Windows Help

I was updating Windows Vista a few minutes ago and my computer lost power. I'm not certain how or why it occurred because I wasn't look at it when it happened but based on my troubles now my assumption is it shut down while applying the update. Now my computer will not boot.

I see the bios screen and then it says a error has occurred and gives me 5 boot options. Safe mode, safe mode with network, safe mode with command prompt, last known stable boot, and the option to start normally.

I have tried all 5 options and on every single one it will go to the Vista load screen with the little load bar and then blue screens for a split-second and then reboots. The blue screen disapears so fast I have no idea what it says.

Is there anything I can do besides reformatting and re-installing the OS?

Also I pulled the hdd out and dropped it into an external enclosure to pull some data off of it but it will not let me, I can only see the 11gb restore partition and when I try to access the actual data it will only give me the option to reformat.

Is there anyway I can backup data on the drive before I reformat it if that is my only option?

 

you didn't mention what OS you connected the external drive to....

What is interesting about this is that in order to see the VISTA load screen, your computer's master boot record and partition record must be intact, so you should be able to see your data unless the computer you are connecting your external enclosure to does not see ntfs file system.

The FIRST thing you should do is put the drive back and using a VISTA DVD run a boot repair...if that fails, choose a system restore point before this occured.

Since you are pondering a reinstall, you have a DVD, so do that first.

If none of that works, we move on to the alternatives

 

The computer its connected to is also running Vista 32-bit.

I do have the restore discs I made when I received the laptop for the first time. It is 2 discs, I put disc 1 in and let the computer boot from it, windows scan files then it just sits there doing absolutely nothing...there is a cursor on the screen that I can move but nothing seems to be happening.

 

restore disc isn't the same thing....

Reconnect the drive in the enclosure to the other computer. Right click COMPUTER, choose MANAGE, choose DISK MANAGEMENT

What do you see there? Does the drive show up in the bottom--what about on top, paying particular attention to the to FILE SYSTEM