windows won't start anymore

Hi,

I decided, after getting one too many viruses on my windows pc, to try linux, so I set up a partition, and installed ubuntu on my computer. That works fine, but now I can't load vista, it appears, and I can access any files from there (and it appears that all of my files are there) via my ubuntu partition, but I get a boot error every time I try to boot into vista. Also, my computer didn't come with a re-installation disk. Is there anything I can do?

 

Can you boot from your install/recover disk and choose to do a repair? You should be given an option on what partition to repair.
You may have to go into the BIOS to select boot from CD/DVD. :wave

 

No, I can't, my computer didn't come with any disk like that, and so I have nothing to repair from.

 

Welcome to Major Geeks.
(Some people that I won't name forget their manners).

 

Can you start the PC in Safe mode?

If so (and you had the system restore service running) select Safe mode with command prompt, and at the C:/ type in rstrui.exe and press enter.

Wait for a bit (as long as three mins sometimes), and the restore service should start - try restoring the PC to a day before you created the new partition.

Good luck.

 

No, I can't do that either. When I boot up, it takes me to GNUB, the linux loader, and doesn't give me an option to get into safe mode. Is there another way to get in? (the only 2 options on my BIOS load-up screen are F2-which takes me to setup, and F12, which takes me to boot menu (where to boot from, not what to boot, unfortunately))

Thanks, Benmo

 

Can't get in safe mode?:confused

What is your computer make and model?

 

Its a dell inspiron desktop.

 

Then tapping F8 on startup should bring you to a screen for entering safe mode. :wave

 

I think i tried that already, but I'll try again, see if i did something wrong

 

Hi Benmo,

This may help...

http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/

Techsent

 

Oh, wow. Thanks!

I'll try this, but will it erase my files? (just want to make sure)

 

I finally had a chance to try this restore disk, and it gave me 2 options, to install windows, or to repair it. I clicked repair (figuring I didn't want it to completely reinstall windows). It then said, after a few seconds, that it detected a boot error, and asked me to repair/and restart, however, when i did that, and selected to boot vista, the computer still claimed it wouldn't start. What should I do/have done?

In addition, a friend of mine told me there might be something wrong with my MBR (master boot record), could that be the case here?

 

UPDATE: It worked the second time i tried it, apparently found a problem, and told me to restart my computer, since it should start fine now. But when i tried that, it still wouldn't work.

(and i thought to write down exactly what my screen said, which was File: \Boot\BCD & Status:0xc0000225 & could not read boot configuration data)

I then retried the disk, which said there were no longer any boot problems, and tried a system restore, which said there were no restore points (which didn't make since, because I'd used one a few days before this whole mess started).

I now have absolutely no idea how to fix it, if there seems to be no boot problems.

Thanks for helping.

 

I found this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927391
which told me to how to rebuild the BCD, but none of the options i tried worked. (whenever I mentioned C:, it said it couldn't find the specified path)

I also tried Fix Mbr, but all that did was make it so i couldn't load into linux anymore. (I'm now using the live cd to use this computer). Is there any way to fix either problem?

Also (sorry about having so much to say) I was searching around, and some people said they re-enabled their APIC and it worked, but i can't find it in BIOS anywhere.

 

The reason this has happened is that installing Linux has replaced the Vista bootloader in the MBR with Linux' Grub bootloader. Your Vista system is still intact but reconfiguring the Vista bootloader without a Vista DVD requires advanced knowledge, more advanced than mine anyway :-D

You may not have a recovery disk but you probably do have a recovery partition on your hard disk. Exactly what options does F12 give you? Is there a boot option there you don't recognise and haven't tried? If so, by selecting that you may be able to restore your Vista system to its 'as delivered' state. Should this be possible you would first need to save anything important to DVD or whatever from Ubuntu as the restore would overwrite all existing programs and data.

 

Well, thanks to techsent, i have the restore disk from neosmart. Could that help?

I haven't found any way of bringing it back to factory condition, somehow there's nothing there.

If i had access to a different vista installation disk, would i be able to fix it that way?

Thanks for all the help!

 

Your best bet is to borrow a Vista installation DVD and do a repair, but it does need to be a retail or OEM version - not someone else's recovery disk. I'm not familiar with the neosmart disk, sorry.

 

If I had that, do you know what i would have to do?

 

You simply boot it and it gives you options to repair your system.

 

I know you said you didn't know about the neosmart disk, but that gave me the same option, and couldn't fix anything. If the same thing happens, is there anything i can do?

(if i get the disk, it won't be till i see someone tomorrow, so unfortunately I can't actually say what is happening)

 

Maybe, but let's just see how it goes.

 

Hi, restore your system or reinstall.