Windows 8.1 not booting properly

Of course I didn't mean dos but I was trying to remember the list of commands which may have given some help, it is funny but my son has rung me tonight saying that his laptop has had a similar problem and is as we speak trying the automatic repair, could it be that there is a new virus out there not picked by our virus software

Well, it's not technically a virus but folk lump all bad software into "virus" is Conduit. Removing Conduit can be dangerous as what it is doing is digging deep into the OS.

-> My question is why this is allowed to flourish today. Why isn't Microsoft patching against such crap?
Bob

The answer to your question, is it would ultimately cause a lot of legacy programs used by Microsoft's major corporate customers to fail. Probably at least half the reason ActiveX exists in more or less the same unsandboxed state it did when it came into being back with IE3, is because of all those legacy corporate intranet sites that will use custom ActiveX controls. Secure ActiveX properly, enough of those corporate intranet sites would be brought to their knees that top Microsoft executives would be getting angry phone calls from top executives at other Fortune 500 companies.

Where I'm working now, they're holding onto IE8 for dear life because apparently some of the custom modifications made to the SAP Portal program don't work with newer versions. The idea of just fixing the code that breaks with newer versions of the browser never seems to occur to anyone, or they just figure that they'll kick that particular expense down the road and let it happen on someone else's watch. So while the C-Suite is playing geo-politics, the actual business of today suffers. Same thing is likely happening at Microsoft. The Windows developers would love to actually secure things properly, but are ordered not to by the top brass because executive bonuses are tied to quarterly performance so everyone wants to just keep deferring non-critical expenses.

Reminds me of an episode from the short-lived Dilbert cartoon show, where the PHB is talking about some legacy mainframe that all the company's current systems are still tied into. When asked why they would do that sort of thing, he says how the management at the time figured they'd save money in the short-run with miles of spaghetti code and by the time it became a problem, they would have all moved on to more profitable companies.

If you do a search of youtube for "dilbert y2k" you should be able to find a clip of it.

In the meantime I will have to get a new HD which is especially galling as the failed one is only three months old

To be sure it's bad, download software from the disc manufacturer and use that to test the disk. Also might need to use that software to do a low level format to restore the drive. Since they've been changing drive structures since 2009, they may no longer have similar software that was used on earlier drives since it won't work properly on the newer 4KB sector drives. Interesting read on it here.

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/WhitePapers/ENG/2579-771430.pdf

Consequently, take any tech center advice the drive is defective with a grain of salt and check it out first yourself. Western Digital has Data Lifeguard, Seagate has Seatools and Disc Wizard.

http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/

http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/discwizard/

Those are the two main drive makers. Software from one sometimes works for the other.

The only trouble is how do I do this when I can't even boot the computer up? Unless you have some clever way I have missed, when I turn on the computer it goes straight into repair which fails then I get a blue background with Automatic repair & "Automatic Repair could not repair your computer" then boxes with Shut Down or Advanced Options if I am able to click on Advanced Options (this doesn't always work as I am using a wireless mouse & keyboard )I then get the three boxes with continue, troubleshoot or shutdown then three more options with refresh, reset, Advanced options, then five boxes system restore (it cannot find a viable restore point) system image recovery, startup repair (this starts over again) command prompt & startup settings
So what do I do other than get the drive checked out at my friendly computer supplier, and as it's only three months old get a replacement then spend a week or so remembering all my serial numbers and reinstalling all my program's , by the way thanks for all the help & comments

In the file below. Uses bootable media you create on another computer and can then boot to the DVD and run the DiskWizard software to check the drive.

You can also have a linux bootable CD or DVD operating system to check the disc, which is that Knoppix link I gave.

For you, the easiest would be that other windows 8 computer you mentioned with the suspect hard drive plugged into a port in the case or USB enclosure. No need to install if you choose to plug to an SATA port and to a power plug. Just take the side off and run the two cords, power to PSU unit and SATA to a spare mobo plug and then boot as normal. You can use the windows tools then to check it out, or download the windows version of Disk Wizard or the Acronis or whatever to check it out. The simplest is to run chkdsk with surface check on the disk, after checking the partitioning on it in the Disk Manager program.

As suspected it was the drive now I have a week of work putting everything back, unfortunately the drive could not be cloned, although I keep backups of emails (Incredimail backup) I had not got a recent one and although I had saved my email setup it never works the same, lesson backup, backup, backup

Then it should be under warranty and the drive manufacturer will replace it on their dime. If the computer itself is only ~3 months old, you talk to the computer maker about getting a new drive. A couple years spent as a hardware tech and a couple thousand repair to match it, makes me think this has the markings of a bad HDD. I've been wrong before, but I was probably around 90% accurate with my initial diagnosis just reading the description of the symptoms from people. Still it is worth trying some of the things James suggested, even if just to make sure you don't get a replacement drive and find out that wasn't the issue. There's little more frustrating than thinking you've figured out the problem, making a change, then finding out that wasn't the solution after all.

I have had a thought:- I have another W8.1 computer which was partly dismantled to build the new one, it has the original 8.1 on it it's only missing a sound card so in theory I could put the offending drive into the case and see if I can check it out what do you think?

When a PC is dismantled, the Windows OS may fail in new and wondrous ways when the machine is booted with the changes. This lesson repeats again and again.

Should I remain subtle or just tell you to start fresh?
Bob

You know the one where a adware crap house took antivirus companies to court for calling their crap, crap.
Bob