Windows 7 Windows 7 fails to boot after power failure.

[Jay 1775]

I just recieved a computer I bought about a week ago, yesterday. Last night, while it was on and downloading files, the power board it was plugged into shut off. Now, it's stuck in an endless loop of failing to boot. It keeps asking me to insert the Windows 7 installation disc and restart. I put the disc in but it stays stuck in the loop and I am unable to do anything. I've managed to get it to go to the system repair setup, but it continued to try to repair the problems for over 6 hours and nothing has happened. Any help is appreciated.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Welcome to the forum.

Start the computer and put in the Windows 7 disk.
Then turn is off and start it again.

If it doesn't automatically boot to the DVD, press F8 until the boot menu comes up.
Tell it to boot from the Widows DVD.

Follow this procedure to do a repair installation of Windows 7.
I'm not sure exactly what the options you will see, (I haven't done this for a while) but you should get options to Remove and Replace Windows or to do a Repair Install.

Do the repair installation.
This will replace all the Windows files but retain your setting etc.

Repair Install of Windows 7

Repair Install - Windows 7 Forums
That should have you up and running again in about a half hour.

Good Luck.

Mike

 

[Jay 1775]

I tried that but it's not letting do a repair installation. For some reason it only gives me the option to upgrade or go to the system restore menu. But in both, it says none of my drivers are detected. So it won't let me do anything. The only thing that appears to do something is the system restore, but it sets there for hours and nothing happens.

 

[Saltgrass]

Since you need to be in the OS to do a Repair Install, that will probably not work. But we need to know where you can go when you boot to the Install DVD? If you can boot to the welcome screen with the repair computer on the lower left, then click that and try a Startup Repair.

If you can get into the WinRE scenario by using the F8 key during boot, that will take you to almost the same place.

Since it sounds like your drive may have been corrupted with the power glitch, perhaps running Chkdsk would help. But if the corruption is more than the system can handle, this is where it is really good to have a backup image. If you don't have one of those, you may have to reinstall, or if the system has an image you can use to get it back to the original condition.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Sorry bad terminology, the option isn't Repair Install, it's Upgrade, pretty sure that Repair Install was an option in XP.
I had to pop in my Windows disk and reboot to see what it said, it's been a long time.

I'm happy to say I have never had to do this since I've had Windows 7.

If none of Saltgrass's suggestions work try the Upgrade option.

When your computer first boots to the Windows Disk, and you have the install option there is a button to click in the lower left of the screen, the top one of two.

Click on it and it will explain the options that will be available when you click Install Now.

It will explain that the Upgrade option will replace windows but retain all of you settings etc.
This works for upgrading from Vista but it will also replace your existing Widows installation.

That should fix your computer, unless there is some kind of mechanical failure caused by the power going off.

The whole process should take less then an hour.

When you get everything up and running follow Saltgrass's advice and make a back up using the built in utility in Windows 7.

Mike

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi again.

I must be getting old, who am I kidding I am old. LOL


"When your computer first boots to the Windows Disk, and you have the install option there is a button to click in the lower left of the screen, the top one of two."

That should read "Two lines of type".


From the point in the Repair Install link where the Install Now window shows up, the processes are the same, so you can follow the tutorial if you want to.

Mike