My Desktop Vista DIED! Help!

[MasterPhW]

Whoa... what a last holiday day!

As some of you know, I am studying 500km away from home, that's the reason my desktop rig isn't updated for a long time. But I installed Vista some month ago, because of the MSDNAA deal of our university and some Vista related coding and testing.

I didn't had any problem the last few month, my parents used it most of the time for internet surfing and playing games. Auto update was activated and secured with spyware blocker and such stuff. So nothing big at all.

But yesterday it happened: I shutdown my PC to restart it and it didn't started! The loading screen appears but after that it's all black.

I tried "last known config" and all the other options, even safe mode didn't helped.

Last thing I see is "Loading:\windows\system32\drivers\crcdisk" than it stops responding. I've searched on Google and saw, that a lot other guys had the same problem, but there doesn't seems to be a fix...

Probably some of you guys knows a fix.

I've read, that I have to rename or delete C:\windows\system32\drivers\pcmcia.sys and C:\windows\system32\driverstore\filerepository\pcm cia.inf_539d553e, but I wonder how to do... I can't come into my system folder at all and even in Linux (knoppix distro) I coulnd't rename these files. "You are not allowed to..." was the message!

I read about Windows PE 2.0, but I didn't found it yet, it would probably a solution, but probably not.

I'm really pissed, because already back at university and my desktop rig is at home and isn't working. I'll try to fix it at the weekend, but I need some advices... here are a lot guys with a great CPU knowledge, but I don't know about Vista. We'll see...

And please, I don't need to get answers like: Vista SUX use XP instead or Linux is better, ebcause like I already stated I need it for coding and testing.

Very long text and short story: help me!

[Inky]

have you tried formating and reinstalling vista?

I would just install XP. then run vista in a virtual machine for what you need it for.

[Kloplop321]

oo, that is not good, vista sucks get XP

 

okay, well in linux the reason why "you are not allowed to" is because you do not have a 3rd party NTFS plugin installed on the live CD, try finding one that does, possibly get a friend to make it for you.

 

there are some "live" windows disks (not for installing but just for use) that may help somehow, but they're only XP, but they should be able to help I think... I'm not really sure.

[MasterPhW]

Formatting and Reinstalling is the last way... I want to fix it, to don't have to install and update all the stuff... and no, I don't want to install XP and use a Virtual Machine instead.

oo, that is not good, vista sucks get XP

 

okay, well in linux the reason why "you are not allowed to" is because you do not have a 3rd party NTFS plugin installed on the live CD, try finding one that does, possibly get a friend to make it for you.

 

there are some "live" windows disks (not for installing but just for use) that may help somehow, but they're only XP, but they should be able to help I think... I'm not really sure.

Mmh... okay, I'll try to create a live USB stick edition of a Linux Distro with a NTFS plugin... wasn't in linux for a long time. My old distros couldn't read the NTFS format IIRC.

And yeah, these Windows Live version, is this Windows PE 2.0 and it's for Vista, that's why I asked, whether anyone knows, where to get it or how to get it. ANd no, I don't need torrents or such stuff, want to get it L-E-G-A-L, if its possible.

Edited January 7, 2008 by MasterPhW