Windows Error Recovery

[karltin]

Hi.

My DVD drive was not reading any of the discs that I've put in. I have restarted a lot of times but the problem still persisted. I go to My Computer to open the drive from there but it ends up not responding to the point when my laptop froze. I had to turn the power off when this happened because I couldn't reboot the proper way.

This was the screen when my laptop was turned back on.

FIRST SCREEN
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart
2. Choose language..
3. Click "repair your computer"

If you do not have the disc, contact your system administraton...

File:\Windows\system32\config\system

Status: 0xc000000e9

Info: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is mmissing, corrupt.

I press ENTER and this comes up:

SECOND SCREEN
Choose an operating system to start, or press TAB to select a tool:

Microsoft Windows Vista (this is highlighted)

To specify an advance option for this choice, press F8

Tools:

Windows Memory Diagnostic


I choose the highlighted option and this comes up:


THIRD SCREEN

Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart
2. Choose language..
3. Click "repair your computer"
Other options:
If power was interrupted during startup, choose start windows normally

Safe mode
Safe mode with networking
Safe mode with COmmand prompt
Last known good configuration (advanced)
Satrt windows normally (this is highlighted)


Every time I choose ENTER or any of the highlighted options it jsut goes back to any of the 3 screens above.
I tried my installation disc but my DVD driver does not work.
Would really appreciate all help and suggestions. Thanks!!!

 

[raybay]

What might be helpful is the brand name, hardware configuration, and age of components.
You have likely missed something simple and perhaps obvious, because the error message suggests as much

 

[karltin]

Hi.

OS is Vista. I dont know what else to give you other than this information I can get when I go on BIOS setup.

Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.20Ghz
VGA BIOS version Intel V1706
System BIOS version V1.06
Acer Aspire 4736

I hope this is enough. Thanks for replying.

 

[superty12]

Did you try an external DVD drive?

 

[DelJo63]

File:\Windows\system32\config\system

OOPS; that's one of the Windows Registry files

The recovery process is to

1. boot from CD (use laptop Fx to get into the bios and set the boot order CD, HD)
2. copy an older version from C:\WINDOWS\repair\
   copy all five of {security,software,system,default,sam}
   to \windows\system32\config\
3. boot into Safe Mode
4. run C:\WINDOWS\system32\Restore\rstrui.exe
5. use latest restore point
6. reboot again

You can use a Linux CD like Knoppix, or a Windows CD (not the recovery disk however).

 

[karltin]

Did you try an external DVD drive?

Hi superty. No, as I don't have one of those.

Hi jobeard. My cd/dvd drive is not working, so booting from a cd is impossible

 

[DelJo63]

hmm; unless you know it is physically broken, try it - -
frequently BIOS will boot a CD that windows will not read (gee thanks windows )

 

[Buster Keaton]

Contact your system administrator

This is one of my favorite non-solutions to the myriad of problems Windows encounters. I should "Contact my system administrator"? Hmm, who would that be? Oh, I'M the system administrator. Ok Windows, hold on why I call myself for a solution.

 

[DelJo63]

yea, similar to using the START button to STOP / turn off windows :giggle:

if you've every written programs, you will understand how brain racking it can be to write clear, concise, meaningful error messages
(even when targeted to a professional). Doing so for the home user is just not possible - -
how to you explain the assumptions and background for comprehension?

 

[Buster Keaton]

I spent 18 years as a business programmer and technical documentation writer. You are correct when you say it is quite difficult to write clear and concise error message explanations. I especially object to the inexplicable "encountered an error and cannot continue" errors or other totally ambiguous errors. Or my all-time favorite, a dialog box with nothing more than an exclamation point in the middle. Someone had to write that response to an error. The computer didn't just decide to display it.

Having written code for so long, I know that programmers are the ones responsible for detecting and explaining errors. There are no assumptions in a program. It either is or it isn't. But again, you are correct. Explaining complex errors to the masses is pointless.

So I guess I'll just have to keep contacting myself when I run across some arcane, ambiguous error message.

 

[gbhall]

The important thing that inexperienced coders often fail to do is not so much fail to provide a clear, concise error message. as fail to give a genuinely knowledgable person any help. At the least, report unambiguously where the error happened, what type of error it was, and if it was an error response from a windows API call, which call returned it.

In my own career, I did not have much trouble zapping bugs because the programming language (Visual foxpro) contains it's own very complete error tracing system. An error box pops up, and in it is the complete call stack tracing down from the invoking OS top-level call though all the called forms and ending at the line number of the faulting programming routine.

All I had to do was train my users to print a screen snapshot. To top it all, the error box usually contains action buttons, one of which is 'ignore'. Taking that option is often worth while, as you then might not lose a considerable amount of input, as when the error is just divide by zero or numeric overflow and similar.

I mention all this mainly in the hope it may help some youngster just starting a career.

 

[Buster Keaton]

Yes indeed gbhall. Since the programmer is the one capturing the error, why not clearly tell us why the error occurred. Many times though, the programmer does not actually capture the error, the operating system does. In that case, the explanation can be quite obscure.

By the way, I love your disclaimer.