Windows boot problems

toxic · 7 Jul 2006 at 09:18

My neighbour asked to me look at her PC (again) as it was dead for some reason (last time i found 5 viruses on and and about 10Gb of spyware). Anyhow...I did and windows doesnt boot at all...and also doesnt boot into Safe Mode eigther. I thought I'd try a reair install...so I booted from CD but it never gave me the 'repair' option....just a re-install. Personally I would just wipe it and start over from scratch...but she wants a pile of University files from it. Whats best to do...any ideas?
(I dont really want to spend hours on it either...just a quick fix if possible)

thanks

Oracle · 7 Jul 2006 at 09:31

When you put the CD at boot and you let it run its normal course, you have the option to delete the partion, create a partition, etc. Select the partition that Windows is currently on, then it will give you the option to repair it, (or is this what you are already doing?)

Remeber it wont give you the option to repair until the very last screen.

Alternatively, if its just file and documents she wants, browse through the C: folder in CMD OR whip the drive out and run it as a slave in another machine and transfer the imporatant stuff over.

You can then clean install the drive and put her docs back on later

toxic · 7 Jul 2006 at 11:20

When you put the CD at boot and you let it run its normal course, you have the option to delete the partion, create a partition, etc. Select the partition that Windows is currently on, then it will give you the option to repair it, (or is this what you are already doing?)

ye...thats what i was doing....the last screen seemd to tell me that its about to install two versions of XP on the same partician...usually before this it asks you if you want to repair.

I might just stick her drive in my machine and get her files and do fressh install. Probably the easiest. Last time Im doing it though...I did it on same machine a couple of months ago...and her kids have screwed it up again! Itll be the reapir shop next time for her!

Iceberg2 · 7 Jul 2006 at 19:46

toxic said:
ye...thats what i was doing....the last screen seemd to tell me that its about to install two versions of XP on the same partician...usually before this it asks you if you want to repair.

I might just stick her drive in my machine and get her files and do fressh install. Probably the easiest. Last time Im doing it though...I did it on same machine a couple of months ago...and her kids have screwed it up again! Itll be the reapir shop next time for her!

Dude just ask her for soemthign else