[SOLVED] crashed

ted-m · 08-03-2007, 06:19 PM

ok, so trying to install a version of microsoft vista, I crashed my drive. The installation managed to get to about 70-80% done, so I'm guessing it took up about the same percent of space out of the required 10GB for the OS. I tried to put my recovery dvd in, and there is still files on there I really need, so I put the backup option as opposed to the wipe option. It starts to work and prepare everything off the dvd that it needs to. When it gets to 100% it ejects the cd, and tells me to restart so I do. It restarts, except instead of going to the windows desktop and installing all the factory defaults on top of the backup, it goes back to the recovery options where it again makes me choose between backup recovery and destructive recovery. It keeps doing this in loops without end. I eventually tried to shut down and start again but the same thing happened. It keeps rebooting and doing the same loop. I kno that in order for the computer to do a backup it needs a certain amount of space on the hard drive. I already had a crummy about 13 GB left on the hard drive, of which I think the failed vista installation took more than enough, making the backup recovery option hard to accomplish because it has no space, which is why I think it keeps looping. I cannot do a wipe because as I said I really need those files, and there's pictures, videos and things I do not have a backup of. I just need to get in there and grab those files somehow even if I do it through a ms-dos that is by default installed on the drive, i just need to get those files somehow. PLEASE HELP ME I AM DESPERATE ILL DO ANYTHING!

ted-m · 08-04-2007, 06:51 AM

ok, I think I figured something out. If I got a windows xp live cd and deleted some of the junk there to make room, maybe delete everything vista did, then reboot my laptop with my recovery dvd, and put the backup option again, it would work. I only would need one thing if you have it, I need a live cd/dvd download link, anybody know a good link???

dai · 08-04-2007, 11:27 AM

the only live cd's are linux which you can probably use to get your stuff off and then do the destructive install
http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php

ted-m · 08-07-2007, 01:15 PM

ok, so I managed to get a windows live cd its called windows mini PE, anyway I deleted a few things, and I managed to install a windows xp. It works, but there are still things incompatible with my system. I want my old windows xp pro media centre sp2, so I tried the recovery disk again and it showed me this message "<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll". I don't know why it won't work still, even now that I have space on my drive it doesn't work. I also tried to open my windows xp that I installed, and installed Nero 7 on it. I burned a 5 discs with Nero's backup feature, and the files were not readable with any pc. I also tried burning 6 DVDs with the data dvd feature, the dvd's were again not readable with any pc. I have run out of ideas, pleas help.

dai · 08-07-2007, 01:28 PM

the restore disks will not work because the files on the hard drive has been changed and they no longer match up with the restore disks
i have asked someone to have a look at the thread for a possible solution

**TheMatt** · 08-07-2007, 02:09 PM

What you usually need to to is partition the drive and then use the recovery CDs. If there is no partition, the recovery CDs won't do anything. Sometimes the recovery CDs actually try to recover to the wrong partition. So if the partition where vista was going to be was still there, the recovery CDs might have written to that instead.

You should be able to use the Vista disk to create a partition and then format it. Or delete the Vista partition. Then use the recovery disks. Unfortunately you will loose your data if you format the original partition, so don't do that.

ted-m · 08-07-2007, 02:11 PM

thank you very much, I thought that was the problem, but I have no idea how to fix it, I thought that if I used the destructive restoe option it wouldn't need anything on the drive and it would just run on the disc, so I tried to burn some discs with everything I needed, I don't know why the discs will not work

ted-m · 08-07-2007, 02:15 PM

umm, I think it's ok, it wasn't the discs that werent working, it was the computer I was playing it on, I think it should be allright now, thx for the help

**TheMatt** · 08-07-2007, 02:59 PM

Did you get Windows up and working?

ted-m · 08-18-2007, 10:38 AM

yes, it's going great.

**TheMatt** · 08-18-2007, 01:49 PM

Good to hear.

08-03-2007, 06:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
ted-m Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 105 OS: WinXP	[SOLVED] crashed ok, so trying to install a version of microsoft vista, I crashed my drive. The installation managed to get to about 70-80% done, so I'm guessing it took up about the same percent of space out of the required 10GB for the OS. I tried to put my recovery dvd in, and there is still files on there I really need, so I put the backup option as opposed to the wipe option. It starts to work and prepare everything off the dvd that it needs to. When it gets to 100% it ejects the cd, and tells me to restart so I do. It restarts, except instead of going to the windows desktop and installing all the factory defaults on top of the backup, it goes back to the recovery options where it again makes me choose between backup recovery and destructive recovery. It keeps doing this in loops without end. I eventually tried to shut down and start again but the same thing happened. It keeps rebooting and doing the same loop. I kno that in order for the computer to do a backup it needs a certain amount of space on the hard drive. I already had a crummy about 13 GB left on the hard drive, of which I think the failed vista installation took more than enough, making the backup recovery option hard to accomplish because it has no space, which is why I think it keeps looping. I cannot do a wipe because as I said I really need those files, and there's pictures, videos and things I do not have a backup of. I just need to get in there and grab those files somehow even if I do it through a ms-dos that is by default installed on the drive, i just need to get those files somehow. PLEASE HELP ME I AM DESPERATE ILL DO ANYTHING!

08-04-2007, 06:51 AM	#2 (permalink)
ted-m Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 105 OS: WinXP	Re: crashed ok, I think I figured something out. If I got a windows xp live cd and deleted some of the junk there to make room, maybe delete everything vista did, then reboot my laptop with my recovery dvd, and put the backup option again, it would work. I only would need one thing if you have it, I need a live cd/dvd download link, anybody know a good link???

08-04-2007, 11:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 59,134 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: crashed the only live cd's are linux which you can probably use to get your stuff off and then do the destructive install http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php __________________

08-07-2007, 01:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
ted-m Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 105 OS: WinXP	Re: crashed ok, so I managed to get a windows live cd its called windows mini PE, anyway I deleted a few things, and I managed to install a windows xp. It works, but there are still things incompatible with my system. I want my old windows xp pro media centre sp2, so I tried the recovery disk again and it showed me this message "<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll". I don't know why it won't work still, even now that I have space on my drive it doesn't work. I also tried to open my windows xp that I installed, and installed Nero 7 on it. I burned a 5 discs with Nero's backup feature, and the files were not readable with any pc. I also tried burning 6 DVDs with the data dvd feature, the dvd's were again not readable with any pc. I have run out of ideas, pleas help.

08-07-2007, 01:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 59,134 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: crashed the restore disks will not work because the files on the hard drive has been changed and they no longer match up with the restore disks i have asked someone to have a look at the thread for a possible solution __________________

08-07-2007, 02:09 PM	#6 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,698 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System	Re: crashed What you usually need to to is partition the drive and then use the recovery CDs. If there is no partition, the recovery CDs won't do anything. Sometimes the recovery CDs actually try to recover to the wrong partition. So if the partition where vista was going to be was still there, the recovery CDs might have written to that instead. You should be able to use the Vista disk to create a partition and then format it. Or delete the Vista partition. Then use the recovery disks. Unfortunately you will loose your data if you format the original partition, so don't do that. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [URL="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides Last edited by TheMatt; 08-07-2007 at 02:11 PM.

08-07-2007, 02:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
ted-m Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 105 OS: WinXP	Re: crashed thank you very much, I thought that was the problem, but I have no idea how to fix it, I thought that if I used the destructive restoe option it wouldn't need anything on the drive and it would just run on the disc, so I tried to burn some discs with everything I needed, I don't know why the discs will not work

08-07-2007, 02:15 PM	#8 (permalink)
ted-m Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 105 OS: WinXP	Re: crashed umm, I think it's ok, it wasn't the discs that werent working, it was the computer I was playing it on, I think it should be allright now, thx for the help

08-07-2007, 02:59 PM	#9 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,698 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System	Re: crashed Did you get Windows up and working? __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [URL="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

08-18-2007, 10:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
ted-m Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 105 OS: WinXP	Re: crashed yes, it's going great.

08-18-2007, 01:49 PM	#11 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,698 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System	Re: [SOLVED] crashed Good to hear. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [URL="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides