Vista died and no repair disk

[chellerey]

My partner shut down the pc when an update was being installed. When we next switched the pc on, it sounds like its booting up, shows the initial windows screen then the screen goes dark blue and you can hear the fans slowing down as if the hard drive is on hibernate.

I have tried F7 over and over - got to the selection screen then system repair. The repair screen started then continued for 24 hours!

 

I have tried to select 'safe mode' which also went to the dark 'hibernate' type screen.

 

It won't go to 'system restore'.

 

We tried to buy the Vista disk from the Siemens site which is where we got the pc from as it would only be £30 but they only accept credit cards - not debit cards. We don't have a credit card!!

 

Please help as I feel there must be a simple explanation to this problem but we don't know enough to find out what it is.

 

Many thanks

Chelle

[snow]

Hi Chellery,

 

Welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help.

 

Unfortunately, it sounds like the hard drive could have been damaged when the computer was shut off abruptly.

 

Do you have another computer you could put the drive in?

[chellerey]

Oh heck! Well we have but if I start removing drives etc then I'd kick myself if I did something stupid to the other pc!

Many thanks for your advice though. I think its time then that we took it to the repair shop!!!

Chelle

[Plastic Nev]

Hi Chelle, we can talk you through removing the drive and connecting it to another computer. It is extremely unlikely to do any damage to the other computer by doing so, but if tried it will at least find out if either the drive is damaged or not, and you may be able to transfer needed data to the other computer as well.

Nev.

[Jelly Bean]

Have you tried last known good config or booting into recovery console?

[chellerey]

Thanks Plastic Nev that's good to know. Jelly Bean, yes I've booted up with F7 got to the repair screen, today I've tried to use the 'Restore to factory settings'. It gets to about one centimetre along the bar - then just sticks.

I've tried system restore - but the screen just crashes. Last know good config - just crashes.

Its daft really because the pc is only about a year old.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi again, it is a shame considering that it is only that old, but everything now is pointing at a damaged hard drive.

Unfortunately as you have no disk, with a replacement drive you will have to buy a new disk as well to load an operating system on it.

I would look first at the option of removing the drive and connecting it to another computer though, as I say it isn't likely to cause the other computer any problem but it will at least prove the drive is broken or not.

Nev.

[jamesbrown]

hey there, i have had this problem several times in the past. Ask anyone you know if you could borrow a windows operating system disk (presuming you are using vista). this is essential because by the looks of things, you are going to have to reinstall the operating system on a new hardrive. You will have to do this anyway so why not try to use the system recovery options on a vista disk. If you get one, boot the pc with the disk inserted, tab the key which chooses boot settings (which is displayed on the screen when the pc starts up) then wait for the disk to boot. Then choose english (uk or us), then next, then repair my computer.

 

try boot repair, if that doesn't work try system restore, if that doesn't work then you can try to extract your data by then choosing command prompt from that menu, then type notepad, then click file, then open. Then connect a USB flash drive or external hd. hope this helps! :)

[Plastic Nev]

Just to point out that to use a borrowed disk to install the operating system to a new hard drive is not legal.

When the original disk for that computer is lost or destroyed, there is as far as I know only one way and that is to buy a new or replacement copy if installing a new hard drive.

Theoretically, even using a borrowed disk to perform a Windows repair, may be in breach of the original operating system license for that computer. That is of course assuming the original hard drive will work.

 

However, if the original computer manufacturer is consulted, they should be able to provide the correct replacement OEM disk, though this may come with a charge.

Nev.