Question Winload.exe – 0xc0000428

[Archangel_M]

Okay, so, a couple of weeks ago I returned home from being out of town. My computer needed to restart to install an Avast update, but upon rebooting I ran into this issue as pictured below:

A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source.
If you have a Windows installation disc, insert the disc and restart your computer. Click "Repair You Computer," and then choose a recovery tool.

Otherwise, to start Windows so you can investigate further, press the ENTER key to display the boot menu, press F8 for Advanced Boot Options, and select Last Known Good. If you understand why the digital signature cannot be verified and want to start Windows without this file, temporarily disable driver sginature enforcement.

File: \Windows\System32\Winload.exe
Status: 0xc0000428
Info: Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file.

I managed to get into the BIOS screen here, as shown below:





The problem is that I no longer have the installation disk (it's Windows 7 Ultimate x64 version), because it along with half my belongings was stolen by a former roommate who is now in prison on unrelated charges. It's unrecoverable. As well, the product key that I had written down is also gone. I'm at a loss for what to do. I sent away for a 1Tb flash drive so I could at least try to recover my files from the main hard drive, but I have no idea how to do that. I know absolutely nothing about Linux, Ubuntu, or any other non-Windows system, and I really don't know anything about Windows except how to use it. Obviously I'm in a real bind. Windows 7 was discontinued and is no longer supported, so I have no way to buy a legal copy. I just want to be able to boot up my computer and retrieve my files. What can be done?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Sounds like your roommate used your PC, and you have either a virus, or system file corruption (bad HDD or SSD).

If you just want to recover your files, get an 8-32GB flash drive, and using another PC (maybe even one at a library if you don't have another one handy), and use Rufus to write a Linux Mint ISO file in DD mode to the flash drive.

If you then boot off of that USB in the problem PC, assuming no other hardware problems, you should be able to access the Windows filesystem on that PC, and copy your files over to a removable USB drive.

 

[Archangel_M]

Sounds like your roommate used your PC, and you have either a virus, or system file corruption (bad HDD or SSD).

If you just want to recover your files, get an 8-32GB flash drive, and using another PC (maybe even one at a library if you don't have another one handy), and use Rufus to write a Linux Mint ISO file in DD mode to the flash drive.

If you then boot off of that USB in the problem PC, assuming no other hardware problems, you should be able to access the Windows filesystem on that PC, and copy your files over to a removable USB drive.

Nah, more likely it was Avast damaging my Windows.exe on reboot. I don't think a virus would have taken over a year to do this, and he never had that kind of skill.

Ideally I want to get my computer up and running again. I sent away for a 1Tb USB flash drive, but apparently it's not expected to arrive before 17 April 2020. My state is on quarantine, so I have no choice but to wait for it—nonessential travel is disallowed and I could be ticketed if I'm caught out. Public libraries are closed.

I know no Rufus, Linux, Ubunto, or any sort of programming. Everything you rattled off flew over my head. Someone on a shaving forum recommended this one so I could possibly get some answers as to how to save my computer.

 

[ArisVer]

You need a second good working computer and a way to connect the disk of your faulty computer to the second computer.

You also need enough knowledge of Windows tree structure and knowledge of Windows Explorer to copy your files from your first computer disk to your new 1TB USB flash drive.

You may need to pray to the computer god that your first computer disk is still in good working condition so you can do step 2.

Optionally a computer repair shop can do that for you.

Optionally, assuming that you have managed to copy your files, you can try and repair your first computer.

Reconnect your disk to your faulty computer. You need a DVD (if your first computer has a DVD drive) or a second USB flash drive of at least 8GB capacity. You need to find and download a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate x64 and burn the image to the second USB flash drive or a DVD (you can do that from the second computer). Then you need to start from that image and try to repair your computer.

You may need to pray again to the computer god that the repair works.

Optionally a computer repair shop can do that for you.

Furthermore, optionally I advice you to upgrade to Windows 10 for security reasons if you use that computer online.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That's all good advice. If OP has manged to save/back-up his files, and wants to re-format and start fresh with the problem PC, I would advise (assuming that he has his Win7 key), just using MS Media Creation Tool and download and make a USB stick with that, onto an 8GB to 32GB USB flash drive, and then install Win10 fresh onto his PC, and use the key from Windows 7 after it is installed, to activate. (*Rumor has it, that still works.)

Anyways, kind of pointless to re-install Win7, IMHO.

And if you don't have your Win7 key, you can (not really advising this, just mentioning it's possible) install Win10 without a key, and generally, it will just keep working, but block out some of the desktop personalization features.

 

[Archangel_M]

You need a second good working computer and a way to connect the disk of your faulty computer to the second computer.

You also need enough knowledge of Windows tree structure and knowledge of Windows Explorer to copy your files from your first computer disk to your new 1TB USB flash drive.

You may need to pray to the computer god that your first computer disk is still in good working condition so you can do step 2.

Optionally a computer repair shop can do that for you.

Optionally, assuming that you have managed to copy your files, you can try and repair your first computer.

Reconnect your disk to your faulty computer. You need a DVD (if your first computer has a DVD drive) or a second USB flash drive of at least 8GB capacity. You need to find and download a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate x64 and burn the image to the second USB flash drive or a DVD (you can do that from the second computer). Then you need to start from that image and try to repair your computer.

You may need to pray again to the computer god that the repair works.

Optionally a computer repair shop can do that for you.

Furthermore, optionally I advice you to upgrade to Windows 10 for security reasons if you use that computer online.

I wouldn't even know how to begin doing that. As for Windows 10, even if I had the money to downgrade to that, the user interface is utterly worthless and I am unable to navigate it.

 

[ArisVer]

If you cannot do that which is the simplest form of getting your files, then your only option is to take your computer or your disk to a computer shop so they can retrieve your files. Else you can wait for a miracle.

 

[Archangel_M]

If you cannot do that which is the simplest form of getting your files, then your only option is to take your computer or your disk to a computer shop so they can retrieve your files. Else you can wait for a miracle.

Isn't there anyone who can walk me through it, or link to a tutorial?

 

[DrMrLordX]

Wait, why can't OP just boot to a Linux flash drive, install NTFS support (if not available by default), and then retrieve files? Still means he's got a broken OS with no install disk or install key (assumption on my part) but it's a step in the right direction.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wait, why can't OP just boot to a Linux flash drive, install NTFS support (if not available by default), and then retrieve files? Still means he's got a broken OS with no install disk or install key (assumption on my part) but it's a step in the right direction.

See post #2, where I suggested that, and post #3, where the OP said that was too complicated for them to manage.

 

[DrMrLordX]

See post #2, where I suggested that, and post #3, where the OP said that was too complicated for them to manage.

Oh okay. Hmm.

@Archangel_M

You could download a Windows 7 boot disk ISO and burn that to a small USB flash drive, and try to use it as a recovery disk.

 

[Archangel_M]

Wait, why can't OP just boot to a Linux flash drive, install NTFS support (if not available by default), and then retrieve files? Still means he's got a broken OS with no install disk or install key (assumption on my part) but it's a step in the right direction.

I wouldn't even know how to begin doing that.

 

[Archangel_M]

See post #2, where I suggested that, and post #3, where the OP said that was too complicated for them to manage.

HIM. Too complicated for HIM to manage. There's only one of me. Why are you calling ME, a SINGLE INDIVIDUAL, a THEM?

 

[VirtualLarry]

"They" or "Them" can also refer to individuals. I do that to be gender-neutral, when I don't know the gender of someone, or don't want to refer to clients by name (privacy reasons). Just a habit, no slight intended.

Edit: Whomever marked this post down, does not understand the English language. Read here:

Third-Person Pronouns in English Grammar: Can 'They' Ever Be Singular?

Third-person pronouns are pronouns that refer to people or things other than the speaker, writer, or the person addressed.

www.thoughtco.com

they often appear as a gender-neutral third person singular pronoun, e.g., If anyone wants it, they can have pavlova with extra whipped cream. We often hear the argument that this 'singular they' is grammatically incorrect because a plural pronoun shouldn't refer back to a singular word and that he should be used instead, but clearly, this is linguistically unfounded.

 

[DrMrLordX]

I wouldn't even know how to begin doing that.

Well your best bet would be to create a Windows 7 boot drive, but that would require a second PC.

Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally

You can also download Windows 8.1 ISOs!

www.howtogeek.com

Read that, particularly the part later in the article about downloading a Windows 7 disc image (iso) from a third party, since MS wants your product key (which you don't have). If you can follow those directions and get the .iso, we can walk you through the process of using Rufus to burn the .iso to a flash drive to make a Win7 install drive that will let you attempt to repair your existing broken installation. Alternatively you can try partitioning the flash drive, install Win7 to the flash drive, and then attempt to recover files. We can walk you through that too.

Oh, and did you ever try booting Last Known Good? Just curious.

 

[ArisVer]

If you are still here and able to see this, I have found a tutorial for you. You will need a second USB flash drive with a Windows install media, it is explained in the video. If you find this complicated too, there is nothing more I can do for you. Good luck.

 

[Steltek]

Okay. Here is how you can try to recover the Windows key from your dead Windows installation. Hope I'm remembering this correctly, as I haven't done it in ages.

To begin, download Hiren's Boot CD PE from here and save to a known location. Create a bootable USB flash drive using this file or burn the ISO file to a DVD (Win7 or Win10). Boot your system with this media -- you may need to go into the BIOS and change the system boot order so that it loads from a flash drive or CD/DVD Rom drive before the hard drive.

1) When you boot the computer, hit a key when prompted to boot from the flash drive/DVD drive and wait for the Windows desktop to load.

2) On the desktop, click on the 'Utilities' folder. In the window that pops up, click on the 'Security' folder, then the 'Keyfinders' folder. Double click on Produkey to run it.

3) When Produkey runs, hit F9. Several options will be displayed. Either the 2nd or 3rd option (can't remember which) will read “Load the product keys of external Windows installations from all disks currently plugged to your computer”. Select that option, and hit the Ok button.

4) If everything works right, Produkey should then display the Windows and any Office product keys present on the crashed Windows installation so you can write them down (or, if you used a USB flash drive, save them as a text file on the flash drive). You can then shut down your system and remove the flash drive or DVD.

Once you have the product key back, you can try to download a burnable copy of your Windows CD from here. However, if it was not a retail CD, it will not let you do so and you'll have to pursue other avenues to get a CD.

Not to be insulting @Archangel_M, but you are exactly the type of user that needs to update to Windows 10 because you can't do things for yourself with your computer. It will take you about 10 minutes to figure out how to navigate it. And, if you want the Windows 7 interface, download and install software like Open Shell to emulate the Windows 7 desktop. You can also simply change some settings to make it more like Windows 7 as well.

EDIT: I updated the process to retrieve the Windows 7 keycode with a utility more up to date than the prior one. It does require a DVD instead of a CD to burn to if you choose that option, though.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Not to be insulting @Archangel_M, but you are exactly the type of user that needs to update to Windows 10 because you can't do things for yourself with your computer.

I'm not trying to be insulting either, but I've run into this same type of issue with some of my friends. People that have used a Windows PC for over ten years, and know how to navigate a browser, use CCleaner, and shutdown/restart, but haven't yet figured out how to reliably copy + paste files, how to run a backup, how to unzip a zip file and extract the contents. I think that they're just messing with me, personally.

I know that my Mom acts that way too, "Do I left-click or right-click? How many times?" for everything that I want them to do. She admitted later that she was doing it on purpose, just to make me mad.

So, with that said, I gave instructions, if OP can't follow them, take your PC to a shop, you're not qualified.

Edit: The video in post #16 is pretty straight-forward, you should be able to follow that, OP.

 

[Archangel_M]

"They" or "Them" can also refer to individuals. I do that to be gender-neutral, when I don't know the gender of someone, or don't want to refer to clients by name (privacy reasons). Just a habit, no slight intended.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess English isn't your primary language. 'They' and 'them' are always plural. Using them to describe singular antecedents creates pronoun disagreement. If you want to refer to people who are gender-neutral, you can use 'xe/ze' and 'hir'. I am a HE, so you use masculine personal pronouns when referring to me. It is insulting to people to deny them their individuality.

 

[Archangel_M]

Well your best bet would be to create a Windows 7 boot drive, but that would require a second PC.

Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally

You can also download Windows 8.1 ISOs!

www.howtogeek.com

Read that, particularly the part later in the article about downloading a Windows 7 disc image (iso) from a third party, since MS wants your product key (which you don't have). If you can follow those directions and get the .iso, we can walk you through the process of using Rufus to burn the .iso to a flash drive to make a Win7 install drive that will let you attempt to repair your existing broken installation. Alternatively you can try partitioning the flash drive, install Win7 to the flash drive, and then attempt to recover files. We can walk you through that too.

Oh, and did you ever try booting Last Known Good? Just curious.

I have my laptop, but it doesn't even have a gigabyte's worth of memory remaining on it.

 

[Archangel_M]

Okay. Here is how you can try to recover the Windows key from your dead Windows installation. Hope I'm remembering this correctly, as I haven't done it in ages.

To begin, download Hiren's Boot CD 15.2 from here. It is a very old utility but it should work for this purpose. Unzip the file to a folder at a known location. The file you want in this folder is titled Hiren's.BootCD.15.2.iso. Create a bootable USB flash drive using this file or burn the file to a CD/DVD. Boot your old computer with the resulting flash drive or CD/DVD.

Note: Do not use any other utilities on this CD other than the specified one. Most of the products on this CD are ancient and shouldn't be used as they WILL cause problems.

1) When you boot the computer, select the MiniXP option and wait for the Windows desktop to load.

2) In the Hiren menu in the system tray, navigate to the Passwords/Keys section, then run Produkey.

3) When Produkey runs, hit F9. Several options will be displayed. Either the 2nd or 3rd option (can't remember which) will read “Load the product keys of external Windows installations from all disks currently plugged to your computer”. Select that option, and hit the Ok button.

4) If everything works right, Produkey should then display the Windows and any Office product keys present on the crashed Windows installation so you can write them down (or, if you used a USB flash drive, save them as a text file on the flash drive).

Once you have the product key back, you can try to download a burnable copy of your Windows CD from here. However, if it was not a retail CD, it will not let you do so and you'll have to pursue other avenues to get a CD.

Not to be insulting @Archangel_M, but you are exactly the type of user that needs to update to Windows 10 because you can't do things for yourself with your computer. It will take you about 10 minutes to figure out how to navigate it. And, if you want the Windows 7 interface, download and install software like Open Shell to emulate the Windows 7 desktop. You can also simply change some settings to make it more like Windows 7 as well.

Even if I had the money to downgrade to Windows 10, the user interface is a sick joke and is unusable. I have no alternative but to keep using what I have, and if you can't or won't help me get it back up and running, then I'll just have to wait until quarantine is over and try to take it to a repair shop.

 

[Archangel_M]

I'm not trying to be insulting either, but I've run into this same type of issue with some of my friends. People that have used a Windows PC for over ten years, and know how to navigate a browser, use CCleaner, and shutdown/restart, but haven't yet figured out how to reliably copy + paste files, how to run a backup, how to unzip a zip file and extract the contents. I think that they're just messing with me, personally.

I know that my Mom acts that way too, "Do I left-click or right-click? How many times?" for everything that I want them to do. She admitted later that she was doing it on purpose, just to make me mad.

So, with that said, I gave instructions, if OP can't follow them, take your PC to a shop, you're not qualified.

I'm not an idiot. I know how to copy and paste files, run backups, unzip WinZip, RAR, 7Zip, etc., and extract the contents. I am not "messing" with you. But you're telling me, who's been using Windows since the late 1990s, to do things involving Ubuntu/Linux when I've never even used them and you're using terms that mean nothing to me.

 

[Archangel_M]

Well your best bet would be to create a Windows 7 boot drive, but that would require a second PC.

Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally

You can also download Windows 8.1 ISOs!

www.howtogeek.com

Read that, particularly the part later in the article about downloading a Windows 7 disc image (iso) from a third party, since MS wants your product key (which you don't have). If you can follow those directions and get the .iso, we can walk you through the process of using Rufus to burn the .iso to a flash drive to make a Win7 install drive that will let you attempt to repair your existing broken installation. Alternatively you can try partitioning the flash drive, install Win7 to the flash drive, and then attempt to recover files. We can walk you through that too.

Oh, and did you ever try booting Last Known Good? Just curious.

I was able to call up a BIOS screen, but from there I'm not sure where to go. How would I try to reboot from the last known good reboot? I think there was a section in BIOS where there was an option to do that, but nothing happened when i tried it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm not an idiot. I know how to copy and paste files, run backups, unzip WinZip, RAR, 7Zip, etc., and extract the contents. I am not "messing" with you. But you're telling me, who's been using Windows since the late 1990s, to do things involving Ubuntu/Linux when I've never even used them and you're using terms that mean nothing to me.

I didn't say YOU were the one messing with me, just sharing some anecdotes.

You need a USB flash drive for the Linux Mint 19.3 "Distro" (OS) to boot off of, and you'll need a secondary HDD or flash drive to store your data onto.

Using A PC (not your messed-up one), download Linux Mint 19.3 64-bit Cinnamon edition, from www.linuxmint.com . (Should be a 3-4GB sized ISO file.)

Using that same PC, use a program called Rufus, which can be found for download at https://rufus.ie/ , get the Portable one.

After plugging in the flash drive, and downloading the ISO, and running Rufus (may require UAC Administrator privileges), then click on the disc icon near the top of the window, navigate to the ISO, double-click in the Explorer file-picker window, and make sure that the proper USB drive is highlighted at the top (the one that you want to wipe out and use for the bootable OS), then click START at the bottom, and wait for the progress bar to finish.

Edit: If it prompts you to write it in "ISO mode" or "DD Mode", select "DD Mode".

It will tell you it's finished, and then CLOSE Rufus, select Safe Eject Hardware, select your USB drive, pull it out, and then plug it into your messed-up PC, and boot off of it. That may entail hitting a BIOS hotkey for a "Boot Menu", or going into the BIOS and selecting to boot off of USB first.

When you're booted into Linux, hopefully (it may take a few minutes, booting off of USB), then you should see a desktop. You can plug in your external backup HDD or flash drive then, and it should show up.

You should be able to click on the file-folder in Linux Mint, find the Windows OS filesystem, and see if you can see and copy files. The user files are stored under \users\(username) .

Linux Mint's UI is a LOT like Windows (7), so you shouldn't be too confused.

Edit: OK, if someone is going to be a grammar-nazi, and mark one of my posts down, for my (*correct, in informal English, as I noted) usage of a word, and they can't even make a boot drive, I'm out of here. GL!

 

[Steltek]

Turn on the computer. Repeatedly press the F8 key. IF you can get the advanced boot options, check to see if the "Last known good configuration (advanced)" option is available. If it is, select it and pray to whatever god you worship that it works. It probably won't, but it is worth trying.

If it results in the same error, power off, turn back on, and repeatedly press the F8 key again. Try booting using the "Safe Mode with Networking" option. If it boots, go to the Avast website and download their Avast Uninstall Utility. Run it. Shut down and restart and pray again.

If none of this works, you are stuck with a repair reinstall or a clean reinstall. Which, will require you follow the instructions I gave you earlier to recover your Windows 7 product key.