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67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

1 edit

67845017 (banned)

Member

Computer won't boot in normal mode, only in safe mode

I have a Windows 7 machine that was working fine all day today and then when I was installing a program through Sandboxie, the machine locked up. After that, restarting it causes a BSOD. But, it boots up fine in Safe Mode with Networking.

Any suggestions on first steps to diagnosing/fixing? My guess is that some driver got corrupted. But, I don't know if it makes sense to go through all the system drivers and update/replace them or if there's a faster way to get a handle on it. Obviously the base drivers seem to be okay, since Im presently using the machine.

Any help is appreciated.

Freddy
Premium Member
join:2005-05-17
Arlington, VA

Freddy

Premium Member

Try a restore point.

Freddy
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

I started the process to do that, but it won't let me.

When I go to do a restore (from safe mode), Windows tells me that I have to turn restore on, but that it's already on for the Windows drive by default. That would be great, but I can't get to a screen where I can initiate a restore.

Freddy
Premium Member
join:2005-05-17
Arlington, VA

1 edit

Freddy

Premium Member

From what you say, it seems as though your system restore has not been turned-on, or maybe it's been turned-off somewhere along the line.

To view your restore settings, right click Computer and select Properties. In the window that opens, click on System Protection. In that window, you can see whether you have system restore or not.

If not, it's too late now to turn it on now. To be effective, you need restore points prior to the time of the problem.

Here is something else to try, run System File Checker:

Open an elevated command prompt. Start > All Programs > Accessories. Right click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator. In the window type:

SFC /scannow (press Enter)

This process may take awhile. The idea is to have Windows fix any system file problems. Have your Windows system disk handy in case SFC asks for it.

Freddy
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Thanks, I'll have to try that tonight then.

Freddy
Premium Member
join:2005-05-17
Arlington, VA

1 edit

Freddy

Premium Member

OK. Post back on the results. If more assistance is needed, there are other troubleshooting steps available, such as:

1. Uninstalling whatever problem program you installed (in Control Panel > Uninstall a program, if it shows there).

2. Noting the error message that appears in the BSOD. To read that message, you have to stop the computer from restarting after the BSOD. To stop that, right click Computer > Properties > Advanced system settings > Advanced (tab).

At the bottom of that tab (under Startup and recovery) click on the Settings button. Uncheck Automatically restart." Now reboot normally. The computer should now halt on the BSOD. Write down the error message, in case it provides a clue as to the problem.

3. Run check disk: Double left click Computer > right click C drive > Properties > Tools (tab). Under Error-checking, click on Check now and reboot. When you reboot (in Safe Mode or regular mode), the computer will run check disk looking for disk errors to correct.

If disk errors are the problem and they were corrected, then you should be able to boot normally.

If none of these steps does anything, then post back. In the end, you can always reinstall Windows. What kind of system disk do you have?

That is, do you have a Microsoft system DVD or a system restore partition on your hard drive?

Others can chime in with ideas. I have no corner on the market in ideas.

Freddy
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

2 edits

67845017 (banned) to Freddy

Member

to Freddy
said by Freddy:

From what you say, it seems as though your system restore has not been turned-on, or maybe it's been turned-off somewhere along the line.

To view your restore settings, right click Computer and select Properties. In the window that opens, click on System Protection. In that window, you can see whether you have system restore or not.

If not, it's too late now to turn it on now. To be effective, you need restore points prior to the time of the problem.

Here is something else to try, run System File Checker:

Open an elevated command prompt. Start > All Programs > Accessories. Right click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator. In the window type:

SFC /scannow (press Enter)

This process may take awhile. The idea is to have Windows fix any system file problems. Have your Windows system disk handy in case SFC asks for it.

Freddy
That fixed it!! After I ran the utility, it came back and said it had repaired some corrupt files, I rebooted and it went perfectly into my normal Windows mode.

Thanks very much. I really appreciate it.

Freddy
Premium Member
join:2005-05-17
Arlington, VA

Freddy

Premium Member

Goober,

Fantastic, you fixed it! Good to hear.

Your situation speaks to the need for doing regular backups. Windows 7 has a built-in backup feature. To get started with backup, launch Control Panel, click on System and Security, then click Backup and Restore.

You need an external hard drive and enclosure for backup storage. When you have a problem you can't recover from, just install the backup to get up and running.

Freddy
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Thanks. I actually already back up my main documents and pictures on a regular basis. That's why I wasn't panicked about the corrupt Windows. But, it's a pain to reinstall everything, so a backup probably makes sense.

I have a 1Tb external drive already hooked up on which I used to store my backups (I save that stuff on online storage now), so that drive would be perfect for using as backup storage for the PC.

Again, thanks a lot.

Freddy
Premium Member
join:2005-05-17
Arlington, VA

1 edit

Freddy

Premium Member

Goober,

To learn more about Win7 backup and restore, refer to Windows Help and Support feature (under Start button). After launching Help and Support, search on "backup and restore" (no quotes). Lots of information there.

I've used Win7's backup and restore feature several times to restore a borked system. It has worked every time for me. You never miss that feature until you need it. It's like not missing water until the well goes dry. Good luck.

Freddy
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