A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, 7e
Chapter 16
Fixing Windows Problems
Objectives
• Learn what to do when a hardware device,
application, or Windows component gives a problem
• Learn what to do when Windows Vista won’t boot or boots with errors
• Learn strategies that you can use to solve problems with Windows 2000/XP startup
Fixing Problems Caused By Hardware
• Steps to determine device causing a problem
– Research an error messages
– Use the Vista Problem Reports and Solutions window or the XP Error Reporting window
– Check logs in Event Viewer
– Check the Reliability and Performance Monitor – Consider recent changes
Fixing Problems Caused By Hardware (cont’d.)
• Steps to discover the problem source
– Check simple things first
– Ensure Device Manager recognizes device with no errors or warnings
– Verify BIOS setup recognizes device with no errors
Fixing Problems Caused By Hardware (cont’d.)
• Solving a problem with a device driver or service
– Update device drivers – Update Windows
– Try moving device to a different port or connector – Try reinstalling device
– Try moving device to a different computer – Use System Restore
Fixing Problems Caused By Hardware (cont’d.)
• Solving a problem with a device driver or service (cont’d.)
– Check manufacturer’s documentation – Search the Internet for help
– Boot into Safe Mode
– Use System File Checker
– Consider application using the device – Replace device
Fixing Problems Caused By Applications
• Steps to find the problem source and fix it
– Interview user and back up data
– Ask user to reproduce problem while you watch
– Use Task Manager to end a process not responding – Try a reboot
– Suspect a virus causing a problem – Allow Windows to provide a solution
Fixing Problems Caused By Applications (cont’d.)
• Steps to find the problem source and fix it (cont’d.)
– Windows update might solve the problem
– Download updates or patches for the application – Use the application setup to repair the installation – Consider data corruption
– Try restoring default settings
– Uninstall and reinstall application – Use System Restore
Fixing Problems Caused By Applications (cont’d.)
• Steps to take if application never worked
– Run application as administrator – Install application as administrator
– Consider whether an older application having compatibility problems with Vista
• Windows Vista Compatibility Center
• Try running application in compatibility mode
– Verify application digitally signed
Fixing Problems Caused By Applications (cont’d.)
• Considerations to determine if problem is caused by other applications, services, Windows, or hardware
– Another application might be interfering – Use the Services console
– Might be low on system resources – Verify Windows system files
– Problem might be bad memory
– Use Event Viewer to look for clues
Fixing Problems Caused By Applications (cont’d.)
• Considerations to determine if problem is caused by other applications, services, Windows, or hardware (cont’d.)
– Use the Reliability Monitor to look for clues
– Use the Chkdsk command to check hard drive – Run application in Safe Mode with Networking
Troubleshooting Vista Startup
• Three startup stages of the boot
– Stage 1: Before the progress bar
– Stage 2: After the progress bar and before logon – Stage 3: After logon
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears
• Check with user
– Verify important data location – Verify data backed up
• Attempt to copy data to safe location if possible
• Progress bar not showing
– Portions of Vista kernel, critical drivers, and services not yet started
• Indicates problem with hardware or startup files
• Failing hardware may include: power supply,
motherboard, CPU, memory, hard drive, video, or keyboard
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Is the screen blank?
– Absolutely nothing on the screen
• Verify system power, monitor is plugged in and on
– Suspect no power to system
• Verify system not in standby mode or hibernation
– Monitor totally without lights
• Check monitor power
– Monitor LED light lit
• Reboot, check monitor power, and that it is on
– Trade monitor for a good one
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Does the computer appear to have power?
– Can’t hear spinning drive or see lights on case front
• Suspect electrical system
• Check power connections and switches
• May have bad power supply
• Loose connections inside case
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Does an error message appear before Vista starts?
– BIOS displays error message on-screen if problems
• Uses beeps if video not working
– On-screen messages for nonessential hardware
• Try to bypass error by pressing a key and moving forward in the boot
– On-screen messages for essential hardware
• Focus attention on the error message, beep code, and voice message describing problem
Figure 16-10 This error message at POST indicates a hardware problem Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can startup BIOS access the hard drive?
– Possible messages
• Hard drive not found
• Fixed disk error
• Disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter
• No boot device available – Check for physical problem
• Drive, data cable, power, motherboard – Verify BIOS detected drive correctly
• Turn on autodetection and reboot
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can startup BIOS access the hard drive? (cont’d.)
– BIOS found hard drive, but could not read drive or find what it needed
• Invalid boot disk
• Inaccessible boot device
• Invalid drive specification
• Invalid partition table
• No operating system found, missing operating system, or error loading operating system
• Could not find bootmgr or bootmgr missing – Boot from Windows Vista setup DVD
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Use BIOS setup to set the boot sequence
– Access BIOS setup utility
– Find screen to change boot sequence
– Make sure DVD drive listed before hard drive
• Force system to boot from Windows Vista setup DVD
– Save settings and exit BIOS setup
Figure 16-11 Verify that the boot sequence looks to the DVD drive before it checks the hard drive for an operating system
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can you boot from the Vista setup DVD?
– If not then study error messages, and solve immediate hardware problem
• Hard drive and optical drive might have failed
• Try floppy drive with DOS or Windows 9x floppy disk
• Successful boot from floppy indicates problem with both the hard drive and DVD drive
– If able to boot from Vista DVD
• Windows logon screen appears
• Problem isolated to the hard drive
Figure 16-12 Select your language preference Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can Windows RE find the Vista installation?
– Launch Windows RE
• Windows RE attempts to locate Vista installation on the hard drive
– If Windows RE cannot locate the installation, but BIOS setup recognizes the drive
• Drive partitions and file systems might be corrupted – If Windows RE does locate the installation
• Problem likely limited to corrupted or missing system files or drivers
– Attempt fixes: restart system after each step
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can Windows RE find the Vista installation? (cont’d.) – Run Startup Repair
• Sometimes fixes drastic problems with system files, boot records
– Run System Restore
• Process won’t help if file system corrupted
– Restart system and launch Advanced Boot Options menu
• No boot menu: problem may be corrupted boot sector
• Boot menu appears: probable BCD file or other startup file problem
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can Windows RE find the Vista installation?
(cont’d.)
– Restart system, launch Advanced Boot Options menu (cont’d.)
• If boot menu appears: enable boot logging and reboot
• Check boot log (\Windows\ntbtlog.txt) for the last entry
• Might indicate which system file missing or corrupt
– If boot menu does not appear:
• Return to Windows RE, launch command prompt window, and attempt to repair boot sector
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can Windows RE find the Vista installation?
(cont’d.)
– If boot menu does appear:
• Return to Windows RE, launch command prompt window, and attempt to repair the BCD file
– Try to repair corrupted file system
• Use command prompt window and chkdsk c: /r command
– When startup files missing or corrupt
• Vista may display an error message
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Can Windows RE find the Vista installation?
(cont’d.)
– Use command prompt window to access drive C
• Get to C prompt: use DIR command to list folders and files
• Good list: check log file for clues
• Not a good list: most likely Vista installation destroyed beyond repair
• Make every effort to copy data to another media
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Options to recover from a corrupted Vista installation – Option 1: Complete PC backup available
• Restore system to last backup
– Option 2: Complete PC backup not available and data backups available on hard drive
• Install Windows Vista, format hard drive during installation, install all applications again, restore data
– Option 3: Complete PC backup and data backup not available
• Try to copy data to removable device and reinstall Windows Vista
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Steps to reinstall Windows Vista when OS refuses to boot and important data on the drive
– Boot from Vista DVD, select language, select Install now from opening menu
• Follow directions on-screen to install the OS
– Enter product key and accept license agreement
• Select Custom (advanced) installation
– When asked where to install the OS select partition on which Vista installed
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Steps to reinstall Windows Vista (cont’d.)
– Vista setup moves old installation folders into \Windows.Old folder
– Clean Vista installation goes in the \Windows folder – Suspect hard drive failing
• Copy all data and reinstall Vista again – Healthy hard drive
• Run Chkdsk to fix errors
• Install all applications and device drivers
• Create all user accounts and customize Vista settings
• Delete the \Windows.Old folder
Problems at Stage 1: Before the Progress Bar Appears (cont’d.)
• Reinstall Vista on a laptop or brand-name computer
– Use hidden partition on hard drive to recover the Windows installation
• During startup, press appropriate key for access
– Menu should appear with two options:
• One option repairs the Windows installation, saving user data
• Other options reformats drive C and restores system to purchased setup
– If neither method works use recovery CD or DVD
Problems at Stage 2: After the Progress Bar Appears and Before Logon
• Microsoft progress bar appears during the boot
– Windows kernel loaded successfully
– Critical drivers and services configured to be started by the kernel running
– Session Manager (Smss.exe) running in user mode started the Win32 subsystem
– If logon screen not displayed:
• Probable corrupted driver or service started after kernel finished its part of the boot
• Fix by isolating and disabling Windows component,
Problems at Stage 2: After the Progress Bar Appears and Before Logon
• Back up data before focusing on the problem
• Follow these steps:
– Launch Windows RE from Vista setup DVD
• Run Startup Repair from Recovery Environment menu
– Reboot, launch the Advanced Boot Options menu
• Select the Last Known Good Configuration
– In Windows RE, run System Restore
Problems at Stage 2: After the Progress Bar Appears and Before Logon
• Steps (cont’d.)
– Try booting into Safe Mode
• Immediately run antivirus software
• Run Chkdsk c: /r
• Examine all logs in Event Viewer
• Use Software Explorer, MSconfig to stop applications just installed, then uninstall and reinstall
• Use Device Manager to check for hardware errors
• Use the System File Checker (SFC) tool
• Rename the \Windows\Ntbtlog.txt file
Problems at Stage 2: After the Progress Bar Appears and Before Logon
• Steps (cont’d.)
– Boot to the Advanced Boot Options menu and select Enable Boot Logging
– Compare the Ntbtlog.txt file to the one created in Safe Mode
– Easiest way to view the logs is to boot into Safe Mode and view the files with Notepad
– Problem service or device identified
• Boot into Safe Mode and use Device Manager to disable
• Use Services console to disable
Problems at Stage 2: After the Progress Bar Appears and Before Logon
• Steps (cont’d.)
– Cannot boot into Safe Mode
• Open Recovery Environment command prompt window
• Back up registry, find key that loads services and drivers
– Disable service or driver by changing Start value to 0x4
• Reboot, replace program file, and restart service or driver
Problems at Stage 3: After Windows Logon
• Problems caused by applications or services configured to launch at startup
– Shortcuts in startup folders, Scheduled Tasks, or software installation processes affecting registry entries
– Error message at startup
• Disable program using MSconfig
How to Recover Lost Data
• Use Windows tools, third party software, or commercial data recovery services
• Recovering a deleted or corrupted data file
– Look in the Recycle Bin
– Use the Recover command
– Use application manufacturer’s web site – Find third party software
How to Recover Lost Data (cont’d.)
• Recover data from a computer that will not boot
– Remove hard drive and install as a second nonbooting hard drive in another system
– Use IDE to USB or a SATA to USB converter kit
• Temporarily connect hard drive to a USB port on a working computer
• Browse drive and copy data using Windows Explorer
• Use a data recovery service
– Google “data recovery”
– Read up on reviews, understand warranty and guarantees, and get a recommendation
Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup
• Steps:
– Talk to the user
• Recent changes, conditions right before error, new hardware or software, data backup location
– Important data not backed up
• Make every effort to copy data to another media before working on the Windows problem
– Determine point in the boot where system fails
– For problems related to hardware check simple things first
Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup (cont’d.)
• Steps (cont’d.)
– Error message displayed on-screen
• Start by addressing it
– Problem software related and cannot boot to desktop
• Boot to the Advanced Options menu
• Select the Last Known Good Configuration
– Can boot load Windows desktop
• If system giving many errors or is extremely slow, suspect a virus and run antivirus software
Table 16-2 Error messages during Windows 2000/XP startup and what to do
Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup (cont’d.)
• Steps (cont’d.)
– System recently changed
• Assume installation is guilty until proven innocent
– New application or utility program installed
• Go to Control Panel Add or Remove Programs applet
• Uninstall software and reboot
– System will not start normally
• Boot into Safe Mode and XP recognizes System Restore used
• Launch System Restore Wizard
Figure 16-21 Windows XP gives you the opportunity to launch System Restore before it loads Safe Mode
Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup (cont’d.)
• Steps (cont’d.)
– After boot into Safe Mode
• Use SFC, Chkdsk, and Defrag commands
– Cannot boot into Safe Mode
• Try Safe Mode with Command Prompt
• Use SFC, Chkdsk, and Defrag commands
– Cannot boot from hard drive
• Create and use a Windows 2000/XP boot disk
Troubleshooting Windows 2000/XP Startup (cont’d.)
• Steps (cont’d.)
– Cannot boot from Windows 2000/XP boot disk
• Load Recovery Console
• Try to restore system files
– Problem still not solved
• Assume Windows installation corrupted
• Need to restore Windows installation
• Try various tools to restore
Summary
• Solve Windows problems by using strategies and techniques
– Diagnosing a Windows problem
• Problems involve hardware, applications, and Windows
• Problems occur after the boot with hardware or software
• Problems occur during the boot
– Determining the best tool for each situation – Solving Windows Vista boot problems
• Different from solving Windows XP/2000 boot issues
