Help?

[ClipperMD]

Hey all.

I'm probably an idiot for doing this but meh.
And this has probably been asked before.

I created a ubuntu live disc, and tested it on my parents laptop, it worked fine so i exited properly (waited for it to eject the disc for me etc).


Since then my dad tried starting it up and it goes as far as the windows vista loading bar and then blue screens.

I have most of the data i need to save, except for some emails. I cant find them anywhere, iv tried all the default locations but there seems to be no "outlook" folder. (Im using the ubuntu live disc to search through the HDD btw, as windows will not boot)

Can anyone tell me whats gone wrong and if theres a way to save windows? everything on the hard drive seems to be there but it just wont boot. Thank you in advance.

Laptop uses vista ultimate 32 bit.
PS: helping find the emails would be great but my primary goal is to save windows completely. Thanks again in advance to anyone who offers help.

[trozamon]

If you have the Vista disc, you should be able to boot from it and repair windows. The LiveCD shouldn't have done anything, though.

[collisionystm]

Hey all.

I'm probably an idiot for doing this but meh.
And this has probably been asked before.

I created a ubuntu live disc, and tested it on my parents laptop, it worked fine so i exited properly (waited for it to eject the disc for me etc).


Since then my dad tried starting it up and it goes as far as the windows vista loading bar and then blue screens.

I have most of the data i need to save, except for some emails. I cant find them anywhere, iv tried all the default locations but there seems to be no "outlook" folder. (Im using the ubuntu live disc to search through the HDD btw, as windows will not boot)

Can anyone tell me whats gone wrong and if theres a way to save windows? everything on the hard drive seems to be there but it just wont boot. Thank you in advance.

Laptop uses vista ultimate 32 bit.
PS: helping find the emails would be great but my primary goal is to save windows completely. Thanks again in advance to anyone who offers help.


Sounds coincidental.

Like the other guy said, Just do a repair install with your Vista disc.

Can you Press F8 and get to safe mode?

After you see the bios, quickly press F8 over and over until you get the menu. Choose Safe mode. If you get in, log into windows, open command, run


chkdsk /f

[ClipperMD]

Well thats the problem. Its got a recovery drive that i dont know how to access. Never really used anything with a recovery drive.

I have a vista disc for my other PC but its home premium 64-bit, the one on the laptop was ultimate, 32-bit. Do they share similar files in that i could use my home premium 64 disc to repair it? or would that not work?

the only repair option on the laptop would reset the C drive to factory settings, which would lose the Emails im hoping not to lose (though iv repeatedly told them to back up or use hotmail so their stored on the net instead).

So im guessing my only options are to wipe the laptop and lose the emails (iv tried using the live disc to search for the emails, but i cant find them in any of the default locations and searched for the .dbx extention and still no luck)

or to try to use vista home premium 64 to repair an ultimate 32-bit OS.....



Thanks for the help anyway. one more quick yes or no question though, could i just download vista ultimate 32 bit, put it on a disc, and use that to repair the laptop? i mean i dont see why not.


thanks for the help guys :).



Oh btw to the other commenter: i cant get into safe mode. anything that involves starting up windows in normal, safe, recovery, etc, same result. Vista loading bar and then bluescreen and restart.

[trozamon]

Thanks for the help anyway. one more quick yes or no question though, could i just download vista ultimate 32 bit, put it on a disc, and use that to repair the laptop? i mean i dont see why not.

Unless you can find a free edition on Microsoft's website or a certified vendor, it's piracy. Do you know anyone - friends, neighbors, cousins? - that has a 32-bit Vista disk to use?
You can use any disk; it doesn't need to be ultimate, just 32-bit Vista.