Windows Vista Forum / Vista Technical / Recovery & Backup / please help mr stooopid (me) / Latest Posts

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

WAW8 — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:12:35 GMT

OK, use the instructions in the Ubuntu recovery post, substituting "sda2" for "sda1".

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

the w — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:30:21 GMT

OK, here we go:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x6bba44a8

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sda1 1 192 1536000 27 Unknown

Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.

/dev/sda2 * 192 19458 154753024 7 HPFS/NTFS

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount

proc on /proc type proc (rw)

sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw)

tmpfs on /lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/volatile type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)

varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=0755)

varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)

udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)

devshm on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)

devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)

tmpfs on /tmp type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)

/dev/sda2 on /media/SQ004242V05 type fuseblk (rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,allow_other,blksize=4096)

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

this is actually kind of fun despite the stress of it all...

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

WAW8 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:55:15 GMT

Sorry, the command "sudo fdisk -l" is "soodo f-disk dash el" That's a dash followed by a letter. Also do a "sudo mount". Both outputs are needed. The "squiggle" is known as a "tilde" and is on generally on the same key as the backwards apostrophe.

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

the w — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:15:32 GMT

ok, i have ubuntu installed and i opened a terminal window...

i cannot figure out how to input the integer or intergral or derivative sign (the squiggle?). I tried using "1" and "|" but neither gave me any useful return...

i think i like this ubuntu though...

to answer your questions, Vista was preinstalled and i haven't tried using the OEM recovery disks yet...

thanks for your patience with this..

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

WAW8 — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:10:29 GMT

Don't worry about giving me too much info, that's not going to happen ... but that's another story. Back to your problem...

OK, so the obvious cures of Recovery and Reinstall both don't work. The second one concerns me the most because it SHOULD work.

Did the machine come with Vista preloaded? I'm willing to bet it did. And, if so, that explains the reinstallation failure. Also explains the availability of OEM restore disks.

Just so I don't suggest something else you already did, have you tried doing a restore from the OEM disks? (I'm not saying DO it; I'm just asking if you have already).

Since it's become obvious that no previous windows-based cure will work, the first thing is to get your files off the box. One of the easiest ways to do that is to download and burn an Ubuntu 7.10 i386 LiveCD, boot from that CD, load GNU/Linux, insert a USB pendrive or external drive, mount your NTFS partition, and copy off your files.

Here's the link to the download page:

[url] http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download [/url]

Select v7.10 and Standard Personal Computer.

Boot from the CD that you burn, press Enter when the top line is highlighted, wait for it to load the desktop. It takes a while because it actually caches the OS to memory and runs the programs from the CD -- without loading anything to your hard drive! Amazing, but true.

If you get that far, open a terminal window on the desktop. Type "sudo fdisk -l" and post the output of the fdisk command back here. I'll be able to tell you then how to mount your NTFS partitions to copy the files off the box.

Once you get the files off the box, the next step depends on whether or not (1) Vista came preinstalled, (2) you already tried using the OEM restore CDs -- and whether or not that failed.

But I figure this is enough to keep you busy for a while...

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

the w — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:07:21 GMT

ok, thanks...

I burned a Vista recovery disk using ImgBurn and i also have the OEM recovery disks as well as my Windows Upgrade Anytime Vista Disk. I also have an unopened copy of XP Pro that I purchased way back when but never used.

I have home premium.

I booted from the cd that I made with ImgBurn. I got the Vista screen and clicked through to the page where I have the option of installing or repairing. I chose the repair option the first time. I was presented 2 options: 'Load Drivers' and Next. Next didn't work for me -it just gave me the System Recovery Options screen again which I ran through again just to be sure.

I rebooted again and went to 'Load Drivers' this time. I searched for but did not find the correct drivers. My search was not all encompassing - I checked 30 or so files and then exited.

I rebooted againand went to 'Install Now'. I skipped the product activation. A window popped up and said the istallation was cancelled because it could not open the required file 'D:\sources\install.wim' with an Error Code0x80070002

Then it went into startup repair. No luck there. all the error codes are 0x0 and Root cause found: Boot status indicates that the OS booted sucessfully.

I closed the details window and now I have my choices of Sytem Recovery Options.

Startup Repair is of no use - I already tried that a few times (23).

System Restore isn't working for me either - my restore points have disappeared somehow.

The Complete PC Restore is out.

I tried the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool and all checked out OK on that.

The Command Prompt works fine and i have moved some of my files to external storage.

This is probably more information than you wanted, but I just wanted to be thorough.

Thanks again...

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

WAW8 — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:19:08 GMT

OK, since you DO have some disks, you have some options, too.

So, tell me:
1) When you burned a disk, how did you do it, and what's on that disk?
2) What version of Vista to you have (Home Premium, Business, Ultimate)?
3) What type of disk is the Vista disk (OEM, retail, recovery you made from the installation)?

And, yes -- encrypted files are going to be a problem, but how much will depend on how your machine gets restored.

So, get me the answers and we can go from there.

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

the w — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:48:28 GMT

thanks. sorry for posting in the wrong forum...ok, so i tried those and still no luck. i burned a cd to repair it and went through all the steps... who knew wiping free space would get files that are being used? i can do a reinstall - i have the disks and have pondered that option...the dos xcopy may save my bacon to an extent, but the encrypted files are what will get me...hosed i guess...thanks for replying, if you think of anything else or if i am just missing some key thing all together, please let me know

RE: please help mr stooopid (me)

WAW8 — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:39 GMT

First of all, I'm moving your post to the Recovery & Backup forum -- because what you're trying to do is recover your system. This forum is for minor technical support questions.

Second, look at the pinned posts in the the Recovery forum. There's one on Startup Repair and another one on WinRe that might help you.

I don't have access to your post while I'm typing this, but I think you said something about NOT having recovery disks. Does this mean that you don't have a Vista DVD as well?

If that's true, then you're completely hosed!! It's one thing to not have a data backup; it's another thing to run a wipe routine without an OS CD/DVD to at least reinstall your system.

There is a way to force Vista to reinstall it's system files, but you need Vista media for that -- after all, that's where it gets its system files from.

I could tell you how to boot your system into another OS and back off your data files to an external drive, but without OS media, you will have no way to reinstall Vista. So, what would be the point?

please help mr stooopid (me)

the w — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:10:50 GMT

ok, so i was trying to shred the free space on my hard drive to get rid of deleted files (client data, documents, etc...). i used BC Wipe on the 35 pass method wiping file slack, MFT entries, free space, etc... when i rebooted, my keyboard wouldn't work. ok, no problem - i used the on-screen keyboard ease-of-access option and the mouse and logged in. i went to the drivers and found my 'missing' driver and updated it from the internet. i rebooted again, and now the thing just keeps black-screening me. the wiping process removed all my restore points (except for the one that went in after I updated the driver) so there isn't anything for me to go back to. system restore and startup repair are useless. i do not have backup disks (yea, ok , i got it - make backup disks next time) so the complete PC restore is not an option either. i really don't want to lose all my files if i do a recovery.

ok, so i went to the command prompt and successfully used DOS commands (wow, huh) to copy a few files to a thumb drive. that made me feel a little better...

i have a few ideas, but please help me.

1- i can find a way to restore the missing file or driver or whatever and go back to my state of ignornant bliss (yes, i will do a backup this time)

2- i can transfer all the data to another computer somehow using some conglomeration of cables and voodoo

3- i can take a portable harddrive and pull all my docs to it and then do the recovery (but will it take my hidden/encrypted docs?) also, anyone know any high-speed copy everything commands from command prompt? seems like 'copy *.* e:' sounds right but will it get the hidden/encrypted files?

4- i can do the recovery and hope to be able to undelete all my files ):

5- I can tell my boss, pack my desk, call my clients, and move to someplace where no one knows me.

I am running Vista on a toshiba sattelite A135-S4467, 1gig RAM, 160gig HD, Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 / 1.6 GHz , Chipset type Mobile Intel 945GM Express

I would prefer we start at option 1...

Thank you in advance.