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Vista will not boot to login

Free

Free

Presbyterian-ish
Staff member
Lead Admin
Alright. I know I've called some of you nerds or geeks or something like that but I need your help. I'm so glad that we're all Christians and that you've forgiven me and are so willing to help. :pray ;)

Here is the situation. I was going to install Kaspersky Internet Security on my Vista machine (32 bit ultimate if it matters) but I was prompted to install a Windows update. So I did that and then inserted the Kaspersky CD. I figured it would be a good idea to uninstall Avast first, so I did and after Avast finished uninstalling it prompted me to reboot now or later and I thought, hey, now is as good a time as any. I forgot to remove the Kaspersky CD though and upon rebooting, it just sat at the screen with the blue lights moving across the center at the bottom of the screen, over and over and over.

It would not go to the login screen. I finally did a hard reboot and got it into "Safe" mode. From there I thought I would try a System restore. The default point it gave was just prior to my installing the update. So I selected that and let it run. It ran for over 3 hours just sitting at "Please wait while your Windows files and settings are being restored System Restore is initializing...". I finally did a hard reboot on that. I just tried it againt and so far, at almost a half hour, it is still sitting at the same screen.

My other problem is that I don't think I got the Vista CDs with this machine. For some reason I remember having to order the Office CDs from Microsoft but I don't remember doing the Vista ones, which would be odd. I've contacted the place where I bought the computer to see if they normally supply them or if, as with the Office CDs, it's all up to the consumer to order them from MS. :bigfrown

:help :help :help
 
Free said:
Alright. I know I've called some of you nerds or geeks or something like that but I need your help. I'm so glad that we're all Christians and that you've forgiven me and are so willing to help. :pray ;)
Click to expand...
Who said we'd forgiven you? :biglol :rolling


Free said:
Here is the situation. I was going to install Kaspersky Internet Security on my Vista machine (32 bit ultimate if it matters) but I was prompted to install a Windows update. So I did that and then inserted the Kaspersky CD. I figured it would be a good idea to uninstall Avast first, so I did and after Avast finished uninstalling it prompted me to reboot now or later and I thought, hey, now is as good a time as any. I forgot to remove the Kaspersky CD though and upon rebooting, it just sat at the screen with the blue lights moving across the center at the bottom of the screen, over and over and over.

It would not go to the login screen. I finally did a hard reboot and got it into "Safe" mode. From there I thought I would try a System restore. The default point it gave was just prior to my installing the update. So I selected that and let it run. It ran for over 3 hours just sitting at "Please wait while your Windows files and settings are being restored System Restore is initializing...". I finally did a hard reboot on that. I just tried it againt and so far, at almost a half hour, it is still sitting at the same screen.

:help :help :help
Click to expand...
Not completely sure...last time that happened to my school laptop they had to take it back to IBM and do something to the hard disk :o.

Have you removed the CD and all periphial devices? I don't know what else to try except keep doing what you're doing.
 
I'm just trying to do whatever I find through Google. :gah Nothing is working yet.
 
Silly, silly me... :oops I'm trying the last link you provided Lewis. I made the mistake of downloading the 32-bit recovery disk when I actually have 64-bit ultimate (hence the 8 GB of RAM). :oops I burned the 32-bit one and it said it wasn't compatible with the version of Vista I had. :lol

Trying it again...the 64-bit version that is.


Jason,

I can boot up into Safe Mode so I'm pretty sure the hard drive is okay.


Vince,

Windows 7....I don't know. I think I am going to switch to Apple when I get the chance. I may even try Linux on my old Dell which will be decommissioned permanently very soon. But, if Windows 7 proves to be better than Vista, it might worth the upgrade for now; much cheaper than buying an Apple.


Thanks for the tips and help guys. It just finished downloading the file so all I need to do is burn it and try it out.
 
Well, first go-round with the disk resulted in an error with the Repair program after about 5 minutes. I started it again and it has been going for about an hour. But it seems as though the CD isn't spinning and nothing is really happening. I'm just going to let it run overnight and see if anything changes. :gah
 
Did you do it from boot ? If not go into the BIOS and so that you can boot from your Rom and then try it again.
 
Well, I went and checked this morning and it said that it could not repair the computer. :sad Maybe there is a hardware issue somewhere. It just seems like it gets locked into a loop in the boot cycle. I need to get that thing running; all my wife's financials for her company are on there, not to mention the 30+ GB of music and podcasts.

With the CD in at startup, it says to press any key to boot from CD. That is how I did it.
 
Thanks again for the help. I just got back from bringing it to the place I bought it from; 3-5 days turnaround. :sad I am really, really hoping I backed everything up. They want $50/hr for backups. :crazy

One of the possibilities is some bad sectors on the hard drive. Jason just might have been right after all. :) I'm still suspicious of Vista though.
 
Signs that Your Hard Drive is Going Bad

When a person buys a new computer, he or she expects that the computer will be durable and will last for many years. However, through wear and tear, dust, heat, and many other problems, a hard drive can go bad over time.
Knowing how to prevent

your hard drive from going bad can be invaluable and can save you time and money that you would spend on recovering that data.

If you suspect that your hard drive may be going bad, you can look for a few key signs:

1. Extremely slow windows start up. Depending on the speed of your computer, start up time can range from under 1 minute to over 4 minutes. If you do see a significant increase in your start up time, run a scan for viruses. If no viruses are present, with at least two scanners, then you could either use the utility located on your "Windows Reinstall" CD or download a utility that will scan your hard drive for bad sectors and potential problems.

2. If you notice any new or strange noises from your hard drive, it may be the result of a hard drive problem. It may have been the result of a power surge, repeated power interruptions or even heat. If your hard drive is making a loud, grinding noise, it is advised that you have your computer looked at by a professional. If untreated or not replaced, the hard drive may fail and you could lose all of your data.

3. Programs have stopped functioning or are missing files. If a program disappears over night, then it may be the result of either a virus, a hard drive problem, or user error. Always scan for viruses weekly and use more than one virus scanner. If no viruses turn up, then you may be experiencing signs of a failing hard drive. At this stage, it is advised that you immediately cease from using the computer and take it to a professional to be serviced. If the hard drive can not be salvaged, then the data can easily be transferred over to a new hard drive.
Hard drive problems can be a hassle to deal with. If not properly addressed, a hard drive failure can lead to the loss of thousands of precious pictures, videos, songs, documents and more importantly...memories. Scan and defragment the the hard drive every month to help keep it in tip
top running shape. Despite the best efforts to fight it, some hard drives will still fail regardless of what the user does to prevent it. This can occur to excess heat in the computer, power surges, repeated power outages and age. A hard drive has "tape" just like a cassette tape does and that tape can become warped or damaged due to stress over time, leading to a hard drive failure that couldn't be prevented. It is advised that one should back up any important data regularly.
 
check the cmos and bios may need to be reset, this is rare. the sequence may be off as the cd rom may have done that.
 
Jason that is rare, battery failure is one reason a CMOS fails, did you get a checksum error And when you do get it right flash the BIOS to the latest.
 
Nick,I had always been on the leading edge of Microsoft software, but when Vista was still in the making, I realized that it was a mistake to get it. I was one of the first people to warn that if your PC was designed for XP, that it probably could not handle Vista. I was right.

Over the years, Vista's problems have been solved, but 7 is coming along, and it is a far superior product. Like New Coke, the Buffalo fighter plane, and the Ford Edsel, Vista has its good points, but there aren't enough.
 
Lewis W said:
Jason that is rare, battery failure is one reason a CMOS fails, did you get a checksum error And when you do get it right flash the BIOS to the latest.
Click to expand...
yes that is rare perhaps drq is off ie trying to boot off the cd rom, nick this is your field comment as well.

jason
 
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