Vista PC failing to start

Marty999

I am trying to help fix the PC belonging to a friend’s girlfriend. It is a Compaq Presario SR5129UK, product # GG638AA, running Vista Home Premium (OEM). When it is powered on, Windows fails to start and this information appears on the screen:

Windows Boot Manager
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware of software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
1. Insert your Windows installation disk and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click next.
3. Click ‘”repair your computer.”

If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.
File: \windows\system32\config\system
Status: 0xc000014c
Info: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is missing, or corrupt.

The lady who owns the PC doesn’t remember how this problem came about, and she doesn’t have the official Windows installation disc. I tried using a restore disk from a different HP PC running Vista and it said it was the wrong type. I tried searching online for a resolution, but all the information I found seems to suggest I really need the special recovery disc. Do I have to go back to HP/Compaq for this particular recovery disc, or is there another way? I was wondering if I could download an ISO of this recovery disc from somewhere, or maybe use a Ubuntu Live CD and access system recovery somehow?

Any advice would be gratefully received! Thank you.

robmar0se

With a disk you could repair the registry - I don't believe there is any legal download of Vista - however assuming you have the COA, you can purchase a copy of Vista for less than £5 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/windows-vista-home-premium-32bit-re-install-and-repair-restore-disc-/110913100823?pt=UK_Computing_Software_Software_SR&hash=item19d2ef9c17

Just make sure you have the 32 or 64 bit version etc.

prowla

I think it is a rip-off that you don't get supplied with original media that you have paid a licence for and are then expected to buy it when it goes wrong.

John_Gray

You are expected to make a restore CD at installation time, and are prompted to do so - but almost nobody understands just how necessary this may be. The manufacturers save £2 (or so) since they don't provide a physical CD/DVD separate from any 'recovery partition' they may or may not set upon the hard disk - which may, of course, fail...

Marty999

Do you think it would be possible to fire up the PC using a Ubuntu live CD, and then access Windows System Recovery by browsing to it or through the command prompt?

prowla

John_Gray wrote: »

You are expected to make a restore CD at installation time, and are prompted to do so - but almost nobody understands just how necessary this may be. The manufacturers save £2 (or so) since they don't provide a physical CD/DVD separate from any 'recovery partition' they may or may not set upon the hard disk - which may, of course, fail...

That is not always the case, forinstance some machines do not include writable media and so can't give the option.

It should also be noted that writable media may not be as robust as original pressed discs.

The manufacturers often set up a recovery partition and build support for it into the BIOS, which therefore implies that they have an expectation of its availability on an ongoing basis.

As you say, they may save a couple of quid, but it is a bit shabby IMHO. It would be alright if they made downloadable images of their media, but it suits them to charge a premium for it.

prowla

Marty999 wrote: »

Do you think it would be possible to fire up the PC using a Ubuntu live CD, and then access Windows System Recovery by browsing to it or through the command prompt?

Probably not.

However, you could use that approach to be able to get at your (important) files and copy them elsewhere (eg. a USB memory stick or drive), just in case you do have to do a full rebuild.

It may alternatively be possible to create a bootable Windows on a USB stick that might allow you to get there, but it would be risky and a bit intricate (or impossible without a working PC in the first place!).

You may be able to use the PC's key with a different media, but that can be a bit hit and miss because Microsoft release different media sets that are specific to particular key ranges, and some manufacturers have customized media which may include drivers that aren't on the generic release.

Figment

robmar0se wrote: »

With a disk you could repair the registry - I don't believe there is any legal download of Vista - however assuming you have the COA, you can purchase a copy of Vista for less than £5 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/windows-vista-home-premium-32bit-re-install-and-repair-restore-disc-/110913100823?pt=UK_Computing_Software_Software_SR&hash=item19d2ef9c17

Just make sure you have the 32 or 64 bit version etc.

You have a PM

waddler_8

File: \windows\system32\config\system
Status: 0xc000014c
Info: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is missing, or corrupt.

It may be possible that you don't need a Vista disk.

Tap, F8 on startup, Does it reach the Advanced boot options menu, do you see the option "Repair my computer"

If so, have you tried System Restore from the recovery environment?

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/system-restore-from-windows-vista-recovery-environment/

TimothyEBaldwin

prowla wrote: »

As you say, they may save a couple of quid, but it is a bit shabby IMHO. It would be alright if they made downloadable images of their media, but it suits them to charge a premium for it.

No, downloadable images are no use if you have nothing to write them with. They should support recovery directly from the internet.

Another silly thing is supplying recovery CDs not suitable for network booting despite the system not having a CD drive! They expect you to have a USB CD drive.

And why do typical BIOSes not allow one to type in the address of a TFTP server instead of using DHCP?

prowla

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

No, downloadable images are no use if you have nothing to write them with. They should support recovery directly from the internet.

Another silly thing is supplying recovery CDs not suitable for network booting despite the system not having a CD drive! They expect you to have a USB CD drive.

And why do typical BIOSes not allow one to type in the address of a TFTP server instead of using DHCP?

Well, I (obviously) made the assumption that there would be a system that would be able to download the downloadable image!

And of course, your 2nd point about having a network bootable capability implicitly assumes there is a 2nd system available.

Many BIOSes support PXE boot, which is designed for network boot. (Linux has KickStart for network booting.)