Windows 7 won't start Startup repair won't fix it.

Hi! I have a Windows 7 running Acer 5517. Yesterday, Windows 7 did stop to start. You get that window where you can run Startup repair but it won't repair anything.Then you have a few possibilities like Windows "system restore" but...I click on it and I get that no restore point have been created on my computer's drive. To create a restore point, I should open "system protection". I click on it and I get:" Your computer is running in a limited diagnostic state. If you use "System Restore" in this limited state. you cannot undo the restore operation. Well,this look scary...isn't it?
Then there is " System Image recovery" but...I click on it and I get: " Windows cannot find a system image on this computer". Then there's "Recovery Management" but...I click on it and "Restore Operating System and retain user data" is greyed out. The only option is "Completely Restore System to factory defaults" which would erase all data on the C: drive ( and on the D: drive too I guess). That's about it.
No Windows 7 disc ever came with this laptop. It has a recovery partition but I can't access it at all. Also, I have a few pictures I took 2 weeks ago that are on the D: drive that haven't been backup yet. I would like to recover them. These pictures are still on the hard drive...aren't they? How one can extract them if you can't start Windows?
Thanks!

 

Please do this first. You can create a bootable linux disc (ubuntu, mint,....) which will see your HDD as a drive. This way, you should have access to your files. Connect your external drive and copy all your photos.

Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick | USB Pen Drive Linux

Click on this http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
You will have to use another machine to do this.

 

Thanks! ...easy as 1-2-3...maybe for some but...what distribution do you choose,what ISO

 

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.
Pick Ubuntu for example. Choose the 12.04 distribution. Download the 32 bit iso from here.
Download Ubuntu Desktop | Ubuntu

Once you complete the download. Open the USB installer and and choose the iso. Insert a 2 GB or a 4GB Pendrive and follow the onscreen instructions. It will ask to format your pen drive. Allow it to do so.

After it tells you that the process is complete, plug it into the laptop. Turn on the laptop.

If the laptop doesn't boot from the USB drive, then you will need to go into the bios and change the boot order.

Make sure that the USB HDD is the first device. Save the settings and then restart.

Now you should be able to see the Ubuntu splash screen.

Choose the live CD mode and allow it to get to the desktop.

The HDD will be automatically mounted.

Open it like a normal file and copy your stuff into an external drive.

 

Now I got it running but...I can't see my D:/F: drive where my pictures are. All there is is "system recovery" and "54 GB file system" which seems to be my C: drive. I do click on it and I get an error message:"Unable to mount 54 GB file system" HuH! I do click on "pictures" or "videos" where I had a lot of other stuff and nothing show up. Seems there's a problem with my partitions Can I access to them while running Ubuntu?

Also, how in hell do you connect to Wi-Fi Internet while using Ubuntu?Thanks!

 

In Ubuntu OPen file manager if the data is good you sould be able to see it under file system. YOu may need a driver, do you know what brand wireless card you have? (Some times it is easier just to find a wired connection (LOL)

 

Please see this.
Backup Windows files using Ubuntu - Unable to find Windows partition

 

Thanks! Where is "file manager" in Ubuntu? Is "file system" in the left vertical box what you're talking about? If that's it then, when you click on that, tons of icons do pop up but nothing that look like a D:/F: drive or partition.

 

..and again, how to you get to use WI-Fi internet? I got that Broadcam STA wireless driver installed but I activate it...then, they tell me that the laptop should be shut down to activate it.So,I shut it down and boot it up again...the driver is gone.They say at one point:use the "network menu" to connect... well...where's is the network menu? There's that "Network" thing in the left vertical box. Just below there's "Browse net..." I click on that and what I get is...an error message that says: Could not display "network:///". Error: Location is already mounted. Please select another viewer and try again. HuH!

 

Nautilus is the file manager. When you click on the wifi icon in the taskbar, do you any networks? If yes, then it means that the wifi card is active. If not, you will have to download the right repositories from the software manager after identifying your wifi card. Live CD will lose that data when shut down. You will have to stick with the wired connection for now.

Were you able to get your data out?

 

"Nautilus is the file manager" Well...where is it? Is it the the "file system" thing?
If I click on the Firefox icon on the left I get: "Firefox can't find the server at start.ubuntu.com Then I click on the first little icon in the upper right and I get that the %$#@ driver is not activated. Do you have to install a drive every single time you want to access WI-Fi Internet? When I click to activate that $%#&^ driver at some point a pop up box shows telling me that there's network available and to use the "network menu" to access them. Where is the "network menu" Is it this thing "Network" and then just below"Browse net..."? If it's that then if I click on it, I get to an icon that say "Windows Networks" and if I click on that, all I get is an error message:'"Unable to mount location. Failed to retrieve share list from server." HuH!

I haven't been able to save/retrieve anything since...I haven't been able to see anything. My D:/F: drives aren't anywhere to be seen. That guy told me to look in "file manager"...I can't see nothing in Ubuntu that is called "file manager" There's "file system" and that's it.

How do you manage to go to your partitions while you're running on a Ubuntu USB stick? The article link you did post earlier hasn't been of any help so far.

 

Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer

Hope this helps. The unity desktop is a mess on Ubuntu but you don't need the internet connection for this. Most locations are the same but you will need to find them. I am making a live cd for myself to help you out. It is kinda hard to explain. Sorry about this.

 

Now, seems every time I wan to post here, I have to login again even though I never did logout and I'm stuck with an hard to remember password. How do you change your password? Thanks!

 

Top right corner - Settings
To the left column under My Accounts - Edit Email and password

 

Now, I'm running with my spare Windows XP laptop. Yesterday, I thought...I will try to boot it up using the Ubuntu USB stick and see how my D: drive does look but,...on that XP laptop, there's no provision to boot from a USB stick...unless booting from LAN means the same thing?
Well...I hope you're on a faster connection than I am(public library) because it took me 2:30 minutes to download that Ubuntu thing.

 

Right, I am in. The icon above the firefox icon is the 'my computer' - The Home folder
You should be able to see the drives on the top left side.
Please follow the instruction given in the last link I posted.
In my case, I can explore my hard drive with ease

 

Thanks!....

What is the Ubuntu equivalent of Windows "Disk Management" where you can see /deal with your partitions?

 

When you click on the home folder on the task bar to the left of the display, it will open to show you computer and your devices. Disk management is by gparted. Click on Dash home and type in gparted

 

Well...the guy says:"Once the system has started up, the first thing you want to do is choose Places \ Computer from the menu."
I don't have any "Computer" to click on but it seems this guy is on "applications" and then "places" How do you get there? Seems that guy isn't on the same Ubuntu as me.

By the way my "home folder" is below the Firefox icon, not above. I click it and again...I don't have a "computer" word to click on. There's the word "Computer" but it's in bold black lettering and it' not clickable. Below that "computer" words, there's many other words that are clickable like Home-Desktop-Downloads-Music-Pictures-Videso -File system. Only Home,Desktop ans File system do contains something but nothing like a D: or F: drive.

Now, I just did restart it and my "home folder" is above the Firefox icon. Anyway,If you click "home" in there there is Desktop-Documents-Downloads-Music-Pictures-Public-Templates and Videos. It's all empty except for Desktop where there is "Install Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS ans "examples".
If you go further down and click on "File System" then there's tons of icons like bin-boot-cdrom-dev-ect-home-lib-media-mnt-opt-proc-rofs...and many more but there's nothing looking like a D:/F: drive.

Seems that unless I find a way to reach "applications" and then"places" I won't be able to see anything. I spent the last 4 hrs on this and haven't accomplish anything...not even achieving to use Wi-Fi with Ubuntu. I'm done for today.Thanks!

P.S.
Click on Dash home and type in gparted

I don't understand what you were trying to tell me to do or how to do it here. What is Dash home?

 

When you move your cursor to the left coulumn of icons, the Ubuntu icon is called Dash Home when you hover over it.

If your keep running into issues, the next best thing to do is to get an external enclosure for your Acer harddrive like this one
Vantec NexStar TX 2.5-Inch SATA to USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure

Take out the Acer HDD and put it into the enclosure. Plug into your secondary laptop and it should read the drive like any other external drive. This should work. If it doesn't, then your HDD is kaput.

 

Here is what I got when I click on "Home Folder":

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w252/Gillangl/partiton2_zps22b96c3e.jpg

Here is what my partitions look like:

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w252/Gillangl/partition1_zps8f92d6f1.jpg

I guess having two D: drive( it's the 156.27 GB partition. There should be only one of these)(none being NTFS) one being unallocated the other being extended do explain why I can't see anything.

Here is the explanation Ubuntu gives me as to why my C: drive is screwed:

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w252/Gillangl/partition3_zps323eb9fd.jpg

Would still appreciate to get a way to reach the Wi-Fi Internet while using Ubuntu on a USB stick. Thanks!

 

Mda... 1. Try to find "Latest working configuration" when you boot Windows 7. You might need to press F8 while booting to see those option.
2. If it doesn't help then get any 8GB or larger USB flash drive, format it in NTFS by HP Format Tool and simply copy all files from Windows 7 distributive of preferably the same as on your laptop. At least 64 bit. Then you will be able to restore start-up in non-limited recovery.

Don't bother with linux unless you really believe that factory state will erase all hard drive instead of drive C. At least the only recovery I used before (VAIO F) asked me what type of recovery I want.

HINT: You always can connect your current hard drive to any other computer or even a laptop for backing up data. However if you want to connect it to a laptop which doesn't have 2 hdd bays then you need t have 2nd HDD caddy for such situations.

 

Broadcom drivers are not part of the kernel. For this reason, your Wi-fi card isn't being detected. You cannot restart a live CD and expect it to retain the broad come driver installation as it stores all additions to the live CD in the RAM. RAM is emptied when you reboot.

You cannot connect to the Wifi with the live cd. If there is a way, then I have not come across it in my search.

Agreed with James D's suggestion. Do you have access to a large 17" laptop with two drive bays? A friend can help you out with that. Inserting your Acer drive into another laptop might help you get your data out quickly as it gets detected as just another drive.

But if you continue with the Linux CD option. Please open the terminal (click on dash home and type in Terminal) and type in the commands given in this link
Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer
Remember that your drive is in the NTFS format.

 

Windows 7 won't boot at all so F8 isn't an option.I may be wrong but I think that unless I fix my D: drive partition, no matter what I do(plugging it to another laptop or removing the hard drive and dropping it in an external enclosure) these files I had on the D: drive won't show. Do you agree?

If I can't connect to the Internet using a Ubuntu live CD then how can I fix my partition?. I was hoping getting back to the partition software that got me into that trouble in the first place and use it to recover my lost D: drive. I had recovered it once on Sunday before the whole thing went wrong.

 

Looks like the D drive was wiped. Still not an issue. You can still get your photos out using a recovery tool like Recuva. This tool can get your data out even after a reformat and reinstallation of windows. Unfortunately, it is not intelligent enough to seek the right path but will show all photos that you had loaded on the drive recently. You will need to perform a deep scan. That can take up to 6 hours and it will show it to you in a list with previews. There is an option to select the files you would like to recover in the advanced mode. This is the last ditch effort only. What did you use to partition your drive?

If you have no data in the C drive, isn't there an option to only restore the C drive to factory settings without touching the other drives? I recall Sony having that function in my CR220E and the EB14.

You can use this to recover your partition
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

 

Are you aware that the best option to get help is to write about what happened before all went wrong?
What did you do? All went wrong because of HDD failure or partition program like acronis or paragon did smth or what?
If the C drive is fine then why the heck don't you install Windows on it and then recover other partitions and data???
If you DO NOT want to format C drive then why can't you do what I said about flash drive and try to fix boot?
And you have Windows 7 which doesn't have UEFI so if you see that options about recovery then you may also see option about last known good configuration pressing F8 constantly right after power button. If you don't see it then MBR doesn't have info about Windows 7 installed so you need to fix it by flash drive.

Just make a video using your phone and show what does it look like if you can't tell it.

 

This is the whole story. Lately, I have been adding a lot of music softwares and my C: drive did get close to full. So, I wanted to enlarge it. I had downloaded a partition software many years ago so I did use this to try to do the job.I couldn't get my C: drive to get bigger that 50GB(maybe it got to 50.38 GB). So,after that, I did read that now WIndows 7 had their own partition software. I went there but again, I couldn't get my C: drive to budge from being bigger than 50 GB(50.38 GB). So,I went back on the Internet and in a post in a forum 2 different persons were praising a software to do just that. I went there, did download the thing and sure enough, it was real easy to enlarge my C: drive to 60 GB but...I did notice my D: drive was now listed as "unallocated". This did seem to smell bad so I did click on cancel and decided to delete some stuff I had on my C: drive instead to make some place for newer stuff. The following day, I did notice my D: drive was gone. So, I went back to that partition software and did use their "recover lost partition" and it went like a charm, my D: drive was back and I did test it out and all my stuff was there. Following that, I thought these guys were pretty cool so maybe I could try again the enlarge my C: drive to 60 GB. I did click on "enlarge/resize partition"(or something like that) and I did get the message that there was an error on the disk,that 2 partitions were overlapping. They did ask was I to fix that? I did click on "NO" and it went back to the previous screen and nothing was happening. Well...let see what happens if I click yes. I went back and did click on "enlarge/resize partition" and I did get the same message there was an error on the disk, that 2 partitions were overlapping and was I to correct this?I did click yes and then the screen did switch to another page that did seems just normal and then "BANG", the screen went black and a few seconds later a blue box with white lettering did warn me there was something wrong and after that I got stuck with Windows asking me to run "startup repair" on to launch it as usual ...which will always fail. That's why I think that if I could go online with my screwed laptop running Ubuntu, I could download that partition software and reinstall my D: drive which would allow me to retrieve my pictures on the D:drive. That's the software I did use: AOMEI's free data backup software for disk, partition, system and file backup & recovery for Windows Oss.

I don't have a phone with video capability. I'm not home so I don't have my digital camera around. The C: rive isn't intact. Windows option to reinstall Windows 7 without touching anything else is "greyed out"so the only option left is to delete the whole thing and make a clean install. I want to try to save some pictures I have on the D: drive before everything get deleted.

I did try F8. It won't start in safe mode. It won't work with last known configuration

Well...how can you download Recuva to a laptop that doesn't have access to the Wi-Fi Internet? It's the same for Testdisk. I can't download it. I'm on the road without my own Internet network

 

Broadcom Wifi Drivers in Ubuntu 12.04 Live - YouTube
This shows how to get the Wifi running using broadcom drivers in the Live CD? How are you connecting to NBR?

 

I just find out ( by posting a question at "askUbuntu")how to connect to Wi_FI just before I did get your last message. Thanks for the effort . I'm at the public library using my spare Windows XP laptop. Now , I will put it back in the moth balls.

Now just messaging from my crippled laptop. Just discoverd that the software I did use to partition is...Windows only. Will check if the one you suggested is good for Linux too?

 

And you still want to use that software

As said above 1. connect the hard drive to another computer or laptop. If you have desktop then it is very easy to connect via usual sata cable.
2. Use R-studio for recovering the D drive. It is complicated program but at first do step 1.

 

I only have 2 laptops. Unless I'm wrong, you need an Ethernet cable to connect them together. I don't have one. Before buying one, I want to see what I can do to recover my D: drive partition. As far as using the same software that did put me into this trouble...I guess it's more the way i did use it not knowing it much more than the software being bad by itself. But anyway, it's not even an option anymore since it's WIndows only. I did downlaod Tesdisk(that goes for Linux) and will try to see how it works and hopefully be able to bring back my D: drive partition as an allocated, NTSF partition.

Well....this Testdisk thing is mighty complicated.

I want to Thanks all that did participate in this thread specially "idiot101". I haven't solve my problem yet but I hope it will be fixed by next week.

When you do run Ubuntu on a live CD USB stick and you download something( like I did download the testdisk software) does it get saved to the USB stick or does it get saved to the Hard drive?
Also, instead of getting an Ubuntu live CD can somebody download(for free) online a bootable Windows 7 live CD? Thanks!

 

Gets saved to the RAM. It won't be there the next time you boot. Try this
How to Create a Windows 7 Live CD the Easy Way
Create a Windows 7 Live CD [How To] | Maintenance and System Tools | Windows Tools, Help & Guides
Win7PE SE & Release

Another option instead of Ubuntu.
Hiren's BootCD 15.2 - All in one Bootable CD » www.hiren.info

 

Thanks! Well...I did chose "How to create Windows 7 live CD the easy way"...I guess it's all relative. Maybe I was at the wrong place but...you had to open a Microsoft account. They ask you tons of questions. It seems the whole thing is only about Windows 8. The download is 48 min. Anyway, will see what I got.

Well...I went from it will takes 48 min. to now it will take 8 hrs- 40 min.

 

Free Windows 7 ISO downloads
Windows 7 Direct Download Links
Legit site

 

Seems to me that all this only comes in Chinese, Dutch and Danish language? Your first post/link for the Windows 7 live CD was junk. It would start at being a 48 min download and then go through the roof at 9 hrs plus. I did try this one. It was a 2 min download. I don't know if it will be any good?
http://step.yourfiledownloader.com/...68dJnEfaaLkSjgDZO5chaHOzMQUaTxFoF08ldDdsxRw0=
That download wasn't an ISO file so I guess it explain why it was so fast.

 

Scroll down for the English iso. I have never made a Windows 7 Live CD. No comments on your link. I use only Linux Live CDs to check them out distro to distro.

Trial and error only.
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/livecd.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Windows-Live-CD

 

Well... I did get my Windows 7 live CD(It took 3 hrs total to achieve that) but...that's not a live cd. It's an installing CD that will install Windows on my computer hard drive.They tell you to backup your files... just in case.
How can one backup their files when you can't even see them?

 

http://www.partitionwizard.com/partition-wizard-bootable-cd.html
http://www.partitionwizard.com/bootable-flash-drive.html
http://www.partitionwizard.com/help/partition-recovery.html
This has tools built in which can get data out of a deleted/damaged drive. See if it works. It should allow you to scan for data in the deleted sector. Do not reformat your drive. I hope it can rebuild your partition tables and get your data out.

 

Well...the first one which is a bootable CD...Ubuntu can't dowlaod it..I laways get that an error has happen. For the next 2, seems to me these thing are only able to run with the first one or with Windows and since I haven't been able to get a Windows 7 Live CD yet.

 

Download the ISO from Free download Magic Partition Manager Software, partition magic alternative, free partition magic, partition magic Windows 7 and server partition software - Partition Wizard Online
and burn it on to the USB drive. It does not need Ubuntu or Windows. You can do this on your secondary laptop. Then boot using the new Flash drive you have created.

 

That's what I was doing ...saving the file to my old laptop and then burn it to a DVD( I only have one USB stick and it's already taken by Ubuntu Live CD). Thanks!

 

I burnt this tool on to my USB drive and rebooted my computer. It is based on the Linux kernel. I don't think you need Ubuntu anymore. Just use the partition recovery option and see if it works. I am now going to reboot into the tool and see what options it offers and what you should do.

Edit: Yep, it is based off of Tinycore Linux. It boots into the GUI and then select the first option. Then it will ask you to select screen resolution and press 1 and press Enter. Then select partition recovery and scan the full drive. Hope it works.

 

I got it running right now. I got big doubts. Like so many other things, the guidelines are so bad.Now the scan has started but I did stop it twice because somewhere they say click on the partition you want to recover but the scan was already started when I did see that So, I did cancel the thing and went back but never could know if you had to chose the partition before the scan or not??? The scan is just over now. I can now chose the partition. I did but...it looks good and bad. My D: drive is now shown has active but I got a partition(that looks to be my C: drive plus something else since my C: drive is 50.38 GB and that partition shows at 62.5 GB) that shows as unallocated. I now have to decide if I click "finish" or not?

 

You can see what is in the partition when you double click on it. That way, you can copy your data out. How many partitions were there before this happened?

I think it will reconstruct the partition table when you click on recover. So your drives should show to be active.

 

HoH ! I see say the blind. My D: drive was the only one showing being active because it was the only one I had click on telling them I wanted it. Now, I did click all 4 and they all looks good. I only now have to click finish. Crossing my fingers.

I haven't click finish yet. You're right, by double clicking the partition you can see what is in there but...how do you copy that stuff? Right clicking on it does nothing.

 

Fingers and toes here. :thumbsup:

Let me see how to copy the data first. There must be a way to copy it out. You should never copy it back on the disk you are recovering.

After this, get your ubuntu live cd and it should automatically mount if the drive tables are repaired. You can click on the HOME and you will see all your drives on the top left corner.

 

I had 4 partitions before this did happen. They all show now but I haven't click finish yet. If I can copy my pictures first, I would but how?

I just found out that if you double click on the folder than you see the individual pictures files but...it stops there.

 

Please read this
http://www.partitionwizard.com/help/partition-recovery.html

Once it rebuilds the partition tables, you should have access to the data when you boot with Ubuntu later. You need to select the whole drive to recover.

Go for it.......Praying

 

At the Minitool website under: "Working with retrieved data" there is that phrase:

When you choose one file, you can right click the file. And then you will find an option Recover. With this function, you will be allowed to directly save this file to the appointed directory.

Doesn't seem to work for me.

 

I don't think that option is there in the Boot CD version, only on the Windows installation. Your best hopre now is to see if the partition tables are rebuilt allowing you to mount the drive in the Ubuntu Live CD.