[SOLVED] Windows failing to start

[Zed2033]

Hi all,

So firstly I should start with the fact I had a unexpected hardware failure that caused my PC to brick which is where my situation started.

As I was unable to find the culprit I decided to instead just upgrade and when booting my new PC for the first time I get the message that Windows failed to start due to hardware change etc.

Now at this stage I'm unsure what to do. I know I can cleanly reinstall windows which will wipe everything, but as I was obviously unable to back up anything id lose all my data. Is there any other option I can use that will save my data and allow me to get windows going again? Say in the repair my computer troubleshooter?

thanks for any help

 

[Darkbreeze]

You changed hardware.

What was your hardware before, and what is it now? Exact model numbers please. Motherboard and CPU for before and after.

I'm going to assume you DID NOT do a clean install of Windows after changing hardware. Is that correct?

 

[Zed2033]

Yeah I understand why I'm getting the message I'm just asking if there's a way to salvage this.

Old:
Intel i5 6600k
Asus z170 pro gaming
GTX 1070 gaming x
EVGA G2 supernova 750w
Samsung Evo 850 250gb

New:
Ryzen 5 3600
MSI b450 tomahawk max
GTX 1070 gaming x
Corsair RM750x
Samsung Evo 850 250gb

 

[Darkbreeze]

Not going to happen. Completely different chipsets.

SOMETIMES people get lucky, and can use the same Windows installation after moving from one platform and chipset to another, and it will do "ok" and reconfigure. Other times, there is simply too much that is different for the installation to accept and you will just keep getting errors. There are a few way around it, such as attempting to do an in place upgrade or repair, but honestly they are not worth the effort.

If there is data you need to get off that drive, and to be blunt if there is it should have been backed up someplace else anyhow prior to this problem or in any an all situations at all times, then you may need to attach the drive to another system, pull the data you need off of it, and then simply look forward to having to reinstall all your games and programs. When you make a major platform change it is simply something that SHOULD always be done. A clean install that is.

Even in cases where it works without doing that, it is rarely "trouble free" and there are almost always some form of small oddities, glitches or weird occasional errors and hiccups that just make it unpalatable.

Backup any data you need off there, and then do this, would be my advice.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[DSzymborski]

If the data is that crucial, then get a new drive and don't mount the old hard drive with the important data until the install's done correctly on the new drive.

And definitely take the opportunity to think long and hard about an appropriate backup solution. Important data should never be trapped on a broken PC; that your data appears to be suggests there's been a serious fumble in terms of basic PC upkeep. Any data that's important should be stored in a minimum of three locations, in two different storage mediums, with at least one copy off-site (you'll see this called the 3-2-1 rule).

The importance of your data ought to be reflected by the manner you choose to protect it. You were very fortunate this time that your access to data is only prevented by an unrelated PC problem and the cost of a new hard drive. Many people don't learn the lesson until they're paying $1000 to a data recovery lab or witnessing the loss of their important files forever.

 

[Darkbreeze]

100% agreed.

 

[Zed2033]

Thanks for the informative replies guys.

The data isn't particularly important as the drive in question is purely just a boot drive with some miscellaneous things. However it's more a convenience thing in terms of wanting to retrieve the data. Anything important is on seperate drives.

I'll take the option of placing the hard drive in a different system, retrieving and then installing over it with a clean install.

Once I have everything going I'll look into better backup solutions as suggested to make this easier should it happen again in the future.

Thanks again!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Good plan. The two main options that come to mind are Acronis true image, which isn't free, but is very reasonable at 50 bucks for a lifetime license and is what I have used for years, or Macrium reflect, which is free, but doesn't have nearly as granular of options as Acronis true image. Both will create backup images for you though.

Another good option is AOMEI backupper. Again, it's not as fully featured as Acronis, but it gets the job done.