Windows 7 Have to start Windows 7 twice every day

[wrivera88]

Whenever the computer is shut down for more than a few hours (either after work or when I wake up), the computer loads as normal, except that when the Windows logo comes up and I wait for the lights to appear and converge into the Windows symbol, instead nothing happens and the computer just hangs there. I have to hard shutdown to start the computer again, and that time it will work.

My computer still functions alright but this is getting irritating. I'm scared I'll have to install Windows 7 friend and wipe all the partitions just to fix this little error, but I hope you guys can help so it doesn't come to that. I have all my stuff on this computer and it took a very long time to get it all properly setup with correct drivers and everything.

This has happened since I got the computer legitimately running (since I built it and installed Windows 7). If it helps at all I had tried to get Windows XP running on this machine before, and accidentally installed it to one of the wrong partitions. It's possible I didn't completely wipe every trace of it off my system before 7 was installed, but I STILL hope there's a remedy for this.

 

[Jimbo22]

It certainly sounds like that what's going on. Check your C: drive and see if you still have any partitions. If so, is it a partition with xp on it. If it is, then format partition and then reallocate it back to your C: drive.

 

[Jimbo22]

Alternatively you could do a system repair with media installation disc.

 

[Saltgrass]

Does it seem to start OK if you start in Safe Mode? Possibly some driver is misbehaving while loading.

Are you showing any consistent errors in the Event Viewer?

 

[patcooke]

The aborted XP installation almost certainly has made some changes to the boot process - the Master Boot Record (MBR) looks for an active (bootable) partition in your hard drive partition table. If this remains set wrongly then it will first be attempting to boot from somewhere other than your Win 7 installation and only when that fails (the second time around) does it look elsewhere and then succeed in loading your Win 7. First have a look at your partitions in control panel, administrative tools, computer management, storage, disk management and see what partitions are set up and which is active and bootable.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

When I've had this happen is was almost always because of a failure to load some driver.
Check what Saltgrass asked and see if it always boots OK in Safe Mode.

With me it's usually my video driver.
Try updating that.

You can also install and run EasyBCD and look at the boot information to see if it's trying to load XP.

EasyBCD - CNET Download.com

Try running SFC /scannow and clean up you operating system files too.

From the elevated Prompt Right click on the Prompt Icon and select run as administrator. Then type…

SFC /scannow Scans and restores system files.

Mike

 

[wrivera88]

Wow, I'm surprised at the abundance of responses!

Does it seem to start OK if you start in Safe Mode? Possibly some driver is misbehaving while loading.

Are you showing any consistent errors in the Event Viewer?

Safe mode didn't take off; stalled on a file. I'm not familiar/savvy enough to really make heads or tails of event viewer, there's so much data displayed there and I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

It certainly sounds like that what's going on. Check your C: drive and see if you still have any partitions. If so, is it a partition with xp on it. If it is, then format partition and then reallocate it back to your C: drive.

There's a Window.old there with nothing in it but an autoexec file and config sys.

There's also a D: drive on this computer with what appears to be Windows XP and all the files I loaded onto it while I was attempting to make it work with XP. I'm guessing this is the huge "duh" sign I'm looking for, but obviously I'm hesitant to just go and format the thing because A) I don't know if what programs/whatever I'll need to reconfigure from it first, if any, and B) I don't want this to end up with me formatting my valuable information by having to perform a reinstallation Windows 7.

Oh, to address something patcooke said, D: is listed as the Logical Drive. C: is displayed as the System, Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dump, and Primary Partition.

Alternatively you could do a system repair with media installation disc.

I'd be happy to, if it won't clear off my current data and won't result in a weekend of reinstalling drivers and finding the product keys for every little thing.

I'm hoping the formatting of D is the simple answer I'm looking for..? Or possibly a change in configuration elsewhere, in the BIOS perhaps?

 

[MikeHawthorne]

If you have a Windows DVD you can do a repair install and not lose you're data or preferences.
It should replace all the Windows files and drivers and leave your personal stuff alone.

Repair Install - Windows 7 Forums

I'd make sure there is no Windows XP lurking around first.

Mike

 

[wrivera88]

If you have a Windows DVD you can do a repair install and not lose you're data or preferences.
It should replace all the Windows files and drivers and leave your personal stuff alone.

Repair Install - Windows 7 Forums

I'd make sure there is no Windows XP lurking around first.

Mike

Cool.

So to confrirm, I format the D partition first (where I found a bunch of remnants of Windows XP)? Or just go straight to repairs?

 

[MikeHawthorne]

If you don't have anything you need on Drive D:\ then I would format it and have it clean when you start over.
When you have completed the repair install there should be a folder called Windows Old some place that will retain a lot of your old files.

So if you have missed backing up something there's a chance that it will be in there.
No Guarantee though.

Once you are sure that you don't need it you can delete it.

Mike