Solved Vista will not start up, CHKDSK stopped?

RiverOfWind · Feb 28, 2013

Hello

Recently when I tried to start up my computer, it flashed the blue screen for a moment, then restarted and gave me two options: to boot normally or to go into startup repair mode. Booting up normally results in a loop of the above, same with safe mode. I went into startup repair, and used command prompt to do CHKDSK, without specifying any drive or any other parameters.

The reason I started the CHKDSK was because I wanted to know if the error had to do with a hardware problem with my hard drive (which I hope CHKDSK will tell me), or if it was a software issue (such as a virus or other). I did not know about the other parameters in CHKDSK, which was my mistake for being too hasty.

Currently CHKDSK has been running for over 24 hours. It quickly gave the output:

The type of the file system is NTFS.

but then has not given any other response since. I would have expected the line:

CHKDSK is verifying files...

at the very least to let me know it was actually doing something. This is troubling to me, since I heard it was bad to stop CHKDSK in the middle, but I do not know if it is actually doing anything or will even finish.

I was planning on checking the disk for hardware issues, then putting in an Ubunto disk to extract all the data onto an external drive, then put in a vista recovery disk to first repair, or if that fails then to go back to factory settings.

Is there something I did wrong with CHKDSK or any other advice to this? Also any steps that I did wrong and should avoid in the future?

All help and advice is greatly appreciated. Sorry for writing so much.

By the way, the hard drive is 500 gb, was full before the crash (~480gb used), and consists of about ~300,000 files, mostly pictures.
I have 2x2gb sticks of DDR2 ram.
I do not know the specifics of the rest of the system.
It is a vaio FW390-C.

Thank you.

richc46 · Feb 28, 2013

Welcome
It sounds like your hard drive is full or has died. Try to start in safe mode. If you cannot it is probably the hard drive.

RiverOfWind · Feb 28, 2013

Thank you for the reply.
I tried to boot in safe mode, but it also results in the blue screen for a moment, then restart. A friend mentioned it may a system file is missing or corrupt but I am not sure. I was wondering if it really is the system file, then if it was a virus attack or if the hard drive is dying.

richc46 · Feb 28, 2013

With your symptoms and no improvement in safe mode., I would say that its the hard drive.
Try to save your stuff. If you cannot its the drive.
If Ubuntu cannot be loaded, Id am pretty certain its hardware and most likely hard drive
Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer

RiverOfWind · Feb 28, 2013

Okay will do.
However since CHKDSK is still there, should I stop it and then use Ubuntu? Or should I wait for CHKDSK to do something? I am worried that CHKDSK is not actually doing anything since it has not shown any change in output.

richc46 · Feb 28, 2013

Chkdsk does not take this long. If it were my computer, and I had important stuff, my first action would be to back up. I have no way of really knowing, but I think the Hard Drive could be shot. Get your stuff.

RiverOfWind · Feb 28, 2013

Yes I remember performing a check disk one year ago, and it did not take this long.
It was a mistake to run CHKDSK, I was too hasty to fix the problem that I forgot to backup first.
So the recommended action to take is to forcefully shut down the computer (by holding the power button since command prompt is still running), then insert the Ubuntu disk and extract the data?

richc46 · Feb 28, 2013

A forced shutdown can damage the Hard Drive Even more, but I don't know what else to do.

RiverOfWind · Feb 28, 2013

Yes other threads mentioned that stopping CHKDSK could damage the hard drive, and forcefully shutting down also can damage the hard drive, but seeing as CHKDSK is not responding I do not know what else I can do.
Thank you for the help. Will update on any progress made.

wither 3 · Feb 28, 2013

Do you have another computer available where you could install the hard drive of this one as a secondary drive and access it via the operating system of the second computer? This would at least allow you to recover your data.

I had that cycyling system repair or normal bootup on this Dell Win 7 system and got rid of it by reinstalling the OS, at the suggestion of the Dell pro support. I could let it go through part of system repair and then abort it and eventually get it to boot but, who wants to go through that. I forget at what point I aborted it. Seems it was like when some dialogue box came up.

townsbg · Mar 1, 2013

Your hard drive is way to full. For proper functionality windows needs to have 10-15% free. You have less than 5 and that's if the hard drive really is 500 gb and to windows it isn't; windows probably only recognizes about 480 gb if not less. That might be part of your problem but the hard drive might also be dying so I agree to backing up your data. As for chkdsk you might not have enough room for it to run.

As for the blue screen we need to know what it says. Upon boot up start hitting the F8 key until you get the advanced boot menu. Select and hit enter at disable automatic reboot. Afterwords try a normal as well as safe mode boot and tell us what blue screen you are getting. Also what happens when you try safe mode? Does it boot up, blue screen, or freeze? If it freezes what is the last file listed at the bottom of the screen.

RiverOfWind · Mar 2, 2013

wither 3
I am accessing computers at a library to reply to this thread and to look up other situations on the web. As these are public computers I do not think they would let me connect my hard drive to them. Lucky I have just finished backing up my data, using an Ubuntu disk (I have never been so grateful to Linux before in my life!!) I am actually trying to get to the recovery partition on the hard drive, with little luck. I was following these instructions:

Sony Vaio Recovery Partition - Tech Support Forum

posted in red. I got to the recovery parition, but did not see a hidden directory boot. I went into the boot directory, and did "dir" and it said that the file could not be displayed and froze.

townsbg:
Thank you for letting me know about the 10-15% free rule. I did not know that before.
I freed up about half of the space (by using an Ubuntu disk and deleting files).

I disabled the automatic reboot, and started normally. The BSOD gave this:
A problem has been detect and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.
UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

I tried a safe boot and it stopped at the file:

Loaded: \Windows\system32\drivers\crcdisk.sys

for a bit, then went BSOD for a flash, then restarted. It does not seem that I can choose both disable automatic reboot and safe mode.

Thank you for all the help so far. It is greatly appreciated.
Is it possible that this is happening because the hard drive was too full, and it was not a physical failure of the hard drive?

richc46 · Mar 2, 2013

It could be either, but Im thinking thats it damage to the drive.

RiverOfWind · Mar 2, 2013

Okay. I am thinking of buying a new hard drive to replace the one that is currently in my laptop. However the laptop did not come with a VISTA disk, just pre-installed in the computer. I made recovery VAIO disks shortly after getting the computer (3 DVDs) but can not verify if they work (since I can not use them to recover VISTA on my current hard drive), nor do I know if they can be used to install VISTA on another computer/hard drive (since they are recovery disks, not installation disks). Does anyone know how to get my current VISTA onto a new hard drive? I would assume that merely moving the files over to the new hard drive from my external is not enough, if nothing else because the current hard drive seems to not be able to / have all the files.

Also, if possible I would like to somehow get the current hard drive working as well. I do not mind if it goes back to the factory-state (the state it came in when I first received it). Actually, I have been trying to do this to no avail.

richc46 · Mar 2, 2013

We can get you a vista ISo, which can be burned to a CD, so that you can install. You will need a key number.

RiverOfWind · Mar 2, 2013

Oh okay. I did not think about that.
I would assume the key number is located on the bottom of the computer? I say this because there are a bunch of series of numbers here that I do not know what they are.
How should I go about obtaining a vista iso? And should I create a recovery partition right after I install it?
Thank you.

richc46 · Mar 2, 2013

When you are ready, we will get you the ISO. The product key number has 25/ numberand or letters They are in series of 5 ie xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

RiverOfWind · Mar 2, 2013

Yes there is one there with that sequence. It also says "Windows Vista Home Premium OEMACT Sony Corporation"

richc46 · Mar 2, 2013

OEM means that it is preinstalled when you bought the computer. If it has the same format, as I showed you, that is it.

RiverOfWind · Mar 2, 2013

Okay, thank you. I read that it is necessary to contact Microsoft to use the OEM key? Is that true?

Solved Vista will not start up, CHKDSK stopped?

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