To enter System Recovery Options from the Advanced Boot Options:
[*]Restart the computer.
[*]As soon as the BIOS is loaded begin tapping the F8 key until Advanced Boot Options appears.
[*]Use the arrow keys to select the Repair your computer menu item.
[*]Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
[*]Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.
[*]Select your user account and click Next.
To enter System Recovery Options by using Windows installation disc:
[*]Insert the installation disc.
[*]Restart your computer.
[*]If prompted, press any key to start Windows from the installation disc. If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check your BIOS settings.
[*]Click Repair your computer.
[*]Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
[*]Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.
[*]Select your user account an click Next.
On the System Recovery Options menu you will get the following options: Startup Repair
System Restore
Windows Complete PC Restore
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Command Prompt
[*]Select Command Prompt
[*]In the command window type in notepad and press Enter.
[*]The notepad opens. Under File menu select Open.
[*]Select “Computer” and find your flash drive letter and close the notepad.
[*]In the command window type e:\listparts (for x64 bit version type e:\listparts64) and press Enter Note: Replace letter e with the drive letter of your flash drive.
[*]The tool will start to run.
[*]Check box for “List BCD” and press Scan button.
[*]Tool shall make a log (Result.txt) on the flash drive. Please attach it to your reply.
I have a Sony Vaio, and a recovery disk sent to me by Sony titled, Windows Vista Recovery Media for Windows Vista Products SP1. It’s a recovery DVD.
OP has a recovery DVD but I assume this will set back to factor settings.
My take is if dead end then tell him best way to get all his “data/files” stored off the HDD and then use this DVD to restore PC.
I’ll let @magna86 comment on next steps but I highly recommend before anything is done you recover any data/files from the HDD. The reason I say is that the log shows your Partition 2 of Volume 0 as “RAW” for file system…this is your main 297GB partition. By chance do you have backup of all your needed files ?
If not then I’d read this article and do some research on these data recovery tools. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/282351-32-file-system
I’m not sure if this is a Virus or something else (@magna86 can give you more insights) but if it was me I’d copy my data/files off to an external USB HDD before I did anything to try to recover. Once copied to USB HDD I’d scan that USB HDD with Avast and MalwareBytes.
Also, not sure if it will work since HDD is set to RAW (may need one of tools referenced in link above) but from USB boot you can…
In Command Prompt type: notepad (and press enter). File->Open. Browse to the stuff you want to copy. Right click on it then “copy”
browse to the folder on USB stick (or attach USB HDD to another USB port) you want to copy to. Then right click and “paste”
Thx !..but I think this is just the SP2 update ? …good to have though for OP if he has to re-install Vista w/SP1.
The links above (Reply #25) were for bootable Vista “installation” DVD. SP2 is an update to Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista that incorporates improvements discovered through automated feedback, as well as updates that have been delivered since SP1. By providing these fixes integrated into a single service pack for both client and server, Microsoft provides a single high-quality update that minimizes deployment and testing complexity for customers. Service Pack 1 is a prerequisite for installing Service Pack 2. Please make sure that your system is running Service Pack 1 before you install Service Pack 2.
Another rescue scheme if evalable is booting from another disk and recover/install from there.
I had a Vista computer rescued that way, do a fresh install on the second hard disk if enough space available, then rescue the data from the initial one that wert bust. Just a proposition.
As thekochs has been told, the OS partition (at disk 0, partition 2 with C drive letter instead of NTFS has become RAW) is unreadable.
This is why Windows can’t load the system nor recognize the OS’ partition…
If the problem isn’t created by bad sectors on the HDD itself, TestDisk tool can search for the lost NTFS partition and write a fixed one (it shall attempt to fix). To me (nor sources that are available to me) are not known bootkit or any other malware that may couse this, malware loses his purpose and these codes are very well written so …
TestDisk can search for the lost NTFS partition and write a fixed one, it allow us to preview the files/folders inside before writing the new partition table, if the HDD is bad only commercial recovery programs can try to save some data for the readable sectors
So, most of my files were indeed backed up (thank goodness), but I have a few months of pictures that I would like to get back, if possible. If I run the Testdisk and attempt to fix, will that enable me to access my lost files? In all honesty, I just bought a new computer, so recovering my lost pictures and then restoring the computer to factory default is a pretty ideal solution for me.
So, based on your scenario if it was me I’d run TestDisk and get my files first, then see if I could get it to repair partition.
I’ve never used but I gave you the link to Step-By-Step and if it was me after I ran the “analysis” I’d then post on their Forum for guidance…maybe start with you want to get files then ask how to address your specific partition recovery needs.
Go ahead and put the link here to that Forum post…I’d be interested to follow.
If TestDisk gets your files and partition back…great. Note, the other util PhotoRec will get your files back as well…kind of a backup to TestDisk. Anyway, if the above works great…if you get your files but it does not recover partition then you have your Sony DVD recovery disk which I’m guessing will recover/restore your PC back to factory install. Obviously, you’ll need do all the Windows Updates, install programs, etc.
So, I haven’t recovered my partition and made my sick computer workable yet, but TestDisk was successful in helping me retrieve those few files that weren’t backed up! Thanks a lot thekochs, magna86 and everyone else! I really appreciate it.
Now that I have everything off of my computer that I want, what is the best way to reset the sick computer to factory settings? I plan on wiping the whole thing and then giving it to my mother-in-law as she doesn’t have a computer (and now I have two).
Good to hear on the files…did you try to recover the partition or was just getting the files enough ?
I’m just curious how the partition recovery works.
If it was me I would use the Sony DVD Recovery disk you have…I assume it sets everything back to factory defaults.
You’ll need to update all the MS updates past that level but not too big a deal.
I’m sure there will be some other minor tweaks to make it ready for the mother-in-law.
Let me know how it goes.
I didn’t try to recover the partition yet. As I was able to access the files, I wanted to get them off before I attempted anything. I’ve never really tried to do anything like this with my computer, so I was just defending myself against my own ignorance, in case I did something wrong (or hasty). Now that I have the files, I may try to recover the partition. I’m curious if it works too
I might not get to it for a few days, but I’ll let you know how it goes.
Let me know how TestDisk goes on fixing RAW partition but did some snooping and this software looks interesting too…comes recommended online. http://www.paragon-software.com/home/rk-free/
A disclaimer…I never used it either…but since you have your data off the PC and you have a DVD to restore it…good time to play with this type software.
