Windows Vista Will Not Boot Please Help!

Greetings To All!

Background Info:

Am running Windows Vista Home Premium
Service Pack 2
System Type: 32 bit

Hardware:

Computer Model: HP a1700n
Processor: AMD thlon X2 250 Processor 3.00 GHz

Problem:

I am unable to boot. Previously, I was able to boot successfully. When I now try to boot, I encounter a screen which says the following:

"A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed
incorrectly or damage..."

File: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Status: 0xc0000428
Windows cannot verify the digital signature for the file

What I have done to attempt to fix the problem as of this writing, is to install
a known good HD into my computer that I can boot from. I then ran the "Malware Bytes" program against the non-bootable drive to check for viruses. The scan came back clean indicating no viruses, etc.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

Rob S.

 

Previously, I was unable to boot my windows Vista PC due to the problems indicated in my initial posting. Recently, I have been able to restore my HD to a bootable condition and the problem has apparently been fixed.

Down below is the COMPLETE solution to fixing this extremely difficult problem! I say extremely difficult because I browsed through literally *HUNDREDS* of Google links before I found the correct link which listed the complete solution.

I emphasize the word "complete" because literally all of the links I visited except the referenced link (down below) only listed the partial solution and unless you had the complete solution, the problem would literally never get resolved!

Specifically, all of the "partially correct" links would direct you to perform steps 1 and 2 only; while omitting the most crucial step - step 3. /thread/1d87f21e-2bca-4a3c-9dda-e54a1f363e4a

Ultimately, here are the exact steps, ran in the correct sequence order, which fixed my windows Vista boot problem.

One last time - you must run ALL of these steps (1,2 and 3). Only running steps 1 and 2 and then stopping will NOT fix the boot problem!

Boot from the Windows DVD or a repair CD (you may have to change the first boot device to CD/DVD in the BIOS), answer a few questions, select the Repair option in the bottom left corner and choose:

1. Startup Repair

2. If the above doesn't cure the problem, go back to the Repair Option and this time choose Command prompt, then type these 4 commands (in all instances the capitals are for clarity only):

BOOTREC /FIXMBR and press Enter
BOOTREC /FIXBOOT and press Enter.
BOOTREC /SCANOS and press Enter.
BOOTREC /REBUILDBCD and press Enter.

3. If it’s not successful or you receive ‘No operating system found’ or ‘Element not found’ messages, go back to the command prompt and make the partition active by typing these commands:

DISKPART and press Enter.
LIST DISK and press Enter.
SELECT DISK N and press Enter (N represents the disk you want).
LIST PARTITION and press Enter.
SELECT PARTITION N and press Enter (N represents the partition you want).
ACTIVE and press Enter.
EXIT and press Enter.

Now go back to 1 above and run it again, perhaps run 2 as well.

It took me the better part of a full week of searching through many, many help links before I found the correct one!

Regards

Robs58