Laptop won't start up - please help

Spiggle

Hello you ever helpful and knowledgeable people. I hope you may be able to once again help me, this time with my laptop that appears to not want to let me in! I have been as thorough as possible in the description of the problem and hardware but will no doubt have left out some vital piece of knowledge so please let me know what it is and I'll try to give it.

Ok so it’s a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7 64 bit, about 18 months old. I have Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) running with Ccleaner and MalwareBytes. All are regularly updated. Windows Update and Adobe let me know when updates are available and I often check for Windows updates unprompted too. There is nothing extra on the laptop but I have, through Ccleaner, stopped certain progs auto running at start up e.g. MSN, web cam, etc to speed the process up.

All my files etc are backed up with the last copy being made about a week ago which is also about the time frame since the last clean up with Ccleaner. The laptop worked fine after that was done.

The latest updates to the machine were a large bundle of about 14 Windows updates that included a variety of Windows 7 security updates, Office security updates, MSE update, MSE definition update and IE 11. The laptop was used and switched on and off a number of times without difficulty after installation. The same bundle was put onto this desktop machine yesterday.

This is the sequence when powering on. Toshiba screen comes on (offering F2 for set up options and F12 for boot options at bottom of page), then rapidly switches to a black screen headed ‘Windows Error Recovery’ offering me the options of ‘Launch Start Up Repair (recommended)’ or ‘Start Windows normally’. This page is timed so that 30 secs run down and it auto starts the Repair option when the time expires. This option opens another grey/black page which states “Windows is loading files ...” above a white time bar at the bottom of the page. No files may be seen scrolling or anything but then the screen switches to a black screen with a large arrow/pointer in the middle of the page which I can move around with the touch pad but nothing else happens and no other keys do anything. All normal lights are on throughout the process. Ctrl+alt+del or Ctrl+alt+backspace do nothing as does the Esc key.

Now if I hold down F2 or F12 when powering on I can access those but don’t really know what to change/look for in there.


What I briefly thought was successful was holding down F8 on powering up as it got me to Advanced Boot Options. Here I have the options of:
Repair your computer – a short cut back to the black screen with arrow/pointer;
Safe Mode (SM) – goes to a Loading Windows Files page which actually lists a series of system32 files starting with I think one containing ‘config’ and ending with one named ‘CLASSPNP.SYS’ (it’s the only one in all caps) then I get a very quick flash of a blue SOD which I can’t read due to the speed and then onto the Tosh screen where we start the merry go round again to the Windows Error Reporting screen;
SM with networking – as SM;
SM with Command Prompt – as SM;
Enable Boot Logging quick ride on the merry go round;
Enable low res vid (640x480) – haven’t tried this one as doesn’t seem relevant;
Last known good configuration (advanced) – back on the merry go round again;
Directory Services Restore Mode – haven’t tried as I don’t know what it means;
Debugging Mode – merry go round;
Disable auto restart on system failure – haven’t used as don’t want to disable something I shouldn’t;
Disable driver signature enforcement - ditto; and
Start Windows normally – back on the merry go round again.

Please help me escape this very frustrating carousel. I have tried to be as thorough as possible in giving info so I hope it is useful and many thanks in advance.

Spigs

NiftyDigits

Do this one: Disable auto restart on system failure

Then; SM with Command Prompt

Then; chkdsk C: /r (if it gets that far. Otherwise report the Blue Screen error codes)

scheming_gypsy

I may have missed it but what happens when you....

Spiggle wrote: »

This is the sequence when powering on. Toshiba screen comes on (offering F2 for set up options and F12 for boot options at bottom of page), then rapidly switches to a black screen headed ‘Windows Error Recovery’ offering me the options of ‘Launch Start Up Repair (recommended)’ or ‘Start Windows normally’. This page is timed so that 30 secs run down and it auto starts the Repair option when the time expires. This option opens another grey/black page which states “Windows is loading files ...” above a white time bar at the bottom of the page. No files may be seen scrolling or anything but then the screen switches to a black screen with a large arrow/pointer in the middle of the page which I can move around with the touch pad but nothing else happens and no other keys do anything. All normal lights are on throughout the process. Ctrl+alt+del or Ctrl+alt+backspace do nothing as does the Esc key.

you just seem to have skipped over trying to boot normally and let it run down the 30 seconds and try to repair.

Spiggle

Thanks NiftyDigits, will give it a go now.


I can't read any of the Blues Screen error codes. If I see that at all it is a micro second flash before the Windows Error Recovery page opens.


It's the fact that I can't see the blue SOD that is making me feel that something is afoot and the Windows Error Recovery page is some sort of bug. But I could just be too suspicious.

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

I may have missed it but what happens when you....




you just seem to have skipped over trying to boot normally and let it run down the 30 seconds and try to repair.

See I knew I'd leave out something important! Of course I have tried that from both the 'Windows Error Recovery' page and from the last option under F8 but it just means going around again to get to the Windows Error Recovery and the big white arrow.


Thanks,
Spigs

NiftyDigits

Spiggle wrote: »

Thanks NiftyDigits, will give it a go now.


I can't read any of the Blues Screen error codes. If I see that at all it is a micro second flash before the Windows Error Recovery page opens.


It's the fact that I can't see the blue SOD that is making me feel that something is afoot and the Windows Error Recovery page is some sort of bug. But I could just be too suspicious.


See I knew I'd leave out something important! Of course I have tried that from both the 'Windows Error Recovery' page and from the last option under F8 but it just means going around again to get to the Windows Error Recovery and the big white arrow.


Thanks,
Spigs

Hopefully that is what step one might rectify.

Spiggle

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Do this one: Disable auto restart on system failure

Then; SM with Command Prompt

Then; chkdsk C: /r (if it gets that far. Otherwise report the Blue Screen error codes)

Well I got somewhere different, thank you.

I did the disable auto restart then got the Windows start up screen (coloured dots moving to become flag) which seemed stuck for a while and then I got the BSOD. Never been happy to see one before. It said:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.
Unmountable_Boot_Volume
If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:
Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. (There is no hardware attached to the laptop). If this is a new installation ...(not relevant).
If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing.
If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup options and then select Safe Mode.
Technical information:
*** STOP: 0x000000ED (0xFFFFFA8006229BDO, 0xFFFFFFFFC00000B5, 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000)

So I have tried your instruction to start using SM Com Prompt but I go around in circles again as originally described. I also tried going through a safe mode start up as the BSOD advises but to no avail. It does exactly as described under my original post for SM.

Thing is there isn't any newly installed hardware or software. The only recent additions were the windows updates.

Any other ideas please? Thanks again and in advance,
Spigs

NiftyDigits

What is the full model number of the machine?

NiftyDigits

If it came with Home Premium 64bit, you can download the image from here. You can create a bootable disc or USB drive and boot into the Recovery Environment from there, to run a chkdsk repair.
If that fails, you may need to remove the hard drive from the machine, place it in a caddy(costing less than £5) and run a chkdsk repair on the drive letter produced.

Spiggle

NiftyDigits wrote: »

What is the full model number of the machine?

It's Model Name is Satellite C660-258 and Part No. POSC1LE-02G005EN


Is that what you needed?


Thanks again,
Spigs

NiftyDigits

Did you create the Toshiba Recovery discs for the case of HDD failure?

Spiggle

NiftyDigits wrote: »

If it came with Home Premium 64bit, you can download the image from here. You can create a bootable disc or USB drive and boot into the Recovery Environment from there, to run a chkdsk repair.
If that fails, you may need to remove the hard drive from the machine, place it in a caddy(costing less than £5) and run a chkdsk repair on the drive letter produced.

Right thank you but I'm now lost!

Please would you explain in a little more detail, sorry. When I click the link I start downloading something. Should I save that onto a USB? And would I then put the USB into the lappy before powering up? Is that what you mean please? Feeling a bit dense now.:o

Thanks again I really appreciate the help.
Spigs