Diane--
I assume this is Vista. Mark and Colin have suggested tapping F8 and
getting to the Windows Advanced Options Menu. There you have 3 types of Safe
Mode you can try on a list, and sometimes one works when another doesn't.
I'm leaving Safe Mode VGA out of this. The idea is to use system restore if
you can get into them when you highlight them using the arrows on the black
and white screen list and hit enter. Last Known Good is a registry snap
shot similar to System Restore, but it return you to the last stable boot if
it works, and for some people that might have been a while ago because they
don't reboot often.
These options to recover in Vista are similar to XP although System Restore
is based on a system now from server technology.
1) I'd use the F8 options including the 3 safe modes (I'm omitting VGA for
this purpose) to try to system restore and I would use Last Known Good if
they don't work. I say 3 because sometimes one works when another will not.
If you use safe mode command, the command for system restore is:
%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
2) If these 4 options don't work, you can try a new way to fix Vista, called
Startup Repair which is part of a platform in Vista called Windows Repair
Environment or Win RE.
I'm going to tell you what it can do>going to give you the step by step>
and you have no downside for trying it.
What It Can Do:
If you run Win RE's Startup Repair in Vista, it will try to check and repair
the following and we're taking about under three minutes usually when it
works which is often: (this is not a complete list but a list of major tasks
it can perform):
Registry Corruptions
Missing/corrupt driver files (you don't have to guess here--it looks at all
of them
Missing/corrupt system files (disabled in Beta 2 as is System File Checker
but present newer builds)
Incompatible Driver Installation
Incompatible OS update installations
Startup Repair may offer a dialogue box to use System restore.
How to Use Startup Repair:
***Accessing Windows RE (Repair Environment):***
1) Insert Media into PC (the DVD you burned)
2) ***You will see on the Vista logo setup screen after lang. options in the
lower left corner, a link called "System Recovery Options."***
Screenshot: System Recovery Options (Lower Left Link)
http://blogs.itecn.net/photos/liuhui/images/2014/500x375.aspx
Screenshot: (Click first option "Startup Repair"
http://www.leedesmond.com/images/img_vista02ctp-installSysRecOpt2.bmp
3) Select your OS for repair.
4) Its been my experience that you can see some causes of the crash from
theWin RE feature:
You'll have a choice there of using:
1) Startup Repair
2) System Restore
3) Complete PC Restore
Good luck,
CH
