# HELP! Vista wont boot after creating second partition!



## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

D:!!!!   see this thread: http://www.furaffinityforums.net/showthread.php?tid=13492   and see my last reply to net-cat. 

HELP HELP HELP D:   Damn it, I haven't even had that computer for three weeks and I've already gone and fucked it up D:  I can't lose all my data I have on that computer... All my music... All my ART D:

OH GOD HELP. I'M FREAKIN' OUT.

And whats worst of all is my computer didn't come with any boot disks or ANYthing D:!!!!


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## Rostam The Grey (Oct 13, 2007)

You were supposed to create the boot disk and system restore disk on your first boot. What is happening when you start it? Are you getting the manufacturer screen?


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## Rostam The Grey (Oct 13, 2007)

Wow, read your other stuff. You might have to call the manufacturer on this one. The good thing is, you probably have a local 'repair shop' that can fix it and restore your data and the warranty might cover it. I'm betting the old partition is still there and everything is workable, but when you're starting up it's trying to boot up on the new partition. Because you didn't install an OS your motherboard does everything it thinks its supposed to and stops. You might be able to create a boot disk on another computer, but I'm not Vista savvy enough to tell you what you'd have to do. Sorry I couldn't help you more... Maybe net-cat can?


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

Rostam The Grey said:
			
		

> Wow, read your other stuff. You might have to call the manufacturer on this one. The good thing is, you probably have a local 'repair shop' that can fix it and restore your data and the warranty might cover it. I'm betting the old partition is still there and everything is workable, but when you're starting up it's trying to boot up on the new partition. Because you didn't install an OS your motherboard does everything it thinks its supposed to and stops. You might be able to create a boot disk on another computer, but I'm not Vista savvy enough to tell you what you'd have to do. Sorry I couldn't help you more... Maybe net-cat can?



i dont have a local repair shop   i live in bumfuck texas.


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## Janglur (Oct 13, 2007)

Sorry I can't help.  Maybe net-cat would be best.

I gave up on Vista in disgust long before I could really get it personalized for me.  The degree at which is degrades a system's performance compared to XP, doing the exact same tasks, with all eye-candy disabled, really backed me off.  Plus, it became unstable days after I began messing with it.  It just failed my OS test far too quickly for me to give any merit.
Maybe after a service pack or two.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

Janglur said:
			
		

> Sorry I can't help.  Maybe net-cat would be best.
> 
> I gave up on Vista in disgust long before I could really get it personalized for me.  The degree at which is degrades a system's performance compared to XP, doing the exact same tasks, with all eye-candy disabled, really backed me off.  Plus, it became unstable days after I began messing with it.  It just failed my OS test far too quickly for me to give any merit.
> Maybe after a service pack or two.




whats the worst thing of all is i had all of my music and shit on this computer i'm using right now, and when i got the new computer i copied all my stuff to it, and delayed erasing the old one for quite some time, till last night i erased it and now my new one fucks up.... fuck. this sucks ass.


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## yak (Oct 13, 2007)

First of all, unless you reformatted your entire drive, your data is perfectly safe; so relax.

1. You did not delete all the partitions on your drive first, and the re-created them anew, did you? How did you create the second partition? Step-by-step description, please.

2. After you created your partitions, did you boot into your system or proceeded with the install disk right away? 

3. Up to what point did you advance in your attempt to install XP?

More questions after you answer these.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

yak said:
			
		

> First of all, unless you reformatted your entire drive, your data is perfectly safe; so relax.
> 
> 1. You did not delete all the partitions on your drive first, and the re-created them anew, did you? How did you create the second partition? Step-by-step description, please.
> 
> ...





1: No, I didn't delete any partitions. I used the partitioning utility that vista has to create a new, small partition. (4 gigs) what i did can be found on the first page of the tutorial thats in that other thread i linked to. the one net-cat gave.

2/3: after the partition was created i put in the os install disk and restarted the computer. then which when the install thing came up and had the list of partitions, the partition i'd made wasn't there so i just canceled it all and exited out of it. at which point my comp went on to boot, but didn't. just blank screen with blinking white cursor. (also to be noted that i can't type anything in on that screen)


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## eb7w5yfe (Oct 13, 2007)

Edit: Yak's post wasn't there when I started writing this.  It sounds like he is going to walk you through the recovery.  He's probably more knowledgeable about repairing Windows than I am, so if he can tell you how to safely repair your computer in a simpler manner, you should probably just listen to him and ignore my post.

...

As Rostam The Grey, is sounds like your data is still all there, and the computer is just trying to boot the wrong partition.

My advice would be to copy all your data off of the computer before you make any attempt to fix it.  This way you don't have to worry about really losing your data if something goes wrong and you mess it up more.

There are a couple ways to get the data off.  It sounds like you have a second computer available, so you have lots of options.

You could pull the hard drive out of the non-booting computer, put it in a working computer, and copy the data off that way.  Just be sure not to format the drive or create any partitions or anything of the sort!

Another option, which is what I'd probably do, is boot off of a Linux LiveCD like Knoppix.  This will run the operating system off of the CD, and not write anything to the hard drive.  It should be able to see the drive though, and let you copy the data off.  If you have two CD drives you could burn the data to a CD, or you could copy it over a network, or save it to a USB flash drive, etc.

After you've backed up your data you can try to make the computer bootable again.  If this was an earlier version of Windows, you could boot off of the install disk, go into recovery mode, and run commands like fixboot and fixmbr.  I'm not sure if Vista is any different in this respect.  Alternately, you could go back and finish installing a new copy of Windows on the extra partition you created.  This would leave you with a dual boot system, as you started out to do.  Or, since you will have backed up your data by this point, you could simply wipe the drive and install whichever OS you choose.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

How would I aquire that cd you mentioned? :/  I can't spend any money here...


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## net-cat (Oct 13, 2007)

To get a Knoppix CD, go to http://www.knoppix.org/ and download the CD image, then burn it to a CD.

As for attempting to repair Vista, boot from your Vista install disc and follow these instructions. (Step 3 from the link I posted earlier.)


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

net-cat said:
			
		

> To get a Knoppix CD, go to http://www.knoppix.org/ and download the CD image, then burn it to a CD.
> 
> As for attempting to repair Vista, boot from your Vista install disc and follow these instructions. (Step 3 from the link I posted earlier.)



I dont _have_ a vista install disk.


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## eb7w5yfe (Oct 13, 2007)

ryoko said:
			
		

> How would I aquire that cd you mentioned? :/  I can't spend any money here...


It sounds like yak might be able to walk you through the recovery safely without the hassle of backing up the data first.  However, I'll go ahead and answer the question anyway:

First you have to download the CD image.  For Knoppix, you would go to this address.  After you've downloaded the image (it's probably 650 or 700MB: 1 CD full), you burn it to a blank CD using a CD-R drive.  How to do this depends on the software you're using to write the CD.  You just have to be sure to write it as an image ("CD Image" or "ISO Image" or similar name) rather than a data CD.

After you have burned the CD, you just put it into the non-booting computer and start up the computer.  The computer should detect the CD in the drive and start off of the CD instead of booting off of the hard drive.  

The only snag you may hit here is if the computer's boot order is set to boot off of the hard drive before it boots off of the CD, in which case you'd have to go into the BIOS and set it to look at the CD first.  This probably isn't a problem though.  If you have already booted off of he Windows install CD then it certainly isn't a problem.


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## Ron Overdrive (Oct 13, 2007)

ryoko said:
			
		

> net-cat said:
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> 
> 
> ...



How can you buy a computer and it not come with at least a Recovery DVD? This is why I hate cookie cutter pcs. It should be in the box your computer came in. If you accidentally threw it away you have no choice but to go out and spend a few hundred bucks for a copy of Vista or just install another OS.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

nope. checked the box. ripped it to shreds looking for anything, nothing there.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

I'm confused about how to do this knoppix cd. there isn't just ONE file that it gives me to download.... and.. D:    i'm beginning to feel a bit computer illiterate here. i'm a might confused. i've only ever burned data cds and music cds


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## Eevee (Oct 13, 2007)

Get the latest ISO in your language?


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## yak (Oct 13, 2007)

ryoko said:
			
		

> net-cat said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Did you even read in full the article net-cat posted before attempting to do it?
It clearly says there, on page 2:


> So restart once more, but this time with your Vista disc in the drive.


Ugh... Well then...

Since you say you don't have it, and can't get seem to get it (no money and all), i guess you will just have to install XP on your PC, and take care of Vista later, when you do obtain the setup disc.

Install XP on that one partition you created, *not on your Vista partition*. This way you will have a running OS and all the files on the Vista partition intact and accessible.
Do not worry, installing XP is nothing serious; much like installing a new piece of software, you're taken through series of steps in a wizard-like fashion.

Make sure you DO install it on the new partition you created. For that, double check partition sizes (to identify the one you created by it's size)  before selecting and using one of them.

After successful install, get/download all the drivers for your hardware and install them.

But a question first

1. Where is your personal data being kept? What partition and folder(s)?
2. Do you have a spare PC near you? Your own, your fiend's, relatives', any PC you can connect your hard drive into? This is _highly_ recommended, as it makes recovery a lot easier and your data 100% safe.


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## net-cat (Oct 13, 2007)

Okay. If you have a disc called "Windows Anytime Upgrade," that's actually a Vista install disc.

If not, then why did you start the directions? The page I linked to very clearly states that you have to have both an XP and a Vista install disc. (In the warnings section, just before step one.)

As for Knoppix, it should have you download a file that ends in ".iso" and is 600-700MB. Use a freeware program called BurnCDCC available from here to burn it to disc.

Now, if you don't have an Anytime Upgrade disc, you have several options. 

- You can torrent the Vista DVD and burn it to DVD.
- You can call up your manufacturer and have them send you a recovery disc. (Will probably cost $50 or so.)
- You can back up your data to another hard drive using Knoppix, then just format and install XP.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

yak said:
			
		

> ryoko said:
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Problem: The partition I created isn't in the list of partitions to install XP on.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

net-cat said:
			
		

> Okay. If you have a disc called "Windows Anytime Upgrade," that's actually a Vista install disc.
> 
> If not, then why did you start the directions? The page I linked to very clearly states that you have to have both an XP and a Vista install disc. (In the warnings section, just before step one.)
> 
> ...



1: The only dvd burner i have is on the currently inaccessable computer.
2: i cannot spend any money as i have none.
3: probably gonig to do that if i can figure the whole "download and burn" thing. everyone keeps saying "burn THE iso file" but theres like 20 files in the torrent for this knoppix thing...


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

net-cat said:
			
		

> Okay. If you have a disc called "Windows Anytime Upgrade," that's actually a Vista install disc.
> 
> If not, then why did you start the directions? The page I linked to very clearly states that you have to have both an XP and a Vista install disc. (In the warnings section, just before step one.)
> 
> ...



also, i'm an idiot and didn't see that there were further instructions.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

Eevee said:
			
		

> Get the latest ISO in your language?



You missed the point of what I was saying. There isn't just a single .iso file in the torrent. there are several, along with other file types, and everyone here just keeps saying "download and burn the iso file"


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## net-cat (Oct 13, 2007)

http://www.kernel.org/pub/dist/knoppix/KNOPPIX_V5.1.1CD-2007-01-04-EN.iso


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

Wow i'm sorry. it seems i broke my brain along with my computer. ....i'm feeling pretty stupid today.

...actually, i just realized its probably because i've been awake for two days.


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## eb7w5yfe (Oct 13, 2007)

ryoko said:
			
		

> Wow i'm sorry. it seems i broke my brain along with my computer. ....i'm feeling pretty stupid today.
> 
> ...actually, i just realized its probably because i've been awake for two days.


I can see why it would be a little confusing to be presented with the huge list of files.  I'm used to it, so I didn't even think of specifying which one you would want.  Let me break down what the different parts mean:
"KNOPPIX" - This is name of the software you're downloading.
"V5.1.1CD" - The version of the software.  You generally want the latest version.  It's really handy to have the version in the file name so that you don't confuse old versions with new ones.  A lot of open source software does this, and I don't know why I see it so rarely in commercial apps.
"2007-01-04" - The date that this version was released.  Generally you only see a version or a date, not both, but I guess Knoppix puts both in the filename.
"EN" - English language version.
".iso" - A CD Image.
".md5" ".sha1" - These are different types of checksums/hashes of the file with the same name.  If you want to verify the integrity of the CD image that you downloaded, you can run a program that will calculate the MD5 or SHA1 hash of your downloaded file, which you can compare to these files on the server to make sure that the file didn't get corrupted or otherwise modified in the process of being downloaded.  This is something that I rarely do, but it's nice to have the option.

You don't really have to know any of this to download the file and use it, but sometimes it's nice to know why things are the way they are.

One more thing I thought of: when you burn the image to CD, if you have the option you may want to consider burning it at a low speed.  I know that the CD-R drives are supposed to know the fastest speed that they can write at without corrupting the data, but I've had problems in the past with bootable CDs getting corrupted while writing.  If this happens, it will either not boot, or may have weird errors after starting.  This really shouldn't be a problem, especially if you have a good CD writer and good discs, but it has happened to me not infrequently.


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## Rostam The Grey (Oct 13, 2007)

Ron Overdrive said:
			
		

> How can you buy a computer and it not come with at least a Recovery DVD? This is why I hate cookie cutter pcs. It should be in the box your computer came in. If you accidentally threw it away you have no choice but to go out and spend a few hundred bucks for a copy of Vista or just install another OS.



Newer computers by certain manufacturers don't include them. But when you boot your PC it tells you you need to burn one. You can click through and ignore it and it comes back.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

Rostam The Grey said:
			
		

> Ron Overdrive said:
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> 
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I'd gotten so into the habit of ignoring any windows that microsoft popped up at me that i didn't see it.


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## Rostam The Grey (Oct 13, 2007)

Really, your best solution is to step back and let someone who knows what they are doing do it. Whether that means a knowledgable friend, or a computer store, from what you've said so far, I don't think you should attempt to restore your computer if you are that worried about loosing the stuff on it. It's fairly easy to screw up your system if you are attempting to do something with it and you really don't know what you are doing.


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## yak (Oct 13, 2007)

ryoko,



			
				yak said:
			
		

> But a question first
> 
> 1. Where is your personal data being kept? What partition and folder(s)?
> 2. Do you have a spare PC near you? Your own, your fiend's, relatives', any PC you can connect your hard drive into? This is highly recommended, as it makes recovery a lot easier and your data 100% safe.




Also,


			
				ryoko said:
			
		

> Problem: The partition I created isn't in the list of partitions to install XP on.


That is probably because the stupid thing created something called a dynamic disk, which is a software implementation of partitioning. 

What partitions _do_ you see available to install XP on? Names, filesystems and sizes?


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

yak said:
			
		

> ryoko,
> 
> 
> 
> ...




c:/, in the what used to be named my documents folder and in the base c:/ drive under art, mp3, html, and some others.

only partition i see in the install is c: file size was.... hell i dont know. first two numbers were 19. and it had...alot of numbers.


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## ryoko (Oct 13, 2007)

how can i get to my harddrive using it? i'm running it right now but i have no idea how to use it


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## yak (Oct 14, 2007)

I apologize, last night i fell asleep at the keyboard.

Any positive update on your current situation?  If not, you should IM me to get things resolved much faster, my contacts are listed on my FA page.


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