Windows Startup Recovery loops.

Jogita

Honorable
Aug 17, 2012
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10,510
Before I begin, I'd like to point out I have three hard drives:

1. Is my main 80GB hard drive that contains Windows 7 Ultimate.
2. Is my internal 1TB hard drive that I use to hold most of my files and data.
And 3. Is my internal 500GB hard drive that has Windows 8 installed.

At about 4:00PM yesterday, I wen't to a friend's house, so I slept the computer until about 8:35AM this morning. I woke it up, and after about 5 - 7 minutes, it started to shut down. I thought it was an update so I was just like, "Oh okay, no problem." But when it started back up, it went to the recovery screen.

It's happened before, so I just restarted it, but this time, it came back. I then tried running the Startup Repair, but it couldn't find any problems.

I then tried restoring the system, (Which I had none, except one that was unusually created on May 3rd 8:31AM,) but it did absolutely nothing.

I even tried running Windows 8, but I still get a Startup Recovery on that too.

Back at Windows 7 I tried many possible choices to try and resolve the issue, such as backing up all the new components from windows/system32/config and restoring old ones, but again, still nothing.

I also tried formatting the hard drive containing Windows 8 (It had nothing but a single game purchased, so it's not much of a loss) and then reinstalling Windows 7 on that one, but now it's giving me a "winload.exe cannot verify the digital signature", or something like that.

I am a game creator, and I have a game being made on the 1st hard drive (Which is hard drive with Windows 7 currently installed), so I cannot afford to lose the data from that hard drive.

Is there a way to solve this without having to reinstall Windows 7 completely?

However, if I can move my data from my hard drive to another via Command Prompt, that will be even more of assistance.
 
Solution
I would do a repair install of Windows 7; this is a good step by step guide: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

A repair install will save programs and data files, but you will have to reload the Windows Updates.

If your work is important, consider backup on another drive that is not left connected to the machine.

If you know the file locations and can startup with the command prompt, copying files is fairly simple. Here is a Microsoft page with all the syntax you could need: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490886.aspx
I would do a repair install of Windows 7; this is a good step by step guide: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html

A repair install will save programs and data files, but you will have to reload the Windows Updates.

If your work is important, consider backup on another drive that is not left connected to the machine.

If you know the file locations and can startup with the command prompt, copying files is fairly simple. Here is a Microsoft page with all the syntax you could need: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490886.aspx
 
Solution


I mentioned earlier that I cannot even access Windows 7 using the computer, even from a different hard drive, so that tutorial is of no use to me.

However, using Command Prompt, I was able to save my important work and transfer it to my 1TB Hard Drive, so I am no longer taking a big risk in this.

Is there still a way to fix this, or will I have to uninstall Windows and redo it. It's not too much of a problem to reinstall it now, but it would be super handy if I could not have to reinstall it.
 
Two things that are worth a try still from the command prompt, a scan repair:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=<your win7 drive letter>:\ /offwindir=<your win7 drive letter>:\windows

and boot sector repair also from the command prompt:

bootrec.exe /FixMbr
bootrec.exe /FixBoot
bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd
 


All this did was create a new Windows partition named Windows 7 Ultimate. When trying to boot from it, I get the message:
File: \Windows.old.000\Windows\system32\winload.exe

Status: 0xc0000428

Info: The digital signature for this file couldn't be verified


By my guess, I'd say it has something to do with a bad registry form causing winload.exe to not have permission to open?
Either way, all it did was create another partition that still won't work.
 
No, it's a Windows 8 issue -- it is not uncommon on dual boot machines.

Disconnect the drive that Windows 8 was on and then delete the bootmgr from the Windows 7 drive and then you should be able to do a startup repair creating a new clean bootmgr. Use the command prompt and substitute your Windows 7 drive letter for n in the commands below:

attrib -s -h n:\bootmgr
del n:\bootmgr

Then use the Windows 7 install disk to try a startup repair.
 


I've already removed Windows 8 and removed the bootmgr, but it still gave me the same thing.
I resolved the issue anyways by wiping the hard drive clean and just reinstalling Windows 7 again.

Although, I will admit, if you wouldn't of told me about copying files from hard drive to hard drive, I would of lost some important work, so I thank you for that.
 
Since you are a game developer, it might be worth the money to get a copy of VMWare Workstation 9 to run Win 8 and other OSs using a Win 7 x64 base OS. I use it and it is far more reliable and flexible than dual or triple boot set ups. Also, as you now know Windows power management is still buggy and it is best to avoid sleep and hibernate for a production machine.

(and it was actually the Windows 7 boot manager that needed removal, as I know you already removed the Win 8 -- moot point now though).