Interminable Startup Repair process - how long should I wait??

[FeuerFrei]

Instead of booting up Windows 7, my pc saw fit to run Startup Repair utility (tool that comes with Windows) ... ostensibly to fix problems keeping my pc from booting. Not sure what prompted this - never had a problem before. My last actions before this, were copying many gigabytes of files to a USB flash drive for backup purposes, then shutting off the computer.

Windows 7 is installed to a classic mechanical hard drive that survived a power surge 10 weeks ago (lightning), and it's been running normally for six weeks.

How long should the Startup Repair task take to finish on a 500 GB drive? I let it run for 21 HOURS, before shutting off the system forcefully. It never completed. It seems to hang on "Attempting to repair ...". BUT it could be just slow, I've no way of knowing. The hard-drive-activity indicator light stays almost perpetually on.

Hope I haven't damaged anything by aborting the process multiple times. BUT I can't START WINDOWS NORMALLY, even if I select that option at the outset. Frustrating. Whether I choose option 1) "Run scan (recommended), or option 2) "Start Windows normally" ... the pc just fires up the Startup Repair scan no matter what I choose.
IT ALSO, disables the mouse and keyboard during the scan so I can't hit the "CANCEL" button or anything.

So now I'm stuck waiting indefinitely for the scan to end. Don't want to wear out the hard drive. Been 19 hours so far ... I've not noticed any reboots during the repair process ... though I don't monitor it 24/7.

 

[RLGL]

Remove all the drives , install a different formatted drive and attempt to install an OS. If the install is successful the board etc is ok and you have a faulty drive. If not the PC needs to be replaced. Or put the drive in another pc and see what happens.....

 

[C1]

Look at this:
https://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-repair-windows-7-system-installation-disc.htm

Typically I go first to the command prompt, select the OS drive (normally C: then do a "chkdisk /F". The chkdsk will inspect the partition for issues. What I do next depends on the chkdsk report/findings.

The most likely scenarios for you are to:
1. Simply run the "Startup Repair" if the chkdsk report is clear.
2. Run "chkdsk /R" if the chkdsk reports partition errors, then run the "Startup Repair".

Note that the startup repair should preserve your data files and OS settings, but you could lose some data during the partition repair process when running "chkdsk /R". That may be irrelevant since if the partition is damaged in a data area, then the data files are already compromised.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Guess I didn't mention this pc was built from all new parts ... the hard drive being problematic here is the ONLY component left over from the build that got lighting struck. Yeah I had to reactivate Windows, and install a ton of drivers for the new hardware, but everything's been running fine for six weeks.

It's just ... I did this drive-intensive backup just prior to the advent of the bootup problem. So I'm worried about the drive, but hopeful I can get out of this Repair scan, and run Windows again.

I DO have an optical drive and my original Windows 7 install DVD.
Also have a brand-new virgin NVMe Samsung EVO that I never could get Windows 7 to use, DESPITE the fact that the Evo shows up in Device Manager as a drive (just not visible in Windows Explorer).
Maybe I could install Windows 7 to the EVO ... but I have doubts.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Look at this:
https://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-repair-windows-7-system-installation-disc.htm

Typically I go first to the command prompt, select the OS drive (normally C: then do a "chkdisk /F". The chkdsk will inspect the partition for issues. What I do next depends on the chkdsk report/findings.

The most likely scenarios for you are to:
1. Simply run the "Startup Repair" if the chkdsk report is clear.
2. Run "chkdsk /R" if the chkdsk reports partition errors, then run the "Startup Repair".

Note that the startup repair should preserve your data files and OS settings, but you could lose some data during the partition repair process when running "chkdsk /R". That may be irrelevant since if the partition is damaged in a data area, then the data files are already compromised.

chkdsk is my next step. If the System Repair is a fail. Thanks for the caution.

Here's hoping it''s readable and I can still get data off it. Have a lifetime of photos. Windows itself can be replaced.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I suppose I'll have to hook up a PS2 keyboard or mouse.

 

[deustroop]

There is an easy way to sort out this problem and the hard way. You are looking at the hard way. So consider this.

Forget repairing the error, I suggest the error is with the HDD. Just byte the bullet and obtain a new drive, remove the current drive , install windows ( 7 ??? ) on the new drive, attach the old drive and transfer whatever to the new drive. You could, out of an abundance of intellectual energy fool with the old drive but I rather suspect you now have a new door stop.
The usefulness of the M.2 drive is a separate issue. Perhaps start a separate thread for that. .

 

[RLGL]

Forget repairing the error, I suggest the error is with the HDD. Just byte the bullet and obtain a new drive, remove the current drive , install windows ( 7 ???

Thanks for the vote, your comment is pretty much what I said in post 2

 

[C1]

"Testdisk" is a free recover tool that Ive used to not only back data files off a damaged HDD, but it also has partition repair and recovery capability.

It's a bit cryptic, but nevertheless doable.

How to Recover Data and Partitions for Free with TestDisk
https://www.maketecheasier.com/recover-data-and-partitions-for-free-with-testdisk/

https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk


Good Luck

PS: Ive had good luck with spinners. Ive lost only a couple HDDes in decades of using spinners. However, once in a blue moon a section of them can just get corrupted. Ya and come to think of it, that usually involved doing lots of file transfers (and I mean lots) and large files too.

At least with spinners you can usually get your data off.

Most of the time what is required is just to backoff data files using something like TestDisk, then "wipe" the drive (ie, write zeros to all sectors), then re-format. Finally I test the drive for clean bill of health using SeaTools.

The drive works fine indeffinitely thereafter.

 

[FeuerFrei]

K, I've got a new SSD ordered from Newegg.

I tried running the repair tools from the Windows disc, but it wouldn't run, complaining that the utility was "not for the version of Windows" I sought to repair. Thanks microsoft.

"Testdisk" is a free recover tool that Ive used to not only back data files off a damaged HDD, but it also has partition repair and recovery capability.

It's a bit cryptic, but nevertheless doable.

How to Recover Data and Partitions for Free with TestDisk
https://www.maketecheasier.com/recover-data-and-partitions-for-free-with-testdisk/

https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk


Good Luck

PS: Ive had good luck with spinners. Ive lost only a couple HDDes in decades of using spinners. However, once in a blue moon a section of them can just get corrupted. Ya and come to think of it, that usually involved doing lots of file transfers (and I mean lots) and large files too.

At least with spinners you can usually get your data off.

Most of the time what is required is just to backoff data files using something like TestDisk, then "wipe" the drive (ie, write zeros to all sectors), then re-format. Finally I test the drive for clean bill of health using SeaTools.

The drive works fine indeffinitely thereafter.

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[WilliamM2]

I have had this issue on a few Windows 7 PC's at work. It boots to system repair and one of two things happens. It never completes, as in your case, or it takes hours to complete with a message that it could NOT repair the drive, and then boots normally with no issues. If it never finished, restoring the system from an image has solved the issue, and none of them had anything wrong with the drive so far.

Since having a users PC down for even a few hours is problematic, we go straight to the image restore now if system repair starts running. Boot first from a linux CD and get the users pst files so they don't lose email. If they lose anything else it's their issue, we constantly tell them that ALL files get stored on the server where they are constantly backed up, not the local PC. And we run backups to a second drive on the PC as well, for those that never learn.

A new system and you made no image?

Edit:
That's odd, for some reason this thread showed up as a new post today, I didn't realize it was a month old. Carry on.

 

[JEDIYoda]

If its any consolation my computer has been in a continuous repair loop since December 2001.....just be patient!