Windows Corrupted? Please Help Quickly!!

My laptop ( an MSI MS-1683 with Windows 7 Home Premium) won't start windows and I can't figure out why. I THINK Windows is Corrupted, as that is what 24/7 Techies told me when I called them.

This is what my computer does when I try to boot Windows:

It will start up normally, showing the MSI startup screen, then a screen with a blinking underscore, then it will go to a plain black screen and stops there. I can tell the screen is still on, but it will stay on this black screen and not do anything else, even if left there for hours. In this case, the Moon symbol light will be on solid, the light with the cylinder symbol will blink at times before it gets to the black screen, and when if first starts up, the light with the two arrows going in opposite directions and the light with the capital A (caps lock) will light up once each (simultaneously) then turn off. The power light also stays on the whole time.

The last time I turned my computer on before it started doing this, it had a warning about a fatal error that I didn't read completely because I thought it was the screen that shows up when Windows isn't shut down properly, as I wasn't looking at the screen, but the person I was talking to at the time.

I have tried with and without the battery, with it plugged in and without it plugged in, and I just can't get it to start up correctly. I've tried Safe Mode, which doesn't work either. I'm using it right now with Puppy Linux burned onto a CD. My computer didn't come with a Windows Installation or Repair/Recovery disc, so unless I can download one online, that isn't an option. It has a built in recovery system from MSI, but it deletes everything on the Hard Drive, which IS NOT an option.

If you could help me as quickly as possible it would be greatly appreciated. The next two weeks are my final exams at my University and my notes are all saved on my computer and my Digital class final project is as well. I'm willing to do anythig that won't erase my data, as that is the most important part of my computer right now since I have to upgrade to a Mac before next school year.

Thanks for any advice or input you can give!

 

Yes, and I've done that, but I still need the programs on my computer to finish the project for Digital, although I can use the Library if I need to.

 

I'm extrapolating XP to your OS.

If your PC has its i386 folder (or perhaps other set of OS files (.cab?), about which I don't know), you can probably burn your own recovery CD (that the OEM should have given you IMHO).

 

In my Original Post, I say that I have Windows 7 Home Premium in the first line. I have a recovery disk now, and I have tried every option on it except reinstalling Windows and recovering using a System Image, as both of those will wipe the Hard Drive, which I'm not willing to do just yet. I think I'm going to buy a Hard Drive Caddy and use that to copy all of my files I wish to keep on to a friend's computer, then I'll restore using a System Image and copy the files back from the friend's HDD.

However, if anyone has a better alternative that will let me fix Windows and keep my data, please tell me so I won't have to go through all of that.

 

Kind of hard to explain, but I will try my best.

First, you will need to access the Recovery Console. This is done by booting off of your Windows 7 Installation CD when your computer is first powering on

It will normally ask you "Press any key to boot to CD/DVD..."
So press a key

You should now be here: http://windows7themes.net/pics/windows-7-repair-your-computer.JPG

Select Repair your computer and let it try to fix itself, it typically doesn't work for this issue in my experience.. but let it try anyways.

The next screen you should see is

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6ls2sJMWa2o/TA0ApJNIkfI/AAAAAAAACQY/yiRW3uWijDk/s320/console-Optimized.jpg

Chose "Command prompt"

Command prompt launches.. now type the following commands:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot

hint: there is a space between bootrec and /

Now exit from that window, and restart your PC. Don't boot off CD again..

 

oh, good. I actually need those too heh. They take less time to load if it's only the recovery console, (at least was the case with the winxp recovery console cd). Nice find.

But yes, as long as you can access the recovery console, the commands i provided should help you out.

 

I bought my Laptop from Newegg, so it's highly possible that they are the ones that installed Win7.

However, there was a section of my HDD that was listed as another separate HDD in My Computer that was used to save a disk image for recovery. The problem is, that option on the repair disk will erase my data.

I'll try what thisisu suggested tomorrow. I bought a HDD caddy so that I can transfer my data to another computer if need be, then do one of the recovery options that will wipe my HDD clean. If that doesn't work, then it looks like I'll have some spare laptop parts.