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Laptop Problem - Registry is Corrupt
Abomination
Posts: 6,483 Forum Member
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Hi everyone, I'm not particularly clued up on the inner-workings of computers so was hoping someone here would be able to help.
I have a Windows 7 laptop and yesterday it began running very slowly after an update to Windows. My Internet browser kept crashing and the whole thing was running incredibly slow. I restarted it but ended up stuck on the 'Starting Windows' screen for a while. I then had a brief flash of a blue screen and then the laptop restarted itself and gave me the options to start again normally or go through start up repair.
Starting normally failed and repeated the process I described above, so I ran Startup Repair. After several attempts it said that it couldn't repair the problem automatically, and that the problem was that the registry was corrupt.
Now being the noob I am, I don't have much of a clue about what this means. Try as I might to research it's a bit clunky over a Smartphone. I tried booting up in Safe Mode to no avail, I tried restoring to an earlier point in time but it said no earlier points were available or some such. I saw a recommendation to put in a Windows CD or DVD but I don't have one - would that be because my laptop came preinstalled with W7 at purchase?
From what I've read this does seem like a fixable problem, and I certainly hope so (I have a feeling its something to do with that Windows update I did just before this happened). There is stuff on that hard drive that is very precious to me that I haven't yet had the chance to back up.
I would be ever so grateful to anyone who can offer me anything. A solution, or a ballpark cost of fixture at a repair shop or even just the knowledge that I'll be able to salvage my old documents and photos. Thanks to anyone who can help.
I have a Windows 7 laptop and yesterday it began running very slowly after an update to Windows. My Internet browser kept crashing and the whole thing was running incredibly slow. I restarted it but ended up stuck on the 'Starting Windows' screen for a while. I then had a brief flash of a blue screen and then the laptop restarted itself and gave me the options to start again normally or go through start up repair.
Starting normally failed and repeated the process I described above, so I ran Startup Repair. After several attempts it said that it couldn't repair the problem automatically, and that the problem was that the registry was corrupt.
Now being the noob I am, I don't have much of a clue about what this means. Try as I might to research it's a bit clunky over a Smartphone. I tried booting up in Safe Mode to no avail, I tried restoring to an earlier point in time but it said no earlier points were available or some such. I saw a recommendation to put in a Windows CD or DVD but I don't have one - would that be because my laptop came preinstalled with W7 at purchase?
From what I've read this does seem like a fixable problem, and I certainly hope so (I have a feeling its something to do with that Windows update I did just before this happened). There is stuff on that hard drive that is very precious to me that I haven't yet had the chance to back up.
I would be ever so grateful to anyone who can offer me anything. A solution, or a ballpark cost of fixture at a repair shop or even just the knowledge that I'll be able to salvage my old documents and photos. Thanks to anyone who can help.
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The menu should include a "Last known good configuration" option. Give that a try first and see if it works.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/using-last-known-good-configuration#1TC=windows-7
If you have no luck with 'last known good configuration' you should maybe invest in a hard drive caddy or IDE/Sata adapter .... remove the hard drive, connect it up to a working computer and retrieve the precious stuff. This should work if the drive is still ok. You could also access the files by booting up from a Linux CD or flash drive.
I had no luck with loading up the last known good configuration - it simply did the same process again of getting stuck on the 'starting windows' screen.
Is a Sata adapter easy to use? I could always borrow my sisters laptop if I invested in one. Or would you recommend consulting a repair shop? I'm just worried theyll even charge me just to have a look.
Since it is necessary to mess around, it's safest to take out the drive and put it in a USB caddy and connect to a working computer and backup your important files.
eg 2.5" SATA USB Caddy
Googling corrupt registry windows 7, has answers suggesting the steps you have taken or an In-place Upgrade (Repair Install). HOWEVER, you can only run a Repair Install from a working computer! So that's out, and other posters suggest a Clean Install. Try the following first though.
Windows 7 keeps backups of the Registry in C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack and it's worth copying the backup manually.
You could do this with the drive in a caddy and another computer, or boot your broken laptop from a W7 Installation DVD and do it from the Command Line.
It's worth burning a W7 DVD anyway for emergencies. Download the free, legal iso file and burn to a blank DVD on a working computer. Imgburn is a quick burning tool for this.
Once installed, just double click an iso file to burn it to DVD.
The backup files you need to copy and the method are described here.
I think you need to rename and copy 6 files and it only describes doing the first.
Type cd .. to move back from RegBack up to system32\config and repeat the procedure.
Or if the drive is in a caddy on another computer, just rename and copy and paste in Windows as you would normally do with files.
That's it. You have copied a backup of the registry files. See if it boots now. No guarantees but worth a try.
If not, then you could try run a chkdsk to fix any bad sectors, and see if that was clobbering the registry.
(Use GUI method if in caddy, Command Line chkdsk /f /r C: if running from W7 DVD.)
Last Resort:
I can only suggest a Factory Recovery (see if you have an option on boot for this) or a clean W7 install from your new W7 DVD. All your software will have to be re-installed too.
You MUST back-up your files on your sister's laptop or wherever.
Both options will wipe your drive.
Very Last resort: Repair Shop
Is a USB caddy straightforward enough to use? Am I right in thinking I can remove the hard drive, put it in the caddy and access my files from a working laptop as if I had plugged in a memory stick or something? Essentially just a cut/copy and paste job?
Sorry to be so slow at all of this
There are a couple of things that can cause stress, but they are easily overcome.
1) A few HDDs want more power than a single USB socket can supply.
So a double adaptor cable is supplied with some caddies so that you use the power from two USB ports.
The reviews on the amazon link I supplied before suggest it comes with this extra cable.
2) Sometimes Windows complains that the drive is from another computer and you don't have permission to write or maybe read it.
So it's necessary to adjust the drive properties to give full read/write security permissions.
If this happens (it may not if you are just copying files off) just post back and ask advice on how to set permissions, with whatever error message you are getting.
An error may guide you with Continue... or Try again or just Access Denied.
Just ask if it does this and you can't solve it.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?pws=0&gl=uk&q=usb+caddy+write+permission
.
Or use a live Linux DVD/CD/USB and the hell with permissions.
I successfully put the hard drive into the caddy and it was recognised by my sisters laptop, and all seemed to be working fine. After some time attempting to load it came up with a message reading 'Drive:H could not be opened. Parameter is not correct'.
I was wondering if anyone knew what I could/should do next. Thanks in advance.