I disabled DEP and regret it! (BSOD)

[mastalouist]

I (Stupidly) disabled DEP via the command prompt and, as directed, restarted my laptop. However, I get a BSOD every time the computer tries to start up, shortly after the microsoft logo is displayed.

I have tried the following to no avail:
--Starting in Safemode (BSOD)
--Using Windows Startup Repair (Reports that it cannot fix the problem)
--Using System Restore to two different points (Reports that it restores properly, but still get a BSOD when trying to startup)
--Re-enabling DEP with Command Prompt (Seems to work properly, but still get a BSOD when the computer tries to start)
Edit: --Also tried Starting with Last Known Good Configuration (BSOD)

I'd really REALLY like to avoid reformatting, if anyone has another option. Thank you in advance!

 

[lordbob75]

Hello Mastalouist.

Do you have the Code for the BSOD? That would help pinpoint the problem.

~Lordbob

 

[mastalouist]

It only appears for a second, let me see if disabling automatic restarts will work.

Aha! The code is:

*** Stop: 0x0000007b (0x80699bb0, 0xc0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)

 

[rive0108]

If startup repair cannot fix the problem, and restore cannot fix the problem then Re-installation is your only option.

 

[mastalouist]

Well, Crummy luck for me then. While it was clearly a mistake to disable DEP, I still believe it targets some files by mistake! For some background, DEP believed one of my games was an issue, and would not let me create an exception for it. This is a game that works on another of my computers just fine.

 

[mastalouist]

Well, on the up side I am able to get into the command prompt and manually move my most important files onto an external drive. I considered installing linux to recover the files, but Partition Logic can't detect a HDD, and I don't want to shell out 90$ for Partition Magic when it may have the same problem!

 

[rive0108]

Well, on the up side I am able to get into the command prompt and manually move my most important files onto an external drive. I considered installing linux to recover the files, but Partition Logic can't detect a HDD, and I don't want to shell out 90$ for Partition Magic when it may have the same problem!

If your looking for free partitioning software, that can be run outside the Windows Enviroment. This should see you partition, and allow creation/deletion of partitions to preserve your data.
http://www.vistax64.com/software/204802-managing-partitions-dos-software-vista-x64.html

You can also try a repair of Vista
This will allow you to repair your Vista installation and keep all of your personal user account files, settings, and programs. You will be performing a Upgrade Install from within your currently running Vista.
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html?ltr=R

 

[lordbob75]

Ah. Hello again. Your BSOD is caused by an Inaccessible Boot Device. This simply means that Vista cannot access the system partition.

"The INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE bug check frequently occurs because of a boot device failure. During I/O system initialization, the boot device driver might have failed to initialize the boot device (typically a hard disk). File system initialization might have failed because it did not recognize the data on the boot device. Also, repartitioning the system partition or installing a new SCSI adapter or disk controller might induce this error."

You don't have to read that, its just describing the problem. Basically, you should try a repair (as suggested by Rive0108) and hope that solves the problem. If it doesn't then a reinstall may be the only option.

~Lordbob

 

[mastalouist]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still looking for the with the software pack that came with the computer. It's funny, I can find old boot and driver disks for computers that have long retired, but I obviously put it somewhere separate so I wouldn't have a proplem finding it later. Now I just need to remember where that was...

Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot, eh?

 

[lordbob75]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still looking for the with the software pack that came with the computer. It's funny, I can find old boot and driver disks for computers that have long retired, but I obviously put it somewhere separate so I wouldn't have a proplem finding it later. Now I just need to remember where that was...

Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot, eh?

I do that all the time. I still cant find my driver CD for my finger scanner, so I had to get a new one from the company...

~Lordbob

 

[mastalouist]

Well, I found the disk, and have attempted to repair windows. Unfortunately, this uses the same Startup Repair utility as I can access from the advanced boot options. Since I've manually moved everything I can think of using the Command Prompt, I just started the Dell Factory Image Restore. I'm still going to put a small Linux partition on there just in case I have a similar problem in the future.

As a semi-related question, does anyone know how to preserve folder hierarchy when copying files via Command Prompt? When I checked the external drive to make sure the files had all transferred properly, I found that the top layer folders were not copied, just their contents. For instance, Copying "My Music" which contains the folders, say, "ABBA" and "Zebras" to the external HDD would only cause "ABBA" and "Zebra" to transfer, not the "My Music" folder itself. This isn't a big problem, but I now have a lot of sorting to do!

I was using: Xcopy *.* [Destination] /e

Thanks again.

 

[mastalouist]

Well, I found the disk, and have attempted to repair windows. Unfortunately, this uses the same Startup Repair utility as I can access from the advanced boot options. Since I've manually moved everything I can think of using the Command Prompt, I just started the Dell Factory Image Restore. I'm still going to put a small Linux partition on there just in case I have a similar problem in the future.

As a semi-related question, does anyone know how to preserve folder hierarchy when copying files via Command Prompt? When I checked the external drive to make sure the files had all transferred properly, I found that the top layer folders were not copied, just their contents. For instance, Copying "My Music" which contains the folders, say, "ABBA" and "Zebras" to the external HDD would only cause "ABBA" and "Zebra" to transfer, not the "My Music" folder itself. This isn't a big problem, but I now have a lot of sorting to do!

I was using: Xcopy *.* [Destination] /e

 

[rive0108]

Actually When I manually back up I just copy the entire User Folder on the C: Drive (with any hidden files visable)- the folder integrity is the same, and just as easy to paste back.