Windows boot failure

Ian Bowden · December 28, 2016, 12:08:00 AM

When changing my pc to ssd I forgot when formatting the disc to put the system mark on the drive everything seemed okay but it wouldn't work. Most drives come with the partition(s) pre set up in this case the partition might be incorrect type and not be recognized as a primary partition with system. I used partition magic to set the partition correct followed by acronis true image cloning tool to clone the previous disk.

Dorsetmike · December 28, 2016, 10:57:35 AM

The new disc seems to have picked up windoze boot manager, presumably from the install that failed at 2%, so I tried a quick format - no change so last night I started a full format before going to bed, it's now been running about 12 hours, and still short of 50% done! Wotta a lotta bytes!

Also ordered a 240Gb SSD, could be a toss up which is available first, the format or the SSD!

Dorsetmike · December 29, 2016, 03:17:49 PM

Managed to install Win7 pro 64 on an 80G laptop drive in a 3.5" dock, still have not managed to get anywhere withh the new drive, the 80Gb drive doesn't run in the new machine either, currently formating the system portion of the drive that failed to start all this, now at 60% and ongoing, hopefully be able to put Win7 back on it when format is done, it seems there is enough difference between the new machine and the old that a drive formatted in one won't work in 'tother.

Fingers crossed.

lil chris · December 29, 2016, 10:45:56 PM

@Dorsetmike Pleased you are getting somewhere Mike if it is a bit slow.Like I said before in my previous post, make sure your mother board chipset supports AHCI otherwise you will not be able to get the ssd drive to work. That is what forced me into upgrading one of my machines, this one used to be a old chipset and a spare smallish ssd drive I had would not work.I intended to just install windows on it then the rest of the data on a older drive, NO AHCI NO SSD.
@Lankyman
Lankyman I had a similar problem to you when I tried the free W10 update on this pc it crawled to a stop, I took up the offer to wind it back and it has been ok ever since. On my newer machine downstairs I have done a clean install from a dvd I burned from a W10 iso downloaded off the Microsoft website. I bought a legal key off the internet, there is no way I was paying £80+ for it. I have also built a new machine for my son and used the same install disc for his new machine. If you have previously tried W10, Microsoft should have you down has a user, there is nothing to stop you doing a clean install and you will not need to buy a key, it would be free for you. If you want to buy a key message me for the website.

keithfre · December 30, 2016, 02:57:03 PM

Quote from: lil chris on December 29, 2016, 10:45:56 PM
NO AHCI NO SSD.

I guess it depends. Several years ago I installed a Samsung SSD on my old XP computer, which as far as I can see doesn't have AHCI (it's certainly not using an AHCI-enabled driver), and it's always worked fine.

themadhippy · December 30, 2016, 03:14:13 PM

QuoteNO AHCI NO SSD.

you sure on that,thought ahci was to do with sata buses,a pata ssd or ssd raid array dosnt need it

lil chris · December 30, 2016, 03:52:33 PM

Most ssd's require AHCI setting in the BIOS in preference to IDE, some early motherboards do not support it.

Malc · December 30, 2016, 04:37:21 PM

I think MS implement AHCI in version of Windows after Vista. However, it is obviously better if your BIOS supports it.

Dorsetmike · January 16, 2017, 07:55:54 PM

Finally sorted via phone to tech support; had to enable CSM support and disable secure boot in BIOS. Seems recent motherboards do not normally support Windoze earlier than Win8, the above BIOS changes overcome the problem.

Now have Win7 pro 64 bit on an SSD in the new machine, probably spend tomorrow transferring stuff from the old disc then reinstall Windows on that, hopefully I can get contact lists and bookmarks and passwords etc off as well.

lil chris · January 17, 2017, 10:35:42 AM

Well done Mike glad you got there in the end.

Dorsetmike · January 17, 2017, 11:53:29 AM

Now that I've got a machine running, has anybody got experience of file recovery software? From a quick Google it looks as though "Recuva" gets good reviews.

I'm hoping to recover things like Email & Skype contact lists, Firefox bookmarks and saved passwords. I should be OK for software, downloaded .exe installation files are on a separate partition which looks to be intact and other stuff is on original CDs.

mickster04 · January 18, 2017, 09:07:05 PM

emails may depend on your email provider, in that you might be able to re-download them
skype contacts should definitely be in skype when you log in

Dorsetmike · January 20, 2017, 11:17:14 AM

Another query, now that I have two PCs running, I'm thinking to use one mainly for on line work and the other for things like photo and video editing, music and modelling projects, the offline PC I would like to have connected to a home network but not able to connect to the internet. The reason for networking is so I can transfer files such as downloaded items and items to upload. I just do not want the "offline" machine to suffer windows updates, I'm sure that's what started the original problem. The laptop I'm currently using has a switch to disable the wifi connection so I switch that off before starting shut down. Although I have updating disabled I've still had microsloth try to send updates

The alternative would be to do file transfers etc by USB memory sticks or is it possible to connect PCs directly via USB cable.

I also intend to save a mirror image in case of future crashes, should I use a DVD or an external drive?

Izzy · January 20, 2017, 11:47:02 AM

If you treat yourself to one of the small portable USB3 drives then files of any size can be transferred between machines quite quickly as well as being used as a backup device. I have several on which all sorts of files are stored/backed up, Movies/Music/Photos etc.

Just recently got another basic WD 2TB from Argos for £75 as I was running short of space: http://www.argos.co.uk/product/1678967 Being small they are easy to store and move around.

As so many machines are now without disc drives it's probably a safer bet as even Macs can read NTFS format files if needed (they can write to them too with the right software loaded).

Mind you if you have any spare/old 2.5" drives then USB enclosures are cheap and easy to find - though USB3 less so than USB2.

Izzy

keithfre · January 20, 2017, 01:08:50 PM

Quote from: Dorsetmike on January 20, 2017, 11:17:14 AM
the offline PC I would like to have connected to a home network but not able to connect to the internet.

In the past I've connected two PCs via the serial or parallel port. For the serial port I used a null modem cable. There's a good explanation on
http://www.ghisler.ch/help/totalcmd/direct_cable_connection_through_parallel_port.htm

It uses Windows Commander, which is an excellent Norton Commander-style file manager (no connection, just happy customer!). I find it indispensable when copying or moving files to have the two directory windows side by side and a hotkey copy or move command.

Not doubt the connection could be accessed in other ways, but the Commander approach is fairly simple.

I haven't used PC-to-PC since moving to XP, though. For info google:
connect pc via parallel port
or
connect pc via serial port