ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems before
suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the vista
starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache dump i
think.
it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to start,
i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just failed and
went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or corrupt.
i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen and then
the computer switches off.
i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but this
just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through this
interface but it just said that there were no restore points
what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want to lose
all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
any help would be appreciated
TIA.

Hello bt--

If you see the screen that has the dots scrolling horizontally, (the default
Vista boot screen) your Vista kernel is loading. That'd be this:

[url]http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6840/windowsbootscreenqz8.jpg[/url]

or a closeup
[url]http://doing.nothing.net.nz/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/image027.jpg[/url]

You actually have about 10 options.

If you have the Vista DVD you can use Startup Repair, and when you try F8
options you should try them all as outlined below. If you have no restore
points at all, then you can't use system restore, and in the future, I'd
always check it to make sure you have some or at least create a restore
point at reasonable intervals as well as use something like Acronis 10 to
image your system incrementally and create backups. Have you created any
backups using the Backup Mechanism Vista offers you?

Startup Repair will look like this when you put in the Vista DVD:

[url]http://www.vistaclues.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/click-repair-your-computer.png[/url]

You run the startup repair tool this way (and system restore from here is
also sometimes effective):

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925810/en-us[/url]

How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
[url]http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm[/url]


I'm going to give you a bunch of links and most of them you won't have to
use, but they are alternative ways to fix Vista.

Right now I want you to put in the DVD and restart. It will automatically
take you to this on your screen:

[url]http://www.vistaclues.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/click-repair-your-computer.png[/url]

That will allow you to go to the Vista setup that has a Repair link on the
lower left corner>click it and then you'll see a gray backgrounded list and
I want you to click Startup Repair from it and follow the directions.

The gray screen after you click the first link in the above pic will look
like this:

[url]http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winvista/images/repair/staruprepair/Image17.gif[/url]

Click Startup Repair, the link at the top and after it scans>click OK and
let it try to repair Vista. It will tell you if it does, and if not

This should work, but if not,then you can follow the alternative ways to fix
this including booting into Safe Mode by tapping the F8 key and using System
Restore.

Directions and links for alternative ways to fix this are below, but I hope
you won't need them:

If you have any questions on getting the Startup Repair done, just post
them.

If you have a Vista DVD try Startup Repair. If that doesn't work, try
SafeMode>System Restore from the Recovery Environment, and you always have
the F8 advanced options ( five of them including Last Known Good
Configuration) and a repair install (with the DVD) as well.

In addition you can use the Bootsect tool to manually repair the boot sector
by accessing the command prompt from the DVD or from F8 and typing at the
prompt:

****Ten Methods to Repair BSOD No Boots or Serious Problems in Windows
Vista****

***Startup Repair and System Restore from the Win Recovery Environment on
the DVD***

Although MSFT's Official Party Line as expressed by the Win RE team is that
Startup Repair is only to fix startups, like a lot of features rtm'd that
have broader application, so does Startup Repair. I have used it many times
to fix major systemic problems in Vista when it would still boot
successfully, and am talking with them to try to find out why they seem to
bill it as only fixing startup problems.

You can run Startup Repair by putting your Vista DVD in after theanguage
screen in setup. You can also run System Restore from the same
location.

You run the startup repair tool this way (and system restore from here is
also sometimes effective):

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925810/en-us[/url]

How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
[url]http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm[/url]

Note The computer must be configured to start from a CD or from a DVD. For
information about how to configure the computer to start from a CD or from a
DVD, see the information that came with the computer.
2. Restart the computer. To do this, click Start, click the arrow next to
the Lock button, and then click Restart.

This usually means that you enter bios setup by whatever key or keys
(sometimes there is more than one key that will do it for your model--go to
pc manufacturer site) and configure CD to be first in the boot order (this
will allow you to boot from the Vista DVD as well):

See for ref:
Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS (applies to Vista as well)
[url]http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm[/url]

Boot Order in Bios (Set Boot from HD 1st)
[url]http://www.short-media.com/images/mm/Articles/build_computer/bios/bios03.jpg[/url]

Note If you cannot restart the computer by using this method, use the power
button to turn off the computer. Then, turn the computer back on.

3. Set your language preference, and then click Next.

Note In most cases, the startup repair process starts automatically, and you
do not have the option to select it in the System Recovery Options menu.

4. Click Repair your computer.

5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click the operating system
that you want to repair, and then click Next.

6. In the System Recovery Options menu, click Startup Repair to start the
repair process.

7. When the repair process is complete, click Finish.

Additional References for Startup Repair With Screenshots:

How to Use Startup Repair:

***Accessing Windows RE (Repair Environment):***

1) Insert Media into PC (the DVD you burned)

2) ***You will see on the Vista logo setup screen after lang. options in the
lower left corner, a link called "System Recovery Options."***

Screenshot: System Recovery Options (Lower Left Link)
[url]http://blogs.itecn.net/photos/liuhui/images/2014/500x375.aspx[/url]

Screenshot: (Click first option "Startup Repair"
[url]http://www.leedesmond.com/images/img_vista02ctp-installSysRecOpt2.bmp[/url]

How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
[url]http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm[/url]

3) Select your OS for repair.

4) Its been my experience that you can see some causes of the crash from
theWin RE feature:

You'll have a choice there of using:

1) Startup Repair
2) System Restore
3) Complete PC Restore
___________________

In addition you can use the Bootsect tool to manually repair the boot sector
by accessing the command prompt from the DVD or from F8 and typing at the
prompt:

Bootsect.exe is available from the \Boot\folder of the Windows Vista DVD and
can be run from within System Recovery or Windows XP on a dual boot.


1. Use Bootsect.exe to restore the Windows Vista MBR and the boot code that
transfers control to the Windows Boot Manager program. To do this, type the
following command at a command prompt: Drive:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All

In this command, Drive is the drive where the Windows Vista installation
media is located.

Note The boot folder for this step is on the DVD drive.
2. Use Bcdedit.exe to manually create an entry in the BCD Boot.ini file for
the earlier version of the Windows operating system. To do this, type the
following commands at a command prompt.

Note In these commands, Drive is the drive where Windows Vista is
installed. . Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /create {ntldr} -d "Description
for earlier Windows version"

Note In this command, Description for earlier Windows version can be any
text that you want. For example, Description for earlier Windows version can
be "Windows XP" or "Windows Server 2003".
.. Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=x:

Note In this command, x: is the drive letter for the active partition.
.. Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
.. Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} -addlast

3. Restart the computer.
____________________________
******Using the BootRec.exe Tool

Using the System Recovery Tool from the Repair link on the DVD after the
language choice in the lower left hand corner you can select command prompt
and you have the following options:

Bootrec.exe (You can use this tool to recover Vista even when you do not
receive the error message that is the title of the 2nd linked MSKB below):

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

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392/en-us[/url]

Error message when you start Windows Vista: "The Windows Boot Configuration
Data file is missing required information"
[url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927391/en-us[/url]
_____________________________________________________________
***Using the F8 Environment or a Repair Install from the DVD:***

Pressing F8 repeatedly when you seem the firmware screen may be is a generic
way to launch Windows RE on some OEM Vista computers.

See for ref:
Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS (Applies to Vista as well)
[url]http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm[/url]

Boot Order in Bios (Set Boot from HD 1st)
[url]http://www.short-media.com/images/mm/Articles/build_computer/bios/bios03.jpg[/url]

Repair Install (for XP or Vista)
[url]http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx[/url]

Repair Install (Method 2): (for XP or Vista)
[url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/315341[/url]

***Taking Full Advantage of the F8 Options (Windows Advanced Options Menu)
by starting the PC and tapping F8 once per second when the firmware screen
with the pc manufacturer's name shows a few seconds after restarting***:

The F8 options in Vista are the same as XP, and the link for Safe Mode Boot
options is labled XP by MSFT but they are the same for Vista (they haven't
updated to add Vista to the title as they have with several MSKBs that apply
to both).

Again, pressing F8 repeatedly when you seem the firmware screen may be is a
generic way to launch Windows RE on some OEM Vista computers.

You could also:

Think: I have 4 different ways to get back my XP at F8 and try 'em in order.
1) Safe Mode 2) Safe Mode with Cmd to Sys Restore which is simply a cmd
prompt in safe mode 3) Safe Mode with Neworking 4) LKG or Last Known Good
Configuration


Try to F8 to the Windows Adv Options Menu>try 3 safe modes there (I don't
use WGA) and Last Known Good>then I go to Win RE in Vista. That gives you a
choice of Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking,and Safe Mode with Command
Prompt.

These methods are outlined in

A description of the Safe Mode Boot options in Windows XP/and Vista
[url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315222/[/url]

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding System Restore from MSFT:

[url]http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/plan/faqsrwxp.mspx[/url]


System Restore can be run from the Win RE recovery environment from the same
link as Startup Repair, and sometimes it will work from one F8 safe mode
location or from the Win Recovery Environment when it won't work from other
locations.


How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt in Windows XP

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449[/url]


Repair Install: (This option has the best chance of succeeding and it
preserves everything in your OS--you do not lose anything with this option):

Make sure the DVD you have is a Vista DVD. Many OEMs will send you a
Recovery DVD and it may restore you to factory settings, but a high
percentage of the time it does not in my experience.

Pitfalls: If the DVD came from friend or relative or P2P, you may have
problems. P2P besides being illlegal in many countries including the U.S.
can be corrupt. If CD came from friend or relative, they may have given
you the CD to use but if product key is in use, MSFT is not going to accept
it for activation. Make sure you clean the CD carefully using proper
cleaning fluid and strokes that radiate from center like spokes on a wheel.

Again a repair install has the most likely chance to succeed in XP, (and can
work in Vista) but you need
to have a Vista DVD.

First, in order to do a Repair Install You must boot to the bios setup and
position booting from the "CD" first in the boot order--it probably will not
say DVD but might.

Booting to Bios Setup:

For 85% of PC's and all Dells you can tap the F2 key to reach bios setup.

How To Enable DVD/CD Rom Support (put CD boot first) in bios setup boot
order:

[url]http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_enable_cdrom_support_i.htm[/url]

Screen Shot of bios setup boot order:
[url]http://www.poy.net/proxy/bios2.jpg[/url]

Repair Install Does Not Lose Anything; you may need to try 2-3 times but
that's rare.

How To Repair Install (Applies to Vista as well as XP)

[url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341#XSLTH3127121122120121120120[/url]

Screen Shot Repair Install
[url]http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdrepair/indexfullpage.htm[/url]

Good luck,

CH

Welcome to apathetic America (home of Redmond, Washington) where the
indifferent people get the Democracy they deserve:

FRANK RICH: I Did Have Sexual Relations With That Woman
New York 7/22/07

IT’S not just the resurgence of Al Qaeda that is taking us back full circle
to the fateful first summer of the Bush presidency. It’s the hot sweat
emanating from Washington. Once again the capital is titillated by a scandal
featuring a member of Congress, a woman who is not his wife and a rumor of
crime. Gary Condit, the former Democratic congressman from California, has
passed the torch of below-the-Beltway sleaziness to David Vitter, an
incumbent (as of Friday) Republican senator from Louisiana.



Mr. Vitter briefly faced the press to explain his “very serious sin,”
accompanied by a wife who might double for the former Mrs. Jim McGreevey. He
had no choice once snoops hired by the avenging pornographer Larry Flynt
unearthed his number in the voluminous phone records of the so-called D.C.
Madam, now the subject of a still-young criminal investigation. Newspapers
back home also linked the senator to a defunct New Orleans brothel, a charge
Mr. Vitter denies. That brothel’s former madam, while insisting he had been
a client, was one of his few defenders last week. “Just because people visit
a whorehouse doesn’t make them a bad person,” she helpfully told the Baton
Rouge paper, The Advocate.


Mr. Vitter is not known for being so forgiving a soul when it comes to
others’ transgressions. Even more than Mr. Condit, who once co-sponsored a
bill calling for the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings,
Mr. Vitter is a holier-than-thou family-values panderer. He recruited his
preteen children for speaking roles in his campaign ads and, terrorism
notwithstanding, declared that there is no “more important” issue facing
America than altering the Constitution to defend marriage.



But hypocrisy is a hardy bipartisan perennial on Capitol Hill, and hardly
news. This scandal may leave a more enduring imprint. It comes with a
momentous pedigree. Mr. Vitter first went to Washington as a young
congressman in 1999, to replace Robert Livingston, the Republican leader who
had been anointed to succeed Newt Gingrich as speaker of the House. Mr.
Livingston’s seat had abruptly become vacant after none other than Mr. Flynt
outed him for committing adultery. Since we now know that Mr. Gingrich was
also practicing infidelity back then — while leading the Clinton impeachment
crusade, no less — the Vitter scandal can be seen as the culmination of an
inexorable sea change in his party.


And it is President Bush who will be left holding the bag in history. As the
new National Intelligence Estimate confirms the failure of the war against
Al Qaeda and each day of quagmire signals the failure of the war in Iraq, so
the case of the fallen senator from the Big Easy can stand as an epitaph for
a third lost war in our 43rd president’s legacy: the war against sex.


During the 2000 campaign, Mr. Bush and his running mate made a point of
promising to “set an example for our children” and to “uphold the honor and
the dignity of the office.” They didn’t just mean that there would be no
more extramarital sex in the White House. As a matter of public policy,
abstinence was in; abortion rights, family planning and homosexuality were
out. Mr. Bush’s Federal Communications Commission stood ready to punish the
networks for four-letter words and wardrobe malfunctions. The surgeon
general was forbidden to mention condoms or the morning-after pill.



To say that this ambitious program has fared no better than the creation of
an Iraqi unity government is an understatement. The sole lasting benchmark
to be met in the Bush White House’s antisex agenda was the elevation of
anti-Roe judges to the federal bench. Otherwise, Sodom and Gomorrah are
thrashing the Family Research Council and the Traditional Values Coalition
day and night.


The one federal official caught on the D.C. Madam’s phone logs ahead of Mr.
Vitter, Randall Tobias, was a Bush State Department official whose tasks had
included enforcing a prostitution ban on countries receiving AIDS aid. Last
month Rupert Murdoch’s Fox network succeeded in getting a federal court to
throw out the F.C.C.’s “indecency” fines. Polls show unchanging majority
support for abortion rights and growing support for legal recognition of
same-sex unions exemplified by Mary Cheney’s.


Most amazing is the cultural makeover of Mr. Bush’s own party. The G.O.P.
that began the century in the thrall of Rick Santorum, Bill Frist and George
Allen has become the brand of Mark Foley and Mr. Vitter. Not a single
Republican heavyweight showed up at Jerry Falwell’s funeral. Younger
evangelical Christians, who may care more about protecting the environment
than policing gay people, are up for political grabs.


Nowhere is this cultural revolution more visible — or more fun to watch —
than in the G.O.P. campaign for the White House. Forty years late, the party
establishment is finally having its own middle-aged version of the summer of
love, and it’s a trip. The co-chairman of John McCain’s campaign in Florida
has been charged with trying to solicit gay sex from a plainclothes police
officer. Over at YouTube, viewers are flocking to a popular new mock-music
video in which “Obama Girl” taunts her rival: “Giuliani Girl, you stop your
fussin’/ At least Obama didn’t marry his cousin.”



As Margery Eagan, a columnist at The Boston Herald, has observed, even the
front-runners’ wives are getting into the act, trying to one-up one another
with displays of what she described as their “ample and aging” cleavage. The
décolletage primary was kicked off early this year by the irrepressible
Judith Giuliani, who posed for Harper’s Bazaar giving her husband a
passionate kiss. “I’ve always liked strong, macho men,” she said. This was
before we learned she had married two such men, not one, before catching the
eye of America’s Mayor at Club Macanudo, an Upper East Side cigar bar, while
he was still married to someone else.


Whatever the ultimate fate of Rudy Giuliani’s campaign, it is the straw that
stirs the bubbling brew that is the post-Bush Republican Party. The idea
that a thrice-married, pro-abortion rights, pro-gay rights candidate is
holding on as front-runner is understandably driving the G.O.P.’s
increasingly marginalized cultural warriors insane. Not without reason do
they fear that he is in the vanguard of a new Republican age of
Addams-family values and moral relativism. Once a truculent law-and-order
absolutist, Mr. Giuliani has even shrugged off the cocaine charges leveled
against his departed South Carolina campaign chairman, the state treasurer
Thomas Ravenel, as a “highly personal” matter.


The religious right’s own favorite sons, Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee,
are no more likely to get the nomination than Ron Paul or, for that matter,
RuPaul. The party’s faith-based oligarchs are getting frantic. Disregarding
a warning from James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who said in March that
he didn’t consider Fred Thompson a Christian, they desperately started
fixating on the former Tennessee senator as their savior. When it was
reported this month that Mr. Thompson had worked as a lobbyist for an
abortion rights organization in the 1990s, they credulously bought his
denials and his spokesman’s reassurance that “there’s no documents to prove
it, no billing records.” Last week The New York Times found the billing
records.



No one is stepping more boldly into this values vacuum than Mitt Romney. In
contrast to Mr. Giuliani, the former Massachusetts governor has not only
disowned his past as a social liberal but is also running as a paragon of
moral rectitude. He is even embracing one of the more costly failed Bush sex
initiatives, abstinence education, just as states are abandoning it for
being ineffective. He never stops reminding voters that he is the only
top-tier candidate still married to his first wife.


In a Web video strikingly reminiscent of the Vitter campaign ads, the entire
multigenerational Romney brood gathers round to enact their wholesome
Christmas festivities. Last week Mr. Romney unveiled a new commercial
decrying American culture as “a cesspool of violence, and sex, and drugs,
and indolence, and perversions.” Unlike Mr. Giuliani, you see, he gets along
with his children, and unlike Mr. Thompson, he has never been in bed with
the perverted Hollywood responsible for the likes of “Law & Order.”


There are those who argue Mr. Romney’s campaign is doomed because he is a
Mormon, a religion some voters regard almost as suspiciously as Scientology,
but two other problems may prove more threatening to his candidacy. The
first is that in American public life piety always goeth before a fall.
There had better not be any skeletons in his closet. Already Senator
Brownback has accused Mr. Romney of pushing hard-core pornography because of
his close association with (and large campaign contributions from) the
Marriott family, whose hotel chain has prospered mightily from its X-rated
video menu.



The other problem is more profound: Mr. Romney is swimming against a swift
tide of history in both culture and politics. Just as the neocons had their
moment in power in the Bush era and squandered it in Iraq, so the values
crowd was handed its moment of ascendancy and imploded in debacles ranging
from Terri Schiavo to Ted Haggard to David Vitter. By this point it’s safe
to say that even some Republican primary voters are sick enough of their
party’s preacher politicians that they’d consider hitting a cigar bar or two
with Judith Giuliani.
___________________________________

MAUREEN DOWD: A Woman Who’s Man Enough
WASHINGTON 7/22/07

Things are getting confusing out there in Genderville.

We have the ordinarily poker-faced secretary of defense crying over young
Americans killed in Iraq.

We have The Washington Post reporting that Hillary Clinton came to the floor
of the Senate in a top that put “cleavage on display Wednesday afternoon on
C-SPAN2.”

We have Mitt Romney spending $300 for makeup appointments at Hidden Beauty,
a mobile men’s grooming spa, before the California debate, even though NBC
would surely have powdered his nose for free.

We have Elizabeth Edwards on a tear of being more assertive than her
husband. She argued that John Edwards is a better advocate for women than
Hillary, explaining that her own experience as a lawyer taught her that
“sometimes you feel you have to behave as a man and not talk about women’s
issues.”

We have Bill Clinton, who says he’d want to be known as First Laddie,
defending his woman by saying, “I don’t think she’s trying to be a man.”

We have The Times reporting that Hillary’s campaign is quizzical about why
so many women who are like Hillary — married, high income, professional
types — don’t like her. A Times/CBS News poll shows that women view her more
favorably than men, but she has a problem with her own demographic and some
older women resistant to “a lady president” from the land of women’s lib.

In a huge step forward for her, The Times said that “all of those polled —
both women and men — said they thought Mrs. Clinton would be an effective
commander in chief.”

So gender isn’t Hillary’s biggest problem. Those who don’t like her said it
was because they don’t trust her, or don’t like her values, or think she’s
too politically expedient or phony.

There is a dread out there about 28 years of Bush-Clinton rule. But most
people are not worried about Hillary’s ability to be strong. Anyone who can
cast herself as a feminist icon while leading the attack on her husband’s
mistresses, anyone who thinks eight years of presidential pillow talk
qualifies her for the presidential pillow, is plenty tough enough to smack
around dictators, and other Democrats.

John Edwards and Barack Obama often seem more delicate and concerned with
looking pretty than Hillary does. Though the tallest candidate usually has
the advantage, Hillary has easily dominated the debates without even wearing
towering heels.

When she wrote to Bob Gates asking about the Pentagon’s plans to get out of
Iraq, it took eight weeks for an under secretary, Eric Edelman, to send a
scalding reply, suggesting that she was abetting enemy propaganda. But Mrs.
Clinton hit back with a tart letter to Secretary Gates on Friday and scored
something of a victory, since he issued a statement that did not back up his
own creep.

Maybe Hillary has had her tear ducts removed. If she acted like a sob sister
on the war the way Mr. Gates did, her critics would have a field day.

Even in an era when male politicians can mist up with impunity, it was
startling to see the defense chief melt down at a Marine Corps dinner
Wednesday night as he talked about writing notes every evening to the
families of dead soldiers like Douglas Zembiec, a heroic Marine commander
known as “the Lion of Falluja,” who died in Baghdad in May after giving up a
Pentagon job to go on a fourth tour of Iraq. “They are not names on a press
release or numbers updated on a Web page,” he said. “They are our country’s
sons and daughters.”

The dramatic moment was disconcerting, because Mr. Gates, known as a decent
guy who was leery of the Bushies’ black-and-white, bullying worldview, has
clearly been worn down by his effort to sort out the Iraq debacle. He and
Condi, who worked together under Bush I, have been trying to circumvent the
vice president to close Gitmo without much success, while the president
finds ingenious new ways to allow torture.

Mostly, though, it was moving — a relief to see a top official acknowledge
the awful cost of this war. The arrogant Rummy was dismissive. The obtuse W.
seems incapable of understanding how inappropriate his sunny spirits are.
And the callous Cheney’s robo-aggression continues unabated. (What could be
more nerve-racking than the thought of President Cheney, slated to happen
for a couple of hours yesterday while Mr. Bush had a colonoscopy? Could it
be — a Medal of Freedom for Scooter?)

Mr. Gates captured the sadness we feel about American kids trapped in a
desert waiting to be blown up, sent there by men who once refused to go to a
warped war themselves.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------







"thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:743B5289-E8BD-43F6-91AD-1B9E5388AE1D@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems
> before
> suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the vista
> starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache
> dump i
> think.
> it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to
> start,
> i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
> next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just failed
> and
> went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or
> corrupt.
> i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen and
> then
> the computer switches off.
> i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but this
> just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
> i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through this
> interface but it just said that there were no restore points
> what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want to
> lose
> all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
> any help would be appreciated
> TIA.[/color]

"thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:743B5289-E8BD-43F6-91AD-1B9E5388AE1D@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems
> before
> suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the vista
> starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache
> dump i
> think.
> it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to
> start,
> i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
> next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just failed
> and
> went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or
> corrupt.
> i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen and
> then
> the computer switches off.
> i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but this
> just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
> i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through this
> interface but it just said that there were no restore points
> what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want to
> lose
> all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
> any help would be appreciated
> TIA.[/color]



You could try a 'chkdsk' on the drive via the 'Command Prompt' option
accessible from your recovery DVD, and then retry your previous approaches.

Otherwise, if there are vital files on there, then consider putting the
drive as 'slave' in another working system, or in an external usb case, to
salvage them.

--
Jon

Jon--

If he has what usually is a very ineffective "recovery CD" rather than a
true Vista DVD--which is MSFT's express greedy intention in forcing OEM
manufacturers not to ship a Vista DVD, he's not going to be able to do a
check disk unless he reaches Windows to set up the check disk to run at
boot. I prefer chkdsk /r because it implies chkdsk /f. That's why I
outlined the methods I did, and if he could reach Windows ***and he
cannot,*** there is no guarantee a chkdsk alone would fix this.

CH

"Jon" <Email_Address@SomewhereOrOther.com> wrote in message
news:uUBJm%23GzHHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
>
> "thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:743B5289-E8BD-43F6-91AD-1B9E5388AE1D@microsoft.com...[color=green]
>> ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems
>> before
>> suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the vista
>> starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache
>> dump i
>> think.
>> it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to
>> start,
>> i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
>> next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just failed
>> and
>> went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or
>> corrupt.
>> i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen and
>> then
>> the computer switches off.
>> i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but
>> this
>> just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
>> i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through this
>> interface but it just said that there were no restore points
>> what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want to
>> lose
>> all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
>> any help would be appreciated
>> TIA.[/color]
>
>
>
> You could try a 'chkdsk' on the drive via the 'Command Prompt' option
> accessible from your recovery DVD, and then retry your previous
> approaches.
>
> Otherwise, if there are vital files on there, then consider putting the
> drive as 'slave' in another working system, or in an external usb case,
> to salvage them.
>
> --
> Jon
>
>[/color]

thanks for the reply, although i have tried to repair through the vista dvd
and it just said it couldnt fix the problem, also safe mode doesnt boot at
all and i do regularly create system restore points but for some reason it
says that there are none (some kind of error i presume?)
i will try the bootsec and the repair install though as i didnt know about
these methods
thanks for the help
ill let you know if it works

"Chad Harris" wrote:
[color=blue]
> Hello bt--
>
> If you see the screen that has the dots scrolling horizontally, (the default
> Vista boot screen) your Vista kernel is loading. That'd be this:
>
> [url]http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6840/windowsbootscreenqz8.jpg[/url]
>
> or a closeup
> [url]http://doing.nothing.net.nz/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/image027.jpg[/url]
>
> You actually have about 10 options.
>
> If you have the Vista DVD you can use Startup Repair, and when you try F8
> options you should try them all as outlined below. If you have no restore
> points at all, then you can't use system restore, and in the future, I'd
> always check it to make sure you have some or at least create a restore
> point at reasonable intervals as well as use something like Acronis 10 to
> image your system incrementally and create backups. Have you created any
> backups using the Backup Mechanism Vista offers you?
>
> Startup Repair will look like this when you put in the Vista DVD:
>
> [url]http://www.vistaclues.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/click-repair-your-computer.png[/url]
>
> You run the startup repair tool this way (and system restore from here is
> also sometimes effective):
>
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925810/en-us[/url]
>
> How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
> [url]http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm[/url]
>
>
> I'm going to give you a bunch of links and most of them you won't have to
> use, but they are alternative ways to fix Vista.
>
> Right now I want you to put in the DVD and restart. It will automatically
> take you to this on your screen:
>
> [url]http://www.vistaclues.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/click-repair-your-computer.png[/url]
>
> That will allow you to go to the Vista setup that has a Repair link on the
> lower left corner>click it and then you'll see a gray backgrounded list and
> I want you to click Startup Repair from it and follow the directions.
>
> The gray screen after you click the first link in the above pic will look
> like this:
>
> [url]http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winvista/images/repair/staruprepair/Image17.gif[/url]
>
> Click Startup Repair, the link at the top and after it scans>click OK and
> let it try to repair Vista. It will tell you if it does, and if not
>
> This should work, but if not,then you can follow the alternative ways to fix
> this including booting into Safe Mode by tapping the F8 key and using System
> Restore.
>
> Directions and links for alternative ways to fix this are below, but I hope
> you won't need them:
>
> If you have any questions on getting the Startup Repair done, just post
> them.
>
> If you have a Vista DVD try Startup Repair. If that doesn't work, try
> SafeMode>System Restore from the Recovery Environment, and you always have
> the F8 advanced options ( five of them including Last Known Good
> Configuration) and a repair install (with the DVD) as well.
>
> In addition you can use the Bootsect tool to manually repair the boot sector
> by accessing the command prompt from the DVD or from F8 and typing at the
> prompt:
>
> ****Ten Methods to Repair BSOD No Boots or Serious Problems in Windows
> Vista****
>
> ***Startup Repair and System Restore from the Win Recovery Environment on
> the DVD***
>
> Although MSFT's Official Party Line as expressed by the Win RE team is that
> Startup Repair is only to fix startups, like a lot of features rtm'd that
> have broader application, so does Startup Repair. I have used it many times
> to fix major systemic problems in Vista when it would still boot
> successfully, and am talking with them to try to find out why they seem to
> bill it as only fixing startup problems.
>
> You can run Startup Repair by putting your Vista DVD in after theanguage
> screen in setup. You can also run System Restore from the same
> location.
>
> You run the startup repair tool this way (and system restore from here is
> also sometimes effective):
>
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925810/en-us[/url]
>
> How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
> [url]http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm[/url]
>
> Note The computer must be configured to start from a CD or from a DVD. For
> information about how to configure the computer to start from a CD or from a
> DVD, see the information that came with the computer.
> 2. Restart the computer. To do this, click Start, click the arrow next to
> the Lock button, and then click Restart.
>
> This usually means that you enter bios setup by whatever key or keys
> (sometimes there is more than one key that will do it for your model--go to
> pc manufacturer site) and configure CD to be first in the boot order (this
> will allow you to boot from the Vista DVD as well):
>
> See for ref:
> Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS (applies to Vista as well)
> [url]http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm[/url]
>
> Boot Order in Bios (Set Boot from HD 1st)
> [url]http://www.short-media.com/images/mm/Articles/build_computer/bios/bios03.jpg[/url]
>
> Note If you cannot restart the computer by using this method, use the power
> button to turn off the computer. Then, turn the computer back on.
>
> 3. Set your language preference, and then click Next.
>
> Note In most cases, the startup repair process starts automatically, and you
> do not have the option to select it in the System Recovery Options menu.
>
> 4. Click Repair your computer.
>
> 5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click the operating system
> that you want to repair, and then click Next.
>
> 6. In the System Recovery Options menu, click Startup Repair to start the
> repair process.
>
> 7. When the repair process is complete, click Finish.
>
> Additional References for Startup Repair With Screenshots:
>
> How to Use Startup Repair:
>
> ***Accessing Windows RE (Repair Environment):***
>
> 1) Insert Media into PC (the DVD you burned)
>
> 2) ***You will see on the Vista logo setup screen after lang. options in the
> lower left corner, a link called "System Recovery Options."***
>
> Screenshot: System Recovery Options (Lower Left Link)
> [url]http://blogs.itecn.net/photos/liuhui/images/2014/500x375.aspx[/url]
>
> Screenshot: (Click first option "Startup Repair"
> [url]http://www.leedesmond.com/images/img_vista02ctp-installSysRecOpt2.bmp[/url]
>
> How To Run Startup Repair In Vista Ultimate (Multiple Screenshots)
> [url]http://www.windowsvista.windowsreinstall.com/vistaultimate/repairstartup/index.htm[/url]
>
> 3) Select your OS for repair.
>
> 4) Its been my experience that you can see some causes of the crash from
> theWin RE feature:
>
> You'll have a choice there of using:
>
> 1) Startup Repair
> 2) System Restore
> 3) Complete PC Restore
> ___________________
>
> In addition you can use the Bootsect tool to manually repair the boot sector
> by accessing the command prompt from the DVD or from F8 and typing at the
> prompt:
>
> Bootsect.exe is available from the \Boot\folder of the Windows Vista DVD and
> can be run from within System Recovery or Windows XP on a dual boot.
>
>
> 1. Use Bootsect.exe to restore the Windows Vista MBR and the boot code that
> transfers control to the Windows Boot Manager program. To do this, type the
> following command at a command prompt: Drive:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All
>
> In this command, Drive is the drive where the Windows Vista installation
> media is located.
>
> Note The boot folder for this step is on the DVD drive.
> 2. Use Bcdedit.exe to manually create an entry in the BCD Boot.ini file for
> the earlier version of the Windows operating system. To do this, type the
> following commands at a command prompt.
>
> Note In these commands, Drive is the drive where Windows Vista is
> installed. . Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /create {ntldr} -d "Description
> for earlier Windows version"
>
> Note In this command, Description for earlier Windows version can be any
> text that you want. For example, Description for earlier Windows version can
> be "Windows XP" or "Windows Server 2003".
> .. Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} device partition=x:
>
> Note In this command, x: is the drive letter for the active partition.
> .. Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
> .. Drive:\Windows\system32\Bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} -addlast
>
> 3. Restart the computer.
> ____________________________
> ******Using the BootRec.exe Tool
>
> Using the System Recovery Tool from the Repair link on the DVD after the
> language choice in the lower left hand corner you can select command prompt
> and you have the following options:
>
> Bootrec.exe (You can use this tool to recover Vista even when you do not
> receive the error message that is the title of the 2nd linked MSKB below):
>
> How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to
> troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows Vista
>
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392/en-us[/url]
>
> Error message when you start Windows Vista: "The Windows Boot Configuration
> Data file is missing required information"
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927391/en-us[/url]
> _____________________________________________________________
> ***Using the F8 Environment or a Repair Install from the DVD:***
>
> Pressing F8 repeatedly when you seem the firmware screen may be is a generic
> way to launch Windows RE on some OEM Vista computers.
>
> See for ref:
> Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS (Applies to Vista as well)
> [url]http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm[/url]
>
> Boot Order in Bios (Set Boot from HD 1st)
> [url]http://www.short-media.com/images/mm/Articles/build_computer/bios/bios03.jpg[/url]
>
> Repair Install (for XP or Vista)
> [url]http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx[/url]
>
> Repair Install (Method 2): (for XP or Vista)
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/315341[/url]
>
> ***Taking Full Advantage of the F8 Options (Windows Advanced Options Menu)
> by starting the PC and tapping F8 once per second when the firmware screen
> with the pc manufacturer's name shows a few seconds after restarting***:
>
> The F8 options in Vista are the same as XP, and the link for Safe Mode Boot
> options is labled XP by MSFT but they are the same for Vista (they haven't
> updated to add Vista to the title as they have with several MSKBs that apply
> to both).
>
> Again, pressing F8 repeatedly when you seem the firmware screen may be is a
> generic way to launch Windows RE on some OEM Vista computers.
>
> You could also:
>
> Think: I have 4 different ways to get back my XP at F8 and try 'em in order.
> 1) Safe Mode 2) Safe Mode with Cmd to Sys Restore which is simply a cmd
> prompt in safe mode 3) Safe Mode with Neworking 4) LKG or Last Known Good
> Configuration
>
>
> Try to F8 to the Windows Adv Options Menu>try 3 safe modes there (I don't
> use WGA) and Last Known Good>then I go to Win RE in Vista. That gives you a
> choice of Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking,and Safe Mode with Command
> Prompt.
>
> These methods are outlined in
>
> A description of the Safe Mode Boot options in Windows XP/and Vista
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315222/[/url]
>
> Frequently Asked Questions Regarding System Restore from MSFT:
>
> [url]http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/plan/faqsrwxp.mspx[/url]
>
>
> System Restore can be run from the Win RE recovery environment from the same
> link as Startup Repair, and sometimes it will work from one F8 safe mode
> location or from the Win Recovery Environment when it won't work from other
> locations.
>
>
> How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt in Windows XP
>
> [url]http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449[/url]
>
>
> Repair Install: (This option has the best chance of succeeding and it
> preserves everything in your OS--you do not lose anything with this option):
>
> Make sure the DVD you have is a Vista DVD. Many OEMs will send you a
> Recovery DVD and it may restore you to factory settings, but a high
> percentage of the time it does not in my experience.
>
> Pitfalls: If the DVD came from friend or relative or P2P, you may have
> problems. P2P besides being illlegal in many countries including the U.S.
> can be corrupt. If CD came from friend or relative, they may have given
> you the CD to use but if product key is in use, MSFT is not going to accept
> it for activation. Make sure you clean the CD carefully using proper
> cleaning fluid and strokes that radiate from center like spokes on a wheel.
>
> Again a repair install has the most likely chance to succeed in XP, (and can
> work in Vista) but you need
> to have a Vista DVD.
>[/color]

Chad

True. I prefer running chkdsk from within Windows too, as a rule. I've
noticed that sometimes boot-time 'consistency checks don't always clear the
dirty flag effectively when run from outside Windows, but seem to do so from
run within it. So yes, if he can get into Windows to run his chkdsk from
there, then that is a better option.

--
Jon


"Chad Harris" <vistaneedsmuchowork.net> wrote in message
news:etHJTEHzHHA.4928@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Jon--
>
> If he has what usually is a very ineffective "recovery CD" rather than a
> true Vista DVD--which is MSFT's express greedy intention in forcing OEM
> manufacturers not to ship a Vista DVD, he's not going to be able to do a
> check disk unless he reaches Windows to set up the check disk to run at
> boot. I prefer chkdsk /r because it implies chkdsk /f. That's why I
> outlined the methods I did, and if he could reach Windows ***and he
> cannot,*** there is no guarantee a chkdsk alone would fix this.
>
> CH
>
> "Jon" <Email_Address@SomewhereOrOther.com> wrote in message
> news:uUBJm%23GzHHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>>
>> "thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>> message news:743B5289-E8BD-43F6-91AD-1B9E5388AE1D@microsoft.com...[color=darkred]
>>> ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems
>>> before
>>> suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the vista
>>> starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache
>>> dump i
>>> think.
>>> it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to
>>> start,
>>> i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
>>> next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just failed
>>> and
>>> went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or
>>> corrupt.
>>> i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen and
>>> then
>>> the computer switches off.
>>> i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but
>>> this
>>> just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
>>> i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through this
>>> interface but it just said that there were no restore points
>>> what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want to
>>> lose
>>> all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
>>> any help would be appreciated
>>> TIA.[/color]
>>
>>
>>
>> You could try a 'chkdsk' on the drive via the 'Command Prompt' option
>> accessible from your recovery DVD, and then retry your previous
>> approaches.
>>
>> Otherwise, if there are vital files on there, then consider putting the
>> drive as 'slave' in another working system, or in an external usb case,
>> to salvage them.
>>
>> --
>> Jon
>>
>>[/color]
>[/color]

thanks for all the replies
i think the dvd i have is a retail disc, i won it in a microsoft uk vista
launch competition so im not 100% sure but i think that did say it was a
special retail disc.
gonna try some of the methods now and will post later if i am successful

"Chad Harris" wrote:
[color=blue]
> Jon--
>
> If he has what usually is a very ineffective "recovery CD" rather than a
> true Vista DVD--which is MSFT's express greedy intention in forcing OEM
> manufacturers not to ship a Vista DVD, he's not going to be able to do a
> check disk unless he reaches Windows to set up the check disk to run at
> boot. I prefer chkdsk /r because it implies chkdsk /f. That's why I
> outlined the methods I did, and if he could reach Windows ***and he
> cannot,*** there is no guarantee a chkdsk alone would fix this.
>
> CH
>
> "Jon" <Email_Address@SomewhereOrOther.com> wrote in message
> news:uUBJm%23GzHHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=green]
> >
> > "thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:743B5289-E8BD-43F6-91AD-1B9E5388AE1D@microsoft.com...[color=darkred]
> >> ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems
> >> before
> >> suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the vista
> >> starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache
> >> dump i
> >> think.
> >> it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to
> >> start,
> >> i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
> >> next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just failed
> >> and
> >> went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or
> >> corrupt.
> >> i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen and
> >> then
> >> the computer switches off.
> >> i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but
> >> this
> >> just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
> >> i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through this
> >> interface but it just said that there were no restore points
> >> what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want to
> >> lose
> >> all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
> >> any help would be appreciated
> >> TIA.[/color]
> >
> >
> >
> > You could try a 'chkdsk' on the drive via the 'Command Prompt' option
> > accessible from your recovery DVD, and then retry your previous
> > approaches.
> >
> > Otherwise, if there are vital files on there, then consider putting the
> > drive as 'slave' in another working system, or in an external usb case,
> > to salvage them.
> >
> > --
> > Jon
> >
> >[/color]
>
>[/color]

tbt--

With that real Vista DVD (Dell has claimed on their blog to be shipping one
as an exception to the OEMs) you have a set of tools called Win RE that
includes startup repair so give it a try. Sometimes, I system restore will
work from that Win RE link (I screenshot all the steps on my previous post)
when it won't work from F8 and sometimes system restore will work from one
F8 option and not another one.

I know you stated at the outset that you had no restore points, so try
Startup Repair.

CH


"thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F5166E9C-94CC-4F9B-97B9-CFC36EAF1D29@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> thanks for all the replies
> i think the dvd i have is a retail disc, i won it in a microsoft uk vista
> launch competition so im not 100% sure but i think that did say it was a
> special retail disc.
> gonna try some of the methods now and will post later if i am successful
>
> "Chad Harris" wrote:
>[color=green]
>> Jon--
>>
>> If he has what usually is a very ineffective "recovery CD" rather than a
>> true Vista DVD--which is MSFT's express greedy intention in forcing OEM
>> manufacturers not to ship a Vista DVD, he's not going to be able to do a
>> check disk unless he reaches Windows to set up the check disk to run at
>> boot. I prefer chkdsk /r because it implies chkdsk /f. That's why I
>> outlined the methods I did, and if he could reach Windows ***and he
>> cannot,*** there is no guarantee a chkdsk alone would fix this.
>>
>> CH
>>
>> "Jon" <Email_Address@SomewhereOrOther.com> wrote in message
>> news:uUBJm%23GzHHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>> >
>> > "thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>> > message
>> > news:743B5289-E8BD-43F6-91AD-1B9E5388AE1D@microsoft.com...
>> >> ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems
>> >> before
>> >> suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the
>> >> vista
>> >> starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache
>> >> dump i
>> >> think.
>> >> it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to
>> >> start,
>> >> i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
>> >> next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just
>> >> failed
>> >> and
>> >> went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or
>> >> corrupt.
>> >> i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen
>> >> and
>> >> then
>> >> the computer switches off.
>> >> i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but
>> >> this
>> >> just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
>> >> i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through
>> >> this
>> >> interface but it just said that there were no restore points
>> >> what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want
>> >> to
>> >> lose
>> >> all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
>> >> any help would be appreciated
>> >> TIA.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > You could try a 'chkdsk' on the drive via the 'Command Prompt' option
>> > accessible from your recovery DVD, and then retry your previous
>> > approaches.
>> >
>> > Otherwise, if there are vital files on there, then consider putting the
>> > drive as 'slave' in another working system, or in an external usb
>> > case,
>> > to salvage them.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Jon
>> >
>> >[/color]
>>
>>[/color][/color]

If you have data on this disk that is not backed up do not run chkdsk before
you have a backup. There are several ways you can backup a system that won't
boot. The easiest is to boot from a live Linux CD and copy the data to a
CD/DVD or USB device. When you run chkdsk there is always a chance the file
structure will be damaged even more and the data will be even harder to get
at. From your description of the problem a bad hard drive is a possibility.
Every time you do anything that writes to the drive you increase your
chances of losing the data on it.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
[url]http://www.vistahelp.ca[/url]


"thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F5166E9C-94CC-4F9B-97B9-CFC36EAF1D29@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> thanks for all the replies
> i think the dvd i have is a retail disc, i won it in a microsoft uk vista
> launch competition so im not 100% sure but i think that did say it was a
> special retail disc.
> gonna try some of the methods now and will post later if i am successful
>
> "Chad Harris" wrote:
>[color=green]
>> Jon--
>>
>> If he has what usually is a very ineffective "recovery CD" rather than a
>> true Vista DVD--which is MSFT's express greedy intention in forcing OEM
>> manufacturers not to ship a Vista DVD, he's not going to be able to do a
>> check disk unless he reaches Windows to set up the check disk to run at
>> boot. I prefer chkdsk /r because it implies chkdsk /f. That's why I
>> outlined the methods I did, and if he could reach Windows ***and he
>> cannot,*** there is no guarantee a chkdsk alone would fix this.
>>
>> CH
>>
>> "Jon" <Email_Address@SomewhereOrOther.com> wrote in message
>> news:uUBJm%23GzHHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>> >
>> > "thebettertwin" <thebettertwin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>> > message
>> > news:743B5289-E8BD-43F6-91AD-1B9E5388AE1D@microsoft.com...
>> >> ok so i have vista ultimate 32 bit edition and havent had any problems
>> >> before
>> >> suddenly today i tired to boot up my computer and it got past the
>> >> vista
>> >> starting up screen but then went blue and said something about a cache
>> >> dump i
>> >> think.
>> >> it then restarted and came to the screen which says windows failed to
>> >> start,
>> >> i tried to do a normalstartup but the same error occured.
>> >> next time i tried to do the last known good config, but this just
>> >> failed
>> >> and
>> >> went to a screen saying that a system registry file was missing or
>> >> corrupt.
>> >> i tried safe mode but this just stops on the loading drivers screen
>> >> and
>> >> then
>> >> the computer switches off.
>> >> i then put the vista disc in and tried to do the automatic repair but
>> >> this
>> >> just said that it was unable to solve the problem.
>> >> i tried to see whether it would let me do a system restore through
>> >> this
>> >> interface but it just said that there were no restore points
>> >> what can i do other than a clean install of windows? cos i dont want
>> >> to
>> >> lose
>> >> all my files but i seem to be running out of solutions
>> >> any help would be appreciated
>> >> TIA.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > You could try a 'chkdsk' on the drive via the 'Command Prompt' option
>> > accessible from your recovery DVD, and then retry your previous
>> > approaches.
>> >
>> > Otherwise, if there are vital files on there, then consider putting the
>> > drive as 'slave' in another working system, or in an external usb
>> > case,
>> > to salvage them.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Jon
>> >
>> >[/color]
>>
>>[/color][/color]