe mode with networking

"Starts Windows in safe mode and includes the network drivers and services needed to access the Internet or other computers on your network."

Safe mode with command prompt

"Starts Windows in safe mode with a command prompt window instead of the usual Windows interface. This option is intended for IT professionals and administrators."

Enable boot logging

"Creates a file, ntbtlog.txt, that lists all the drivers that are installed during startup and that might be useful for advanced troubleshooting."

Enable low resolution video (640 × 480)

"Starts Windows using your current video driver and using low resolution and refresh rate settings. You can use this mode to reset your display settings."

Last Known Good Configuration (advanced)

"Starts Windows with the last registry and driver configuration that worked successfully."

Directory services restore mode

"Starts Windows domain controller running Active Directory so that the directory service can be restored. This option is intended for IT professionals and administrators."

Debugging mode

"Starts Windows in an advanced troubleshooting mode intended for IT professionals and system administrators."

Disable automatic restart on system failure

"Prevents Windows from automatically restarting if an error causes Windows to fail. Choose this option only if Windows is stuck in a loop where Windows fails, attempts to restart, and fails again repeatedly."

Disable Driver Signature Enforcement

"Allows drivers containing improper signatures to be installed."

Start Windows normally Starts

"Windows in its normal mode."

How to use the Windows Vista installation DVD to run Startup Repair

Using Startup Repair on the Windows Vista DVD is the easiest method to recover/repair and installation of Windows Vista.

Note that if you have a USB flash drive inserted, the Startup Repair process sometimes examines it instead of the active partition of the boot hard disk drive. If it does that, it won't be able to locate the Master Boot Record (MBR) that it requires to boot, and so gives an error message. In order to avoid that, remove all USB and other peripheral devices (printers, etc.), before you run the startup recovery tool.

If you have bought your own copy of Windows Vista, which comes on a DVD, or you have a Vista DVD that came with your desktop or laptop PC, you can use into boot a damaged system.

However, note that you won't be able to do that if your PC came with a Recovery CD/DVD, which runs its own recovery system that usually restores the PC to the state it was in when it left the factory, usually minus all of the programs you've installed yourself and minus the data files that you have created.

If the BIOS setup program is set to boot first from the computer's CD/DVD drive, having the Vista DVD in the CD/DVD drive launches the Windows Vista installation.

Note that if the computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check the information that came with your computer. You may need to change the computer's BIOS settings.

If you can't boot into Vista in order to be able to insert the Vista DVD into the CD/DVD drive and then reboot in order to boot the system from the DVD, switch the computer on, insert the disc quickly, close the drive door and then reboot the system by making use of the Reset button. If your computer doesn't have a Reset button, switch the computer off and then restart it.

When the computer starts the BIOS runs and lists the computer's hardware and other information on the screen. When that information has cleared, the computer will see that a bootable DVD is inserted and present a prompt that says: Press any key to boot from the CD or DVD...

The boot process then launches the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE), which is a basic version of Windows that runs in memory only.

A screen presents itself asking for three requirements:

Language to install

Time and currency format

Keyboard or input method

Making a selection for each option, or keeping the default options and clicking Next, will bring you to the Install now screen. You don't want to install Vista, so don't choose that option.

These two options appear in the lower left corner of the screen:

What to know before installing Windows

Repair your computer

Clicking Repair your computer will bring up another screen. The repair process looks for all of Windows Vista installations on the computer. When that has been done, the System Recovery Options dialog window comes up.

The information that appears in the System Recovery Options window is as follows:

"Select an operating system to repair and click Next. Only Windows Vista operating systems are listed and can be repaired.

If you do not see an operating system listed, click Load Drivers [button] to load drivers for your hard disks"

There are two buttons at the bottom right-hand side of the window called Load Divers and Next.

If only one version of Vista is listed, click the Next button.

This option launches Windows RE, of which more information is provided in the next item on this page.

If the repair process doesn't detect any problems starting Vista, it brings up the System Recovery Options window that provides access to the following recovery tools:

Startup Repair

System Restore

Windows Complete Restore

Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

Command Prompt

You'll want to perform an automated repair, so you should click on the Startup Repair option under the list of utilities.

Note that if the repair process detects that the computer has had problems starting Vista, instead of displaying the list of recovery utilities, it runs the Startup Repair tool automatically. When the Startup Repair tool runs, it scans the Vista installation for problems. If it finds problems, it attempts to fix them automatically. This is the information that appears in the Startup Repair window:

"Your computer was unable to start... Startup Repair is checking your system for problems..."

"If problems are found, Startup Repair will fix them automatically. Your computer might restart several times during the process. No changes will be made to your personal files, or information. This might take several minutes."

The window displays an animated box that has shows that actions are taking place. It has the words "Searching for problems..." under it.

During this process the Startup Repair dialog box might present itself asking if you would like to restore your computer using System Restore.

It says: "Do you want to restore your computer using System Restore?... Startup Repair can try to restore your computer to an earlier point when it worked correctly... This repair will not change personal data, but it might remove some programs that were installed recently [that were installed before the restore point it restores was created]. You cannot undo this restoration."

The window has a Restore and a Cancel button.

Click on the Cancel button because there is a superior System Restore option that can be used from the System Recovery Options, which are detailed further down in this article. The repair process will continue to scan the installation of Vista for errors to fix. After the repair process has finished running, if no problems were found, an option to send information to Microsoft will present itself. You can elect to send the information or instruct the process not to send it. Note that you won't receive a reply from Microsoft with a solution. Microsoft just uses the information to determine if it needs to create a patch to rectify the problem.

After you've made your choice, the Startup Repair window now says:

"Windows cannot repair this computer automatically. If you have recently attached a device to this computer, such as a camera or a portable music player, remove it and restart your computer. If you continue to see this message, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance."

The window provides the following two options:

View diagnostic and repair details

View advanced options for system recovery and support

The window also provides Finish and Cancel buttons.

Clicking on the Finish button exits the repair process by rebooting the computer.

Clicking on the View advanced options for system recovery and support option is the advisable action to take.

Note that you can bring up the advanced repair options at any time during the Startup Repair process by clicking on the Cancel button. The advanced repair options are:

Startup Repair

This feature has been dealt with above.

System Restore

System Restore allows the restoration of a computer's configuration, driver information, and programs to a previous state that leaves the existing data folders and files intact. To use this option, System Restore must have been enabled in Windows Vista so that restore points are available to restore from. System Restore in Vista works in the same way as it does in Windows XP. Click here! to go to the information on it on this site. If you are familiar with using computer software, using System Restore would be a simple matter of following the its wizard's instructions.

Windows Complete Restore

Complete PC Restore is a feature of Vista's Complete PC Backup and Restore utility that can restore a whole system from a backup image that it created. It is only available in Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise, not in Vista Home Basic or Vista Home Premium. If you used the utility to create backup image of the whole system when the computer was operating properly, you can use this repair option to restore that image.

Windows [Vista] Backup and Restore Center - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/backup.mspx

Error message when you try to repair or recover Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium by using Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore: "You do not have a valid backup image to restore from" - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930436

Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

Windows Vista comes with the Microsoft Windows Memory Diagnostic utility that can check the memory installed in a computer for errors. It allows you to find out if the RAM memory installed in the computer is responsible for errors. It can be run at system startup or from the Vista installtion DVD. Click here! to go to the information on it on this site.

Command Prompt

The Command Prompt repair tool allows a command prompt to be opened that can be used to access the files and Registry information on your computer. It can remove security threats such as worms, rootkits, and other malware from a computer and allows access to files when Vista fails to boot. The Recovery Console in Windows XP has been diminished in Windows Vista so that most of the commands are available via the Command Prompt in Windows RE. Here is a list of Recovery Console commands that are different or unavailable in Windows RE:

All the remaining commands have the same name in Windows RE. The services related commands (listsvc, enable and disable) that are not available, can be worked around by loading the registry hive manually using regedit.

Click here! to go to information on the Recovery Console that provides information on the remaining commands and what they are used to accomplish.

When you are finished using the Command Prompt it is exited by typing exit and then pressing the Enter key on the keyboard. The Command Prompt closes and you are brought back at the list of the available repair tools.

With Windows XP it is a simple matter to fix a corrupt bootloader. All you have to do is boot with the Windows XP installation disc in the CD/DVD drive, click R to run the Recovery Console, and then use the fixmbr (fix master boot record) command. However, Windows Vista has a new much more complex bootloader. Many files have to be restored, a great deal of data has to be recreated. Moreover, complicated configuration has to be set up just in order to get Windows Vista to boot. If you have a dual-boot system that provides the choice to boot into more than one version of Windows or an alternative operating system, such as Linux, the process is all the more difficult. Here are some useful webpages that provide the information you need to use Vista's Bootrec.exe tool and how to recover Vista's bootloader.

How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows Vista -

"You can use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) to troubleshoot and repair the following items in Windows Vista:• A master boot record (MBR) • A boot sector • A Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store." - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

Recovering the Windows Vista Bootloader from the Installation DVD -

http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Recovering+the+Vista+Bootloader+from+the+DVD

Repairing the Windows Vista Bootloader - http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Repairing+the+Windows+Vista+Bootloader

What is EasyBCD® - "It all depends on who you ask or what you want to get done, but EasyBCD is NeoSmart Technologies 100% free Vista bootloader modification tool. A way to get your Vista working with Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, and dozens more operating systems without a headache! An IT Guy's number 1 Vista-troubleshooting tool. A multiple award-winning application, used and recommended by people at PC World, Microsoft, and more! The best way to do just about anything with Windows Vista before it even turns on!" -

http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/EasyBCD+Documentation+Home

Articles on Startup Repair and the other available advanced startup options in Windows Vista

Startup Repair: frequently asked questions - http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/5c59f8c1-b0d1-4f1a-af55-74f3922f3f351033.mspx

Advanced startup options (including Safe Mode) -

"The Advanced Boot Options menu lets you start Windows in advanced troubleshooting modes. You can access the menu by turning on your computer and pressing the F8 key before Windows starts." - http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/f9c50a72-04ec-4088-9fd4-a4f979eef5a71033.mspx#EKH

Windows Vista no longer starts, and Startup Repair does not fix problem -

"CAUSE: When a USB flash drive is inserted in a computer, the computer hardware sometimes reports that the USB flash drive is the system partition. The Startup Repair tool examines the USB flash drive instead of the actual system partition on the hard disk. Because Startup Repair cannot locate the corrupted MBR, it does not detect a problem. RESOLUTION To avoid this behavior, remove the USB flash drive before you run the Startup Repair tool." - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934540

How to use the Windows Recovery Environment - Windows RE - from a computer's hard drive to repair damaged Windows Vista systems

Using the Windows RE console to diagnose and repair a problem with Windows Vista

A disadvantage of using the Windows Vista installation DVD is that you might not always have it on hand. If you don't want to be dependent on the installation media, then you can make use of the Windows RE console by installing it on your computer when you install Windows Vista.

The Windows RE console is new to Windows Vista and is designed to support its recovery or repair.

Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) is a recovery platform based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE). It provides two main functions:

1. - Automatic diagnosis and repair of boot problems using a tool called Startup Repair.

2. - A centralised platform for other advanced recovery tools: System Restore - Windows Complete Restore - Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool - Command Prompt. Information on these recovery tools is provided in the first article on this page on Startup Repair.

Windows RE replaces the Recovery Console in Windows XP. However, you should be able to perform most of the tasks of the Recovery Console from Windows RE.

You can even use Windows RE to reinstall Windows without damaging your data, since the image-based setup Windows Vista uses protects data during an upgrade process.

The ideal way to install Windows RE is to create two disk partitions as you install Vista on your system: one for Vista and one for Windows RE.

This way, Windows RE will be accessible if you run into system disk problems and Vista won't start. The Windows RE partition only requires 1GB of space, since Windows RE is a very small system. Both partitions must be primary and active. To install Windows RE, you have to create a system image that you can install on your system. For this, you'll need the Windows Automated Installation Kit, which kit gives you the tools you need to customise a Windows PE image and turn it into a Windows RE image. Once the image is ready, you simply apply it to your Windows RE partition.

Full instructions on how to achieve that can be found in this step-by-step guide:

Walkthrough: Build a Windows Recovery Solution -

"This walkthrough describes how to build a recovery solution by using Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), a solution based on Windows PE 2.0. In this example, you will first create a custom Windows RE image. You will then build a master computer that contains two partitions, one for Windows Vista and one for Windows RE. Once installed, you will configure Windows Vista Boot Manager to automatically fallover to Windows RE when Windows Vista is unable to boot." -

http://technet2.microsoft.com:80/WindowsVista/en/library/61e08b15-82d8-46bd-a5f1-7947193e6ed81033.mspx?mfr=true

How to install Windows RE on the hard disk - http://blogs.msdn.com/winre/default.aspx

Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment - http://www.microsoft.com/Licensing/sa/benefits/winpe.mspx

Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) -

"The Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) helps you to install, customize, and deploy the Microsoft Windows Vista™ family of operating systems." -

http://www.microsoft.com:80/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C7D4BC6D-15F3-4284-9123-679830D629F2&displaylang=en

Windows Vista password recovery

In Windows Vista, the first account that you create is the administrator account, so if you lose its password you won't be able to enter the system unless you take a simple precuation beforehand.

Password recovery in Vista makes use of a USB flash drive/memory stick. However it has to be set up before it can be used. To do that, log into the administrator's account, click the Start button, which no longer has the word "Start" on it, and then enter control userpasswords in the Start Search box. In the window that comes up, click on Create A Password Reset Disk. This activates the forgotten password wizard. Click Next and insert a USB flash drive in a USB port. Enter the current administrator's password. The wizard writes it to the USB flash drive/memory stick. You should remove the drive, give it a suitable label and place it somewhere safe that you can remember easily. Some people hide things so well that they forget how to find them. When you forget the password, plug the flash drive into the computer and click on Reset Password. Click Next on the Reset Password Wizard and select the drive that contains the USB reset disk. Enter a new password when prompted and confirm it. Now you must update the flash drive with the new password so that you can use it should the same thing happen at some other time.

You can use a password-recovery service if you didn't set up the Reset Disk.

These are usually expensive but the Login Recovery service from http://www.loginrecovery.com/ is free unless you use its instant-access service. "Login Recovery is a service to reveal user names and recover passwords for Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista. As long as you have physical access to the computer, your passwords can be recovered."

The instructions on the home page are:

"Download this extraction program to create a bootable floppy disk to read the password file. (click here for a CD version) Insert the disk into the computer you wish to recover passwords from and boot the computer to extract the encrypted passwords to the disk. Put the disk into an Internet enabled computer, and upload the encrypted password file for decryption. (see uploads page) £12.95+vat ( $32.50* ) for instant access or... FREE service (takes 72 hours)."

On startup, the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) file that contains the passwords is locked, encrypted, and is therefore unreadable. You download the software to create a bootable floppy disk or CD. (Remember that to boot from a floppy disk the BIOS Setup Program must be set so that the first boot device is a floppy drive/CD/DVD drive. You then boot the system with it and it makes a copy of the SAM file. Then you make use of another PC that is connected to the web to upload the file that is extracted to the Login Recovery site. You should have the password back within 48 hours.

Here are some other webpages that can educate you about Windows Vista passwords and help you recover a system if it cannot be entered due to a forgotten password.

What to do if you forget your Windows password -

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/66b61e8e-341d-453b-9edd-234301dfd7e51033.mspx

Reset your Windows [Vista] password - http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/06fd491e-6aff-4c4b-a6ac-a0abff8f2d9b1033.mspx

How to create and use a password reset disk in Windows Vista - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930381

Back Up and Recover Windows Vista Passwords - http://wiki.ittoolbox.com/index.php/Back_Up_and_Recover_Windows_Vista_Passwords

Top 4 Free Windows Password Recovery Tools -

"Many password recovery tools cost hundreds of dollars. Here are some free password recovery tools that will help recover forgotten Windows passwords fast!" - http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/tp/passrecovery.htm

PC Buyer Beware! Copyright © Eric Legge 2004-2008. All rights reserved.