Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

4yr old Lenovo Vista PC- will not boot!

Feb 19, 2013 11:32PM PST

Hello,

Besides basic functions, i know nothing about computers. Espcially how to fix them.

my computer will not load and was saying the windows error missing or corrupt.

i had my local shop who built the computer, provide me a vista SP1 disk. But it will not repair any errors, etc.

i can not get into safe mod, can not do ANYTHING.

i ran chkdsk C: /f /r and it took forever and said it fixed erros, but still same problem.

PLEASE HELP! I can provide more details, just at work at the moment and trying to think of everything.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
I suggest...
Feb 20, 2013 10:55PM PST

I read all the posts and you seem rather clueless in what needs to be done. Each user problem becomes unique especailly to the user. I can offer three suggestions for you:

1) Use Ubuntu bootable disk
3) Use Hiren's Rescue bootable disc
3) remove your laptop drive and mount in ext. USB case

If you use #1, then you have a working OS and burned OK should boot. If it doesn't STOP you have other problems. -OR- If Ubuntu becomes too difficult because you're learning and thus now have to get from step 1 to 2, sorry that's already posted on YouTube somewhere, google for it.

If you use #2, boot into it and find the mini-XP pgm. it will appear to look like things you've seen before. Take that as a clue you can retrieve files that way to your ext. HD.

If you use #3, then having removed the HD from problem laptop place in ext. USB case(mount it). That way you can access it via any other PC and retrieve files that way once ownership(google it, if need be) is granted.

FYI- Vista SP1 doesn't fix Vista, it updates it, it's not intended as a repair disc. You need to get a Vista "repair disc" which only corrects minor OS issues and/or access some OS repair features. Any Vista repair disc should work provided it is the same -32 or -64 bit versions for what is being used. if after the repair process the PC still won't boot, then only a OS install may help to get the laptop up and running. Depending on the OS being used, this may or may not totally wipe out the current data. Most OEM(Lenevo, included) tend to wipe clean past installs, but again the option may be there not to, it simply installs over the old OS and thus refreshes the old install. However, I wouldn't count on that. If you can install over old then great you data is still present and acts as if nothing happened. -OR- you do an OS install and it asks!!!!! Do you want to save the old OS install, answer *YES*. Provided, you have HD space, it will save the old install as "windows.old" and you can still access that as if a huge folder. There is no guarantee of all this, until done because so far no idea what restore/recovery Vista discs you have or if you've gotten anything since this original post, maybe new Vista install(retail version) discs. if you have access to retail not OEM type, the option of saving the old windows would be present.

I won't post any more advise as what I stated and others here have offered should cover the topic. At the same time, I'm not offering PC 101 to newbies, that's already been done as far as I see it through these forums and YouTube or googling the WWW. good luck

tada -----Willy Happy

- Collapse -
thank you.
Feb 20, 2013 11:32PM PST

I am going to try to Ubuntu option.

But for the disks i have are the following
1. a SP1 Vista Disk burnt by a local pc shop who built the computer
2. Disk 1, 2, 3 of Lenovo Recovery

Thats it.

I have no clue about removing and mounting a drive, so i won't do that.

I will try to get what i want off the laptop and reinstall windoows/ then say F it and buy a new one.

thanks for everything.