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I'm on my old lappy again...sloooooww as a lazy bone idle snail...that's on a work-to-rule....

My proper lappy was working Fiiiine yesterday, but when switched on this morning wouldn't start....

Hit the power on button, seemed to be starting as normal...then came up with message...something like "windows failed to start. a recent software or hardware change might be the cause.
If windholes files have been damaged then start up reoair can fix/diagnose the problem.."

So let the puter go to repair, says "windholes loading files" white bar at the bottom of blank screen then justa white arrow....

Hard-drive light flashes normally to start with then after a short time goes off.

I've tried system repair F8, and also booting from the system recovery disc (f12) do you reckon it's completely f3ck3d or is there a possible fix.

I'm hoping for a fix as this old lappy keeps dropping the wi-fi signal..

Bin it and get a new one...rumour has it you're loaded anyway

I would try and start it in safe mode, i think you hold either f5 or f7 when it boots, if you can get it too boot into that then just shutdown and reboot normally, normally works.

The other thing you can do is download something like hirens and have a go at fixing whatever causes the problem manually. Or download a bootable linux disc, this only works in your system memory, but if it connects to the internet and does everything you want it too speed wise you know you lappy still has some life left in it. Once you shutdown pc it will be back to how it was.

wine~o wrote: I've tried system repair F8, and also booting from the system recovery disc (f12) do you reckon it's completely f3ck3d or is there a possible fix.

I'm hoping for a fix as this old lappy keeps dropping the wi-fi signal..

I have a laptop which I very rarely use as it's only for holidays (and most of the places I go seem to have a very poor signal), last time I wanted to use it it needed several updates which I downloaded and let it install but something got farked along the way and Windoze is now corrupted and nothing works.

I took it along anyway and let nipper have a look, he said he couldn't do much without the windows discs which are somewhere in his pit at our house.

He did however manage install a Linux based browser so that I could surf the net.

The browser was called Knoppix, it was a bit basic, wouldn't remember bookmarks or anything like that but it was better than nowt.

@ Lagi, tried F8 and start in safe mode.....same problem..

when you boot in safe mode, does it give an error when it fails?

Nope ....just reverts back to "Windows failed to start, a recent hardware or software change.....


Blah..balah

not looking so good then.

Is there anything on there you would like to recover, like pics etc? then your going to need some sort of software to try and get it back.

Then your looking at reloading it all back on again.

lagi wrote:not looking so good then.

Is there anything on there you would like to recover, like pics etc? then your going to need some sort of software to try and get it back.

Then your looking at reloading it all back on again.

Only about the last 3 months worths of invoices and photos of a trip to "harry potter world".....

can you not take the hard drive out and either put it in a cady or another computer and copy what you want to keep?

I'm with Lagi. Download a Linux live CD/DVD, boot into it and then transfer all the docs you need to save to an external drive. Then you can format and start again. What OS do you have on it presently?


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Some weeks ago, the missus closed her computer down, before bedtime. She always switches it off at the wall too.. Didn't notice it had gone to the "Installing updates,,, Do not turn off the power." Got up in the morning and nothing would bring it to life. Kept getting the "Windows failed to start" screen. I installed Ubuntu on it for her and it now runs fine (although she's constantly moaning at me to get her "Windoze" back.

blackvenom wrote:I'm with Lagi. Download a Linux live CD/DVD, boot into it and then transfer all the docs you need to save to an external drive. Then you can format and start again. What OS do you have on it presently?

But I've already established that it won't boot from the CD/DVD drive supplied with the lap-top. (Was windoze 7)

I think I might try *someone-elses* suggestion and try to get hold of a hard drive dock..

In the meantime anybody know where I can a new laptop with Windows 7 as opposed to 8 ??

wine~o wrote:

blackvenom wrote:I'm with Lagi. Download a Linux live CD/DVD, boot into it and then transfer all the docs you need to save to an external drive. Then you can format and start again. What OS do you have on it presently?

But I've already established that it won't boot from the CD/DVD drive supplied with the lap-top. (Was windoze 7)

I think I might try *someone-elses* suggestion and try to get hold of a hard drive dock..

In the meantime anybody know where I can a new laptop with Windows 7 as opposed to 8 ??

Ah sorry. Must have missed that. If you download the Ubuntu ISO image from their site, it also has the instructions on how to create a bootable USB stick


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The more I think about this the more I'm coming to the conclusion that the hard drive has failed......

Won't boot with repair.

Won't boot from installation disk.

Won't boot from hidden partition on hard drive...

(Hold down "0" and power on..)

B0ll0cks....