Author Topic: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)  (Read 45691 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

billkwando

  • Guest
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #30 on: March 14, 2010, 06:55:40 PM »
As that is a RAID drive it is way beyond my knowledge........ However, I know some people who do have the knowledge and skill.  ;D

If you could go here and start a new topic, then send me a PM there (same username)  I will get one of the Techs to give you a hand

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Hardware-Components-Peripherals-f9.html

Ok, I can do that.... but what do think would happen if I tried to do the windows recovery with C: in the state it's currently in? You had the impression before that bootcfg would be able to "see" into C, so would that be the same for recovery as well?

Offline essexboy

  • Malware removal instructor
  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Probably Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 40589
  • Dragons by Sasha
    • Malware fixes
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #31 on: March 14, 2010, 06:57:45 PM »
It depends on whether the initial set up was for RAID and what type, or was it set to RAID when some upgrades were done ?

billkwando

  • Guest
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #32 on: March 14, 2010, 07:30:51 PM »
It depends on whether the initial set up was for RAID and what type, or was it set to RAID when some upgrades were done ?

A review I read said it was "RAID 0". It came that way. Fancy is not always good. It does say "Raid Volumes: None Defined." when it boots up, but it said that before when I had the viruses, and it still worked just fine.....until the whole boot scan fiasco.

Oh I started that thread like you suggested. I hope I did ok:

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Reboot-loop-after-AVAST-boot-scan-t271285.html
« Last Edit: March 14, 2010, 10:13:30 PM by billkwando »

Offline essexboy

  • Malware removal instructor
  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Probably Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 40589
  • Dragons by Sasha
    • Malware fixes
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #33 on: March 14, 2010, 07:42:31 PM »
OK I have put out the call to the Techs - they usually reply to me quite fast

Offline mkis

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Super Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 1618
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #34 on: March 14, 2010, 08:17:03 PM »
You lucky Billkwando. You should be home safe now. But I won't interrupt just yet except to reply to this post that I noticed on the previous page. I missed it at the time.

Yes best use a dos startup disk win 98 disk will do but this will only scan FAT32 partitions only max size 32000MBs on scandisk.

If you are using NTFS partition then your are out of luck!.


When you use 98SE bootdisk, you boot into DOS - that is yr Windows OS.

When you use scandisk in DOS you are scanning the hard disk (hardware) not the operating system (software).

in the screenshot I am scanning my hard disk with a 98SE bootdisk - my operating system is XP.

Avast7 Free, MBAM (on demand), MVPS Hosts

Intel DG41TY, Windows 7 Ultimate, IE9, Google Chrome, 4 GB ram, Secunia PSI, ccleaner, Foxit Reader, Faststone Image viewer, MWSnap.

billkwando

  • Guest
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #35 on: March 14, 2010, 09:37:47 PM »
OK I have put out the call to the Techs - they usually reply to me quite fast

Thanks a bunch!!!!  ;D

You lucky Billkwando. You should be home safe now. But I won't interrupt just yet except to reply to this post that I noticed on the previous page. I missed it at the time.

Yes best use a dos startup disk win 98 disk will do but this will only scan FAT32 partitions only max size 32000MBs on scandisk.

If you are using NTFS partition then your are out of luck!.


When you use 98SE bootdisk, you boot into DOS - that is yr Windows OS.

When you use scandisk in DOS you are scanning the hard disk (hardware) not the operating system (software).

in the screenshot I am scanning my hard disk with a 98SE bootdisk - my operating system is XP.



How am I lucky again? :P

My PC has no floppy drive and everything but the recovery partition is NTFS



Edit: Oh and I forgot to mention that the broken PC is the only one with SATA in the house, so no partition recovery whatsits (above) for me....... that prog, unlike TestDisk, has to be installed and write to the sys32 folder and all that, which of course you can't do with Reatogo.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2010, 09:41:24 PM by billkwando »

billkwando

  • Guest
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #36 on: March 14, 2010, 11:28:18 PM »
Test disk log with both drives scanned attached below.

Offline mkis

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Super Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 1618
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #37 on: March 15, 2010, 03:20:56 AM »
Re: scandsk using floppy -
in the screenshot I am scanning my hard disk with a 98SE bootdisk - my operating system is XP.
sorry I should of said my XP is NTFS - I forgot about those early XPs circa 2003/04 that had FAT.
I also said this back in my post - "if you've got a floppy drive and want to try, here goes"

No big deal - I dont see everthing myself (as will be revealed, if you check some my previous posts)

btw - the HDD that is being scandsk in the screenshot is a SATA hard disk (160GB) and there is another SATA on computer as second HDD (500GB for multimedia files) which I can also scandsk by simply changing directory from C: to E: (on the floppy) and in not distant future there will be RAID array running to a third HDD (200GB I hope), which will be there to differential backup for the first HDD, which will be system drive and control center for my internet usage. I dont use Linux systems so this best Windows setup I can devise on my limited expense account (for a standalone machine - I also have networked computers setup as well, which I don't use yet because I'm wait until I change my ISP contract later this year).

Scandisk was in common usage 10 years ago and IMHO is the prefect way to check hard disks for errors as you do yr scan in MS-DOS and the test results are final - even small bad must show up in the test. I have always felt this was not the case with chkdsk, which simply verifies files, indexes and security descriptors.

I used scandsk a lot in old days when hard disks were usual small - 8GB, 10GB, 20Gb etc
- often you had to throw the HDD out after the computer had a virus - I used to do this, red spots was final


But Billkwando, you now find that you have RAID array - which almost certain will not be turned on (I wont say go to setup and check because I'm nearly outta this thread) - so you probably simply have two HDD storage devices running on yr computer

Are they both IDE? - I guess they must be as you havent said they were SATA.
Are they set up master and slave or are they both master disks? - because it is often the case that you also have an OS on yr second hard disk (but not necessarily). But careful because even if second HDD has an OS on it, it may not be configured to run on that particular motherboard.

But you should be right over at geeks to go anyways.

Alternative option before I bail out - un-hook yr hard disks and just set up yr new 500GB with its operating system and bring it up to date through Microsoft update service (I assume you going to run Windows). Then one at a time you can run yr old hard disks underneath yr new setup either as secondary drive or as slave drive, and you can simply copy what content you want from old HDDs across to the new 500GB SATA drive. (you may have password problems, reply post back here if that is problem).

You will also have to re-install all yr programs, devices and drivers onto the new 500GB HDD. Then once you good to go wit new system, just copy yr content across. If you can see all yr old drives on yr TestDisk, then there should be no problem. You should also be able to see them from yr new SATA system.

Edit - oh I see, broken PC is SATA - check if that is that both HDDs on the PC
« Last Edit: March 15, 2010, 03:28:49 AM by mkis »
Avast7 Free, MBAM (on demand), MVPS Hosts

Intel DG41TY, Windows 7 Ultimate, IE9, Google Chrome, 4 GB ram, Secunia PSI, ccleaner, Foxit Reader, Faststone Image viewer, MWSnap.

billkwando

  • Guest
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #38 on: March 15, 2010, 05:35:56 PM »
Re: scandsk using floppy -
in the screenshot I am scanning my hard disk with a 98SE bootdisk - my operating system is XP.
sorry I should of said my XP is NTFS - I forgot about those early XPs circa 2003/04 that had FAT.
I also said this back in my post - "if you've got a floppy drive and want to try, here goes"

No big deal - I dont see everthing myself (as will be revealed, if you check some my previous posts)

btw - the HDD that is being scandsk in the screenshot is a SATA hard disk (160GB) and there is another SATA on computer as second HDD (500GB for multimedia files) which I can also scandsk by simply changing directory from C: to E: (on the floppy) and in not distant future there will be RAID array running to a third HDD (200GB I hope), which will be there to differential backup for the first HDD, which will be system drive and control center for my internet usage. I dont use Linux systems so this best Windows setup I can devise on my limited expense account (for a standalone machine - I also have networked computers setup as well, which I don't use yet because I'm wait until I change my ISP contract later this year).

Scandisk was in common usage 10 years ago and IMHO is the prefect way to check hard disks for errors as you do yr scan in MS-DOS and the test results are final - even small bad must show up in the test. I have always felt this was not the case with chkdsk, which simply verifies files, indexes and security descriptors.

I used scandsk a lot in old days when hard disks were usual small - 8GB, 10GB, 20Gb etc
- often you had to throw the HDD out after the computer had a virus - I used to do this, red spots was final


But Billkwando, you now find that you have RAID array - which almost certain will not be turned on (I wont say go to setup and check because I'm nearly outta this thread) - so you probably simply have two HDD storage devices running on yr computer

Are they both IDE? - I guess they must be as you havent said they were SATA.
Are they set up master and slave or are they both master disks? - because it is often the case that you also have an OS on yr second hard disk (but not necessarily). But careful because even if second HDD has an OS on it, it may not be configured to run on that particular motherboard.

But you should be right over at geeks to go anyways.

Alternative option before I bail out - un-hook yr hard disks and just set up yr new 500GB with its operating system and bring it up to date through Microsoft update service (I assume you going to run Windows). Then one at a time you can run yr old hard disks underneath yr new setup either as secondary drive or as slave drive, and you can simply copy what content you want from old HDDs across to the new 500GB SATA drive. (you may have password problems, reply post back here if that is problem).

You will also have to re-install all yr programs, devices and drivers onto the new 500GB HDD. Then once you good to go wit new system, just copy yr content across. If you can see all yr old drives on yr TestDisk, then there should be no problem. You should also be able to see them from yr new SATA system.

Edit - oh I see, broken PC is SATA - check if that is that both HDDs on the PC



Sorry, I had to...

I do wonder how I might combine both drives on the one 500gb one. I don't think I can just copy both halves, and then scream "By the power of Greyskull!!!". I don't think that would be quite enough to unite them. Also, there's not enough room or hookups to run 3 HDDS, as far as I can tell (HP takes a HUGE space in the case for the bay for their optional "Personal Media Drive"). So that would make it all the more tricky.

I still really wonder what would happen if I ran the nondestructive recovery from my recovery partition..
« Last Edit: March 15, 2010, 05:38:08 PM by billkwando »

Offline mkis

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Super Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 1618
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #39 on: March 15, 2010, 06:22:30 PM »
Hi Billkwando

I can run 8 hard disks on the old battler (ecs 760GX-M) that I'm sending this post from
- 4 x IDE and 4 x SATA - fairly basic stuff really.  (2 x SATA  ???)

What you can do?

Quote
Alternative option before I bail out - un-hook yr hard disks and just set up yr new 500GB with its operating system and bring it up to date through Microsoft update service (I assume you going to run Windows). Then one at a time you can run yr old hard disks underneath yr new setup either as secondary drive or as slave drive, and you can simply copy what content you want from old HDDs across to the new 500GB SATA drive. (you may have password problems, reply post back here if that is problem).

Quote
If you can see all yr old drives on yr TestDisk, then there should be no problem. You should also be able to see them from yr new SATA system.

« Last Edit: March 16, 2010, 07:07:52 AM by mkis »
Avast7 Free, MBAM (on demand), MVPS Hosts

Intel DG41TY, Windows 7 Ultimate, IE9, Google Chrome, 4 GB ram, Secunia PSI, ccleaner, Foxit Reader, Faststone Image viewer, MWSnap.

billkwando

  • Guest
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #40 on: March 15, 2010, 08:17:54 PM »
Hi Billkwando

I can run 8 hard disks on the old battler (ecs 760GX-M) that I'm sending this post from
- 4 x IDE and 4 x SATA - fairly basic stuff really.

What you can do?

Quote
Alternative option before I bail out - un-hook yr hard disks and just set up yr new 500GB with its operating system and bring it up to date through Microsoft update service (I assume you going to run Windows). Then one at a time you can run yr old hard disks underneath yr new setup either as secondary drive or as slave drive, and you can simply copy what content you want from old HDDs across to the new 500GB SATA drive. (you may have password problems, reply post back here if that is problem).

Quote
If you can see all yr old drives on yr TestDisk, then there should be no problem. You should also be able to see them from yr new SATA system.

So what should you run?

You should run down the road and look for a computer tech because you sure as hell gonna wreck yr system worse if you stick yr bimbo mitts inside the case. Sorry, just had to give to you straight.  :)

Edit - I'm serious, don't go there. Have you got a CD for install of an operating system on yr new 500GB hard disk? I spose not. You may not have IDE capacity on yr board (but more likely will be there). And but you bought the system new? Right. Regardless, this system is well beyond yr capability, and you might find geeks-to-go avoiding you like a plague as well.

non-destructive recovery? you may not be such a bimbo after all. Do you want me to look it up for you? I'll have to go to HP website, but I have a look cos I will probably run into one of these Media Center TV again sometime or other.

Sure! Any advice is helpful. I think essexboy is gonna have to tie a steak around my neck to get anybody to reply to me over there. :P

Offline mkis

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Super Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 1618
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #41 on: March 15, 2010, 08:25:56 PM »
okay give me a little while

You don't have an install disk to put an operating system on yr new hard disk?

Last word for now -
these are hot systems, man. What I'd do to get my hands on it. sorry but without going back through the thread, is it run XP or Vista. I think the first ones came out just before Vista, so most likely XP (Media center)
Avast7 Free, MBAM (on demand), MVPS Hosts

Intel DG41TY, Windows 7 Ultimate, IE9, Google Chrome, 4 GB ram, Secunia PSI, ccleaner, Foxit Reader, Faststone Image viewer, MWSnap.

Offline mkis

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Super Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 1618
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #42 on: March 15, 2010, 09:16:20 PM »
okay Billkwando, I include a couple of screenshots and let me know if they look like they fit the purpose.
The one with system not responding and F10 key looks like the one for you.
Im not sure where you get 'non-destructive' from but no problem we can likely work around anything.

just give me a minute while I read back through the thread in case I've overlooked something.

btw yr hard disks will likely be too recent, the technology too advanced, to be damaged.

Back in a minute. Check if the F10 Recovery is the one. If so, you should be good to go.
Avast7 Free, MBAM (on demand), MVPS Hosts

Intel DG41TY, Windows 7 Ultimate, IE9, Google Chrome, 4 GB ram, Secunia PSI, ccleaner, Foxit Reader, Faststone Image viewer, MWSnap.

Offline mkis

  • Avast Evangelist
  • Super Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 1618
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #43 on: March 15, 2010, 09:29:13 PM »
oh yes I recall a few bits and pieces from the other day that I had forgotten. Never mind. It happens.

I think that, if F10 key is there when Invent comes on screen at Start, press it and off you go.

You can see that you have to be quick. And once you are away follow instructions carefully.

This will restore yr PC to Factory settings. So only important programs will remain after restore and you may lose a driver or two, and few other things that you can replace, but all yr documents, pictures, etc should still be in place.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2010, 12:38:11 AM by mkis »
Avast7 Free, MBAM (on demand), MVPS Hosts

Intel DG41TY, Windows 7 Ultimate, IE9, Google Chrome, 4 GB ram, Secunia PSI, ccleaner, Foxit Reader, Faststone Image viewer, MWSnap.

Offline essexboy

  • Malware removal instructor
  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Probably Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 40589
  • Dragons by Sasha
    • Malware fixes
Re: Reboot loop after boot scan (can't get into safe mode)
« Reply #44 on: March 15, 2010, 09:38:13 PM »
OK 'tis I - I have been talking with an engineer at the local college.  When I said raid0 his first words were "that is a bad configuration"

From my understanding of what he was saying to me, the files are put half on one drive and half on the other to take advantage of the full sata speed - Now when he says half a file he was being literal.   He reckons he could recover a raid0 that has failed if given 24 hours and a decent drive image to start with.  Basically the same as they are saying over at G2G as they are still discussing a way forward.  What this means is that there are bits of a file on drive a and bits on drive b, if one of the sectors becomes bad then the whole of that file is useless as it cannot be recovered   

His final word was reset it all and don't use raid0 he recommends raid1 which uses two drives and one is mirrored onto the other, so if one drive goes bad the other can pick it up.  This is not the case with raid0 where if one drive goes bad you have nothing left