Boot Issue / Startup Repair Issue

[NevoraskiA]

have a laptop that won't boot
startup repair won't work keeps failing (from computer or install cd)
sfc scan from command prompt says windows resource protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them and makes a log file... when i go to view the log file it was never created.
ran chkdsk... found no errors
also did bootrec /fixmbr
and bootrec /fixboot
neither helped
ran ccleaner off hirens
ran clamwin antivirus off hirens
exported the BCD and rebuilt it
last known good configuration fails to work
restore to earlier point in time can't find a restore point
any ideas?
trying everything I can to fix this without needing to backup the data and do a fresh install since it's a customers computer for my sole proprietorship business i made.
any ideas much appreciated.

well actually i do have one other idea... finding out where the system files are saved at in the windows folder and downloading system files from the internet and replacing files 1 by 1 (not actually deleting the old file in case i need to put it back)... this might work, but would take quite a while and once again idk if it will work or if I can find all the files I'd need.

 

[Frosty is a Snowman]

do you get an error message when you try to boot the device
or if you boot it in safe mode does it hang at a particular stage

 

[NevoraskiA]

do you get an error message when you try to boot the device
or if you boot it in safe mode does it hang at a particular stage

No, safe mode starts loading and then just restarts the computer right away.

That does remind me of something though. I get a blue screen that disappears really fast when normal load of windows fails... I was going to disable the automatic restart so I could view it... hmmm can't change the settings for that from hirens apparently... and can't get into safe mode.

Well... I finally managed to get a picture of blue screen with my phone... it's not 100% clear and I don't know how accurate this is... but here's my guesstimate of what it says.

STOP: c000021A (Fatal System Error)
The Initial session process or system process terminated
blah blah blah
0x00000000 (0xc0000034 0x00100600).
The system has been shut down.

http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx?query=c000021a+vista&catalog=LCID=1033&mode=r

c000021a - See Startup Repair below :

Cause
This error occurs when a user-mode subsystem, such as WinLogon or the Client Server Run-Time Subsystem (CSRSS), has been fatally compromised and security can no longer be guaranteed. In response, the operating system switches to kernel mode. Microsoft Windows cannot run without WinLogon or CSRSS. Therefore, this is one of the few cases where the failure of a user-mode service can shut down the system.
Mismatched system files can also cause this error. This can occur if you have restored your hard disk from a backup. Some backup programs might skip restoring system files that they determine are in use.
Resolving the Problem
Running the kernel debugger is not useful in this situation because the actual error occurred in a user-mode process.
Resolving an error in a user-mode device driver, system service, or third-party application: Because bug check 0xC000021A occurs in a user-mode process, the most common culprits are third-party applications. If the error occurred after the installation of a new or updated device driver, system service, or third-party application, the new software should be removed or disabled. Contact the manufacturer of the software about a possible update.
If the error occurs during system startup, restart your computer, and press F8 at the character-based menu that displays the operating system choices. At the resulting Windows Advanced Options menu, choose the Last Known Good Configuration option. This option is most effective when only one driver or service is added at a time. If this does not resolve the error, try manually removing the offending software. If the system partition is formatted with file allocation table (FAT), use an MS-DOS startup disk to gain access to the computer's hard disk. If the system partition is formatted with NTFS file system, you might be able to use Safe Mode to rename or delete the faulty software. If the faulty software is used as part of the system startup process in Safe Mode, you need to start the computer using the Recovery Console in order to access the file. If a newly installed piece if hardware is suspected, remove it to see if this resolves the issue.
Try running the Emergency Recovery Disk (ERD) and allow the system to repair any errors that it detects.
Resolving a mismatched system file problem: If you have recently restored your hard disk from a backup, check if there is an updated version of the Backup/Restore program available from the manufacturer. Make sure the latest Windows Service Pack is installed.


so... ummm yeah... any way to determine what program or file is causing the issue?... desperately trying to avoid the reformat reinstall route LOL

gonna try running the sfc scan again... hopefully it will actually make the file... also going to check for dump files, i don't think the blue screen is making any though :-/

ok ran that sfc scan again and it still failed to create the file... no such luck with that apparently

 

[Kaiachi]

Now, when you say failing what do you mean? Does the entire computer shut off? Does it freeze and go no further? How does it fail? If it fails by freezing then its possible that the startup repair disk cannot read the hard drive? I had a similar issue with a hard drive I had in the past where I tried to load the startup repair disk and it froze during the load process. I would try formatting the hard drive ( hopefully you have backups ) and try to load the disk again? If you need to recover data, you can buy an internal hard drive USB


Thermaltake SATA Hard Drive Docking Station with eSATA and USB Connection ST0005U - Best Buy

If you can't get the hard drive to boot by wiping it then regrettably you might end up buying a new hard drive as bad as it sounds.

 

[NevoraskiA]

Now, when you say failing what do you mean? Does the entire computer shut off? Does it freeze and go no further? How does it fail? If it fails by freezing then its possible that the startup repair disk cannot read the hard drive? I had a similar issue with a hard drive I had in the past where I tried to load the startup repair disk and it froze during the load process. I would try formatting the hard drive ( hopefully you have backups ) and try to load the disk again? If you need to recover data, you can buy an internal hard drive USB


Thermaltake SATA Hard Drive Docking Station with eSATA and USB Connection ST0005U - Best Buy

If you can't get the hard drive to boot by wiping it then regrettably you might end up buying a new hard drive as bad as it sounds.

ok... when i boot it starts to load windows with the loading bar... then after quite a while (no it doesn't freeze) it blue screens and restarts the computer.

No, the hard drive is fine... as I said I ran chkdsk with no errors... means the hard drive is fine.

 

[Kaiachi]

Okay, 0x00000034 is generated by corrupted file in the OS. In your case, the boot sector. Try this command if you haven't already

sfc /scannow

If this does not fix the problem atleast it might give you some insight on which files are bad and if you know that than you might be able to replace the corrupted file one at a time.

This command should work on most if not all windows OS's.

 

[Kaiachi]

Also you can try the disk check again but use:

chkdsk /r

Beyond that, you can try checking your memory to make sure its good. But all the signals are pointing to corrupted files.

 

[carnageX]

Get the minidump file from C:\Windows\Minidump (if one was generated).

Then you can analyze it with Blue screen of death (STOP error) information in dump files. and view the driver call stack that was being used before the BSOD to help you determine which driver or file could be the cause.

 

[NevoraskiA]

Also you can try the disk check again but use:

chkdsk /r

Beyond that, you can try checking your memory to make sure its good. But all the signals are pointing to corrupted files.

Okay, 0x00000034 is generated by corrupted file in the OS. In your case, the boot sector. Try this command if you haven't already

sfc /scannow

If this does not fix the problem atleast it might give you some insight on which files are bad and if you know that than you might be able to replace the corrupted file one at a time.

This command should work on most if not all windows OS's.

did chkdsk chkdsk /r chkdsk /r /f and all that sfc /scannow stuff please read my first post which already outlined that I did all this stuff.

Get the minidump file from C:\Windows\Minidump (if one was generated).

Then you can analyze it with Blue screen of death (STOP error) information in dump files. and view the driver call stack that was being used before the BSOD to help you determine which driver or file could be the cause.

Nope, already checked that... one wasn't created

 

[Kaiachi]

3 letters: ADD. I really really hate to be the hindsight guy but did you make any backups? By the time you figure out what's going on with your system and possibly fix it. You could have just reinstalled the system ( or restored it from an image) and had all your files and programs back in place. And had time to spare.