Windows XP startup issues and the need for Windows Data Recovery

BIOS (Basic Input/output System) are a critical component of a Windows operating system. It is the first code to be executed when you start your Windows-based PC. It checks system hardware, ports etc. and then loads MBR (Master Boot Record) into the memory. MBR searches the active partition on your primary hard disk and passes control to that PBR (Partition Boot Record). Now, the PBR loads various system-specific boot files. These files are responsible for initializing and loading the rest of the OS. If any of these files gets corrupt, the system would become unbootable. As a consequence, you will lose all the precious data saved in your system. To overcome the problem, you need to go for Windows recovery through a reliable third-party utility. 

For instance, when you start your Windows XP-based system, you may come across anyone of the following cases:

·         The Start button or task-bar becomes invisible.

·         A blue or black screen appears and the computer stops responding.

Cause:

One of the following reasons may be responsible for the above behavior-

·         You have enabled 'Auto-hide the taskbar' option in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

·         Some settings of your user account may be corrupt.

·         The 'Explorer.exe' fails to load during startup.

·         Operating system boot files are damaged.

These circumstances would prevent you from accessing the valuable information stored in your system. To recover Windows files, you may use an updated backup. However, if the backup is unavailable, follow the below mentioned resolution steps

Resolution:

These steps may help you solve the problem-

·         Disable the auto-hide option: In the 'Taskbar and Start Menu Properties' dialog box, under the 'Taskbar' tab, disable the 'Auto-hide the taskbar' option.  

·         Log on as a different user: Log in to your system using a different user account. If you do not encounter any problems, create a new account. Now apply the settings of the old user account to this account.

·         Start computer in Safe Mode: If 'Explorer.exe' file fails to load, boot the system using the 'Safe Mode with Networking' option. Now, scan your PC using an anti-virus utility and install all the essential updates on your system by running Windows Update.

·         Repair Windows XP: Repair Windows XP installation using the Windows XP bootable disc. Choose to repair the existing installation. All the Windows files will be replaced.

If the problem still persists, you should take help of efficient Windows recovery software. This software is capable of safely recovering all types of user data files in any situation of data loss.

Reasons behind DLL file corruption and the possible ways to perform Windows data recovery

DLL (or Dynamic link Library) files are the most important modules in a Windows operating system. They are developed by programmers in order to accomplish the re-usability of their code. This file contains functions that cannot be directly run, but are instead called by other programs. Multiple programs can access the functions of a DLL at the same time. If this critical component of Windows gets corrupt,  your system will become unbootable causing you to lose all the vital data stored therein. To overcome this problem, you need to go for Windows recovery through a reliable third-party utility.   

For instance, when you start your Windows 7-based PC, you may come across one of the following error messages:

“Problem in loading c:\windows\system32\msnhoqog.dll”

Or

“Problem in loading c:\windows\system32\msdhgjpd.dll”

Cause:

The main reason behind this behavior is the corruption of DLL files or some DLL files may be missing from the system. This is primarily caused in any of the following situations-

·         You have recently installed a new software that has removed a DLL file from your system. This file may be needed to run some other program.

·         You have not properly installed the new application. As a result, some DLL files have become corrupt.

·         The required DLL has got overwritten by the new program.

·         Your PC is infected with a virus or malicious software. 

Due to all the above reasons, you will not be able to boot your system and access your important data files stored on the system hard disk. In this situation, you can use a backup to recover Windows files. If the backup is unavailable follow the below given resolution steps.

Resolution:

To fix this problem and Windows data recovery, follow these steps-

·         Try downloading the missing file from the Internet.

·         Use the 'Safe Mode' option of Windows 7 to boot the system.

·         Uninstall or remove all the recently installed software programs.

·         Scan your PC using an anti-virus software.

If the problem still persists, you should take help of efficient Windows recovery software to recover all the lost or inaccessible data from the system. This software has a rich set of recovery features that can retrieve your data in all situations of data loss. Their comprehensible interface makes it easy for even a novice user to get acquainted with the software very easily.

Powerful hard drive recovery software, when all repair utilities fail to recover data

Hard drive of your laptop or desktop computer consists of several electromechanical components and any small problem with any of these components leads to the failure of the hard drive. But, sometimes, the hard drive does not have any physical injury and still it fails to work, resulting in the loss or inaccessibility of your valuable data. The reason can be anything, starting from an accidental system file deletion, virus/malware infection, file system corruption to operating system malfunction, any hardware/software contradiction etc. Under any of these instances of hard drive data loss, you can always take the help of any hard drive recovery software to recover your precious data back.

At times, while working with your Windows system, the operating system seems to be crashed. You try every possible measure to repair and restore it back, but in vein. Your hard drive fails to boot leaving all your data completely inaccessible. At that situation, if you run 'bootcfg /rebuild', it displays an error message. The error message may be read as below:

“Error: Failed to successfully scan disk for Windows Installations. This error may be caused by a corrupt file system.”

After that when you run 'chkdsk /p /r' or 'bootcfg /scan' it displays the same error message and the data remains inaccessible.

From the error message, it seems that the cause behind the problem may have been any serious file system corruption and you need to format and make a fresh partition. This process will erase all your data from the drive. Hence, you must check well and then only zero in that the issue is actually due to any files system corruption. In this context, you can try the following steps to repair the Windows and try to resolve the issue:

·         Insert Windows installation disk and try to boot the system.

·         To start the Windows Setup, press ENTER.

·         Choose the Windows installation you need to repair and press R to begin the repairing process.

·         The setup will try to copy necessary files and reboot. It may seem a clean installation, but the settings and applications will remain intact.

If the above process fails or the setup couldn't detect the Windows installation in your system, you are with no other option except a fresh partition and installation of OS. After that you can run any Windows recovery utility to get back your formatted data.

Windows Data Recovery is reliable data recovery software to recover your lost, deleted, formatted or inaccessible data back from any make/model of hard drive. You can free download this data recovery software and witness the credibility of the utility before purchasing the same.

Data Recovery is Possible in Case of Blue Error 0x00000001

Like every other technology computer too has to be updated several times. Whether the software or the hardware gets updated, it depends up on your requirements. At the end of the day the machine should perform well. However, at times you may find your computer to be working slow and rarely it may not function at all, in case of the Blue Screen of Death. These error messages occur for numerous reasons and cause a heavy dent on your valuable data. To recover Windows becomes the most important issue once these messages start occurring frequently. It becomes very irritating, as with times the error message becomes quite repetitive.

There are numerous error messages of this kind. One that is most common is

“0x00000001 “

This error message occurs mainly due to -

·         Newly added hardware or software.

·         Whenever a CD is inserted into the drive.

·         Memory card may also trigger this error message

·         RAM of higher magnitude (>2GB) may exceed the capacity of BIOS and motherboard resulting in this error message.

Whatever may be the reason, you want a quick solution to it. For resolution you may try these simple steps yourself -

·         Check if the hardware you newly installed is compatible with the OS.

·         All the software including those of the OS and of the third party software should be updated. If not, go for an update.

·         Try to restore the system to a restore point. For this click on the Windows Start button and type “System Restore” into the Search field.  Select a restore point to restore the system.

However, if the above mentioned steps do not show any favorable result then you need to format the hard disk. This leaves you in a complex situation as you may lose the data if you do not have the backup for it. Also, it is not always possible to keep a 100% backup of the data. You look for Windows recovery options. Some specialized company offer the best Windows partition  recovery software that help you recover up to the complete data you lose during formatting.

Windows Recovery Software- Recover Files from RAW Recovery

The file system is the main component of any operating system. It is responsible for managing files and directories on the hard disk. It is very prone to failure and can do all the hard disk partitions invisible and inaccessible. At the same time, the computer may be unbootable and all the data are not available. When it was damaged, and file becomes RAW. In these cases, you should go for solutions Windows recovery to recover lost or inaccessible hard drive partition.

In a practical situation when you try to repair a raw disk with Chkdsk command-line tool. It complains that it is unable to perform the recovery of RAW files. It can give you the following error message:

"Type of file system is RAW.

CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives. "

The RAW hard drive partition that is formatted with the FAT (File Allocation Table) or NTFS (New Technology File System). RAW file is a system, if the file is executed, which is ultimately all the input / output system files need system file support. When I / O manager calls the active file system to mount a disk volume, the system of RAW file is always called last, supports all types of disk and tape media.

Once the file is corrupted, the file must be RAW and Windows does not recognize the file system RAW. Therefore, it cannot find the stored data and use it. This behavior must be taken seriously situations of loss of the partition and Windows recovery is to eliminate this problem.

The file system corruption can occur due to a number of reasons such as infection, improper system shutdown, power outages, without upgrading the operating system and so on. In such cases, come Windows Recovery Software to recover lost Windows partitions and stored data.

These programs are specifically designed to methodically analyze your entire hard drive using effective mechanisms to scan and recover lost partitions and data. With an interactive user interface and simple graphics, this software is very easy to use and does not require strong technical skills and advance knowledge. Windows Data Recovery Software cannot write anything on the hard drive because of read-only behavior.

Windows Data Recovery is the most complete solution for dealing efficiently partition loss scenarios. It will restore FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS5 partition files. To restore the raw partition, simply download the program called Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery.

Windows Recovery Software - Restore Your Windows-formatted Files in Windows System

While formatting Windows, you can lose data. You must try the best way to recover data lost after formatting the Windows operating system. In general, when you format the hard drive is new, or when you try to install the operating system or when the system is corrupted or infected with the virus. Let me be clear: first, the recovery of lost data due to formatting the hard drive is still recoverable until new data is written in it. Second, the data lost due to one of the reasons may be recovered.

When you format a hard drive system files required for data storage is the responsibility of a hard disk. The file system creates data tables and other components necessary for data manipulation.

Is formatting necessary?

Operating system corruption, lack of the Windows boot files, the files infected by the virus, install new software, or if you want to upgrade the operating system has a few scenarios where you want your system to deal with issues. One way to do this is to reinstall the operating system or formatting the hard drive. If you are installing the system design after the same position, you can run into a loss of data. But the process can lead to format the drive if you accidentally select this option. This can cause loss of data on the hard drive. But as pointed out in advance by using Windows Recovery Software, you can download all the lost data.

Recover Lost Files When Formatting

You need good Windows data recovery software to recover data lost or damaged. Connect the hard drive from which data should be retrieved as a slave to another hard drive. Let this be a transmission system according to the primary hard drive. Install the Windows Recovery software priorities. Follow the step by step instructions to restore the lost data.

Do not restart the computer or install new software on the hard disk where you lost your data. This leads to a written record for the past, and cause data loss. At all times, use reliable Windows data recovery software to recover lost data. Estimate the demo, explore options, and analyze the comments on this product, contact the customer service of the software has some way to verify the reliability of software.

Overcoming partition corruption due to 'BAD_POOL_HEADER' error in Windows 7

Data security is the most important requisite of a reliable Windows operating system. Despite of having an updated version of Windows each time, we have become accustomed to receiving various BSODs ( Blue Screen Of Death) on our computer screens. These BSOD or STOP errors indicate serious start up problems that your computer might be facing. They are generally caused by driver problems, hard ware errors, outdated BIOS configuration, and corrupt start up files. In such cases, the computer freezes and reboots unexpectedly. In addition to losing all the unsaved partition data, sometimes it may render your system completely unbootable. In such circumstances, you should go for Windows recovery through a reliable third party utility.

For instance, when you start your Windows 7-based computer, you may come across the following STOP error message:

“BAD_POOL_HEADER”  

Cause:

This error generally occurs due to an incorrect memory allocation by Windows 7. The possible reasons are-

·         Bad system drivers

·         NTFS file system may be corrupt

·         Issue with any anti-virus program service

Corrupt NTFS file system will make all the partitions inaccessible. To restore or recover Windows partition data, you can use an updated backup. If your backup is not up-to-date, you should follow the below given steps.

Resolution:

These steps may help you resolve the issue-

·         Boot the system using the 'Safe Mode' option and use the 'System Restore' feature to restore the system to a previous restore point.

·         Install the latest Windows 7 service pack on your computer.

·         You should get the latest drivers for any recently installed system hardware.

·         Disable the Microsoft's indexing service as it might cause conflicts with the drivers.

If these resolution steps fail to solve your problem, you should take help of efficient Windows recovery software. This software can help you easily recover all the lost files, documents, emails, photos, music, videos etc. from the corrupt or inaccessible partitions. You can take advantage of their highly interactive user interface to quickly acquaint yourself with all the significant features of the software. 

'Event ID 55' occurs due to damage in the hard drive partition or its file system

Is your Windows 7 based computer encountering 'Event ID 55' error message? Is the hard drive unreadable and unusable due to corrupt file system structure? This a pure case of data loss, thereby renders your system totally inaccessible. The factors that leads to such a situation can be listed as sluggish operating system, missing/corrupt system data structures, or hard drive logical structure errors. You find such erroneous condition generally in NTFS file system partitions that further results in serious partition loss situations. In such condition, if you have a proper backup, you can recover you data from the backup. But in absence of a proper backup, you need Windows data recovery software to recover the damaged hard drive partition and the lost data.

Such an error in the system is communicated through error messages that read:

“Event Type: Error

Event Source: NTFS

Event ID: 55 

Description:

The file system structure on disk is corrupt and unusable. Please run the chkdsk utility on the volume ”

If you try to solve the problem by running  Chkdsk.exe utility, the process gets interrupted in the half way. This further leads to un-usability of the hard drive resulting in severe data loss.

Causes  of the occurrence of 'Event ID 55' in Microsoft Windows 7:

The above problem may occur if the Windows hard drive partition or its file system is damaged. The following reasons are the prime cause of the corruption:

·         The Windows hard drive has damaged data structures

·         Incomplete Input/Output requests, that are issued by file system to hard disk subsystem

Resolution:

In order to fix this problem, perform the following methods:

·         Type chkntfs at command prompt. If you get another message “drive is dirty”, run chkdsk utility.

·         Try to run the Chkdsk.exe utility manually so as to check integrity and consistency the Windows hard drive

·         If the above processes fails, to make the drive functional you can format it and reinstall the operating system

However, reinstalling the operating system leads to wiping out of the data saved on in it. However, to successfully recover your lost data you can use Windows Recovery software. The application thoroughly scans the entire hard drive and recover lost data from the hard drive.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery software that can recover the lost and damaged data resulting from the above described reasons. The software recovers lost/deleted data and also data lost due to formatting or corruption of partitions or storage media. It also recovers data from lost, formatted FAT, NTFS, and exFAT file systems.

How to perform Windows recovery in case of a missing kernel file

Windows operating system is the most commonly used operating system nowadays. Every year a new version of Windows is released that promises a better user experience and provides us with much more advanced features. But people still have problems while working with this operating system. Kernel, the most important component of Windows operating system may get corrupted or a kernel file may be missing from the system. This may make your system unbootable or even result in a system crash. In such situations, you may lose all the precious data stored in your system which may require you to go for Windows data recovery through any reliable third party utility.

For instance, when you start your Windows 2000 based system, you may come across anyone the following error messages on your screen:

“Windows could not start because of an error in the software ”

OR

“Load needed DLL's for Kernel”

Cause:

Some missing program files of your Windows operating system may have caused the above error message.

This would render your system unbootable and may put you in a critical situation of data loss. Here, you can still recover Windows by using an updated backup. If the backup is missing, you need to follow the below mentioned resolution steps.

Resolution:

Try to upgrade your Windows through the Windows installation disc.

If you are unable to upgrade Windows, you should take help of a reliable Windows recovery software, These software provide us with several advanced options to easily recover the lost, deleted or accidentally formatted data from your system. They are compatible with the latest Windows operating systems, such as Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is an recovery tool that can recover all kinds of Windows files from any situation of data loss. It recovers data lost or formatted FAT, NTFS, and exFAT file systems. It also enables you to recover files based on their file types.

Recovery of data from Windows Error

A Windows error message is not only a nuisance for the user but if it were to contain some data that is critical to the business or even some very dear multimedia files, your problems compound. Infact, you are more bothered about the safety of those files saved in the computer's hard drive than fixing the error. This situation calls for the use of Windows data recovery software that can recover the data from any kind of data loss. You still need to try and fix the error first and that involves understanding its cause and then trying out the resolution methods.

Symptom:

You try to log on to one of the domains of your Windows 2000 computer and receive the following message:-

“STOP: c000021a (Fatal System Error)”

Cause:

This is a problem in which the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your computer has a length of exactly 200 bytes. When the logon process is initiated, one character more than 200 bytes is written which leads to heap corruption.

Resolution:

You need to install the latest service pack for Windows 2000 to fix this problem. There is another way of working around this problem. All you need to do is to make your domain name one character less. You can use the local administrator of your computer to do this as the particular domain is not accessible.

This particular error was caused by a bug in Windows which was fixed by the subsequent service pack. Since, it is not a very complicated process to work around this problem, you can rest assured about it. At times the problems become more complex and you need to implement some very complex procedures to fix it. In case your attempts at Windows recovery do not work out, you can always use software which can recover your data.

Third-party software for fixing the Windows errors make it very easy to recover data that are deleted, lost due to formatting or just been rendered inaccessible. You should select a reliable source for it, perhaps a software company in this field with years of experience.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery software have proven to be very effective in its task. These software have rich and easy-to-grasp user interface which are very useful in extracting data from any kind of logical errors. The innovative features of disk imaging enable scanning of even bad sectors very efficiently.

Configuring a basic disk containing system partition to a dynamic disk may result in serious data loss

Dynamic disks are different from basic disks as they are configured or initialized specifically for dynamic storage of data. A dynamic disk uses Logical Disk Manager (or LDM) database which is 1MB in size to store information about all the dynamic volumes present on it. A dynamic disk supports different types of dynamic volumes, such as simple volume, spanned volume, mirrored volume, striped volume, and RAID 5 volume. But you may face serious cases of data loss on your system if you try to convert a basic disk containing a system partition to a dynamic disk and vice versa. In such situations, to recover back your lost inaccessible data, you should perform Windows data recovery through a third party utility.

For instance, you may come across the following error message after starting your Windows 2000 based computer:

“STOP: 0x0000007b (0xf881b84c,0xc0000034,0x00000000,0x00000000)
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

0xc00000034 STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND ”

Cause:

This error may be caused as a result of a mismatch between the primary disk group identity of the hard disk and the one that is stored in the registry. This can happen due to the following reasons-

• You try to convert your basic disk that contains the system partition to a dynamic disk.
• You try to install the hard disk in a different Windows 2000 based computer after removing it from your system.
• You try importing your system hard disk to a dynamic disk group on a different Windows 2000 based computer.

This may make your system unbootable and render all the valuable data stored in your system inaccessible. Here, you need to have an updated backup in order to recover Windows. If the backup is missing, you should follow the below mentioned resolution steps.

Resolution:

In your system, try deleting the primary disk group registry key by using registry editor.

But modifying the registry incorrectly may lead to permanent data loss on your system. To prevent any such situation, you need to go for Windows recovery by taking help of a reliable recovery software. These software can recover Windows files from any scenario of data loss and are compatible with all the latest Windows operating systems, such as Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is an advanced recovery software that recovers lost, deleted, or formatted data from FAT, NTFS, and exFAT file system based partitions. It also enables to save a particular scan information which can be later used to resume the recovery process.

Unbootable partition in table- How to solve the issue

The MBR or Master Boot record is the first sector in a partitioned disk and is popularly known as the partition sector. The MBR keeps the detailed information about the primary and secondary partitions. It uniquely identifies the individual disk media attached to the system by virtue of a 32 bit signature and hence the Windows system is able to learn the properties of the volume/disk.

In case, if it gets corrupted, the data becomes completely inaccessible and only Windows Data Recovery software can resolve the issue. Furthermore, blue screen of death (BSOD)or a black screen appears with an error message. The booting process gets halted at that point and all your data remained inaccessible. The possible error flashing on the screen may be as below:

“No bootable partition in table”

Cause:

• Most likely, the above error can be caused due to the corruption of the Master Boot Record (MBR). Another possibility is that if by any operation, you have modified the disk MBR or your system is not getting the one it is looking for.

• Another ordinary possibility is that may be the system has been set to boot from any storage media, which doesn't have any valid boot instruction set in the MBR. In simple, the system is trying to boot from a non bootable CD, DVD or a USB device.

Resolution:

• Ensure that there is no CD, DVD or any other device connected to the system and moreover, check for the correct boot sequence.
• If the above is alright and the error still persists, put the Windows system installation disk, and open the recovery console by pressing the key 'R' at the start-up. Then run the command 'fixmbr'.
• After trying the above options, if the problem remains unresolved, then the only way left is to make a fresh installation of the operating system.

If a user does not have any backup, then you have to use any Windows data recovery software in order to recover your valuable data.

These Windows data recovery software are capable of recovering any lost, deleted, formatted or inaccessible data from a Windows operating system based hard drive. Moreover, the software usually have Windows look-a-like user interfaces and come with detailed instruction sets.

How to resolve - "Sector not found/read" error

We use hard drive as the primary storage media for most of the desktop and laptop PCs. For our convenience of storing and organizing data in a better way, we use to divide the space in the hard drive. This task of dividing the storage space into different partitions/volumes is known as disk partitioning. Furthermore, a disk can be divided into at most four and at least one primary partitions.

A primary partition carries the file system and can become an extended partition which can be further divided into secondary partitions or logical partitions. We can reap many benefits by installing different operating systems into different primary partitions. However, with multiple operating systems, many errors arise while booting, leading to loss or inaccessibility of data. Windows data recovery software recovers your lost data and relieves you from these panic instances of data loss.

Let us assume that you have created 2 primary partitions with Windows and one of the Windows partition is again sub divided into 2 logical partitions. However, when you are attempting to boot your Windows partition up, an error is popping up and the drive is becoming inaccessible thereafter. The error message may be similar to the following:

“Sector not found/read error”

Cause:

There are two primary reasons behind the occurrence of the above error message as listed below:

Corruption in the partition table of the hard disk.
Any damage to the MFT of the hard disk.

Resolution:

In both the above cases, though it is important to rectify the error, however the most important thing is that, your valuable data lies with the troubled hard drive and safe recovery of the data is the foremost priority. Furthermore, in case of partition table corruption as well as MFT damage, the repair process is very complex and slightest of the mistake can cost you the whole data. Hence, as the best possible way to repair the drive to normality, is to format the drive and reinstall, it better advised to recover the data trapped in the drive with Windows data recovery software.

These Windows data recovery software are built with powerful scanning methods to fetch the partition information first and then, they find the partitions and recover them. Though the process is not that simple, the way it is told, however, we may never witness its complexity because of the cool, simple and interactive user interface of these software.

We may find many demanding Windows recovery software in the market, Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is the most popular one and for its risk free policy it has been the most trusted one. This magical Windows recovery utility can guaranty recovery of your deleted, formatted and inaccessible data from any FAT, exFAT and NTFS file systems. Moreover, masking, clone drive, create image, drive status, raw recovery, save scan etc options are awesome.

Incorrect boot.ini file failure in Vista upgrade

In the Windows systems, the Boot.ini file is very critical for startup purposes. This file contains the listing of the operating system to load during the boot process, among many other things. However, despite being a system file this is not marked as read-only. Because of this, at times this file gets modified or start containing incorrect entries, which could easily lead to startup problems thereby making the system insecure. You should try to edit the boot.ini file and restart the system and see if the problem is solved. If it is not, then you should use a hard drive recovery software to recover hard drive.

Take a real-world example in which you are trying to install Windows Vista but are unable to select the Upgrade option. Also, in the Install Windows dialog box, the following error message is displayed:

“Upgrade has been disabled

- Windows cannot determine if another operating system exists on your computer. Try repairing the boot configuration, and then begin the installation again.”

Cause:

The problems in installing Windows Vista in this case may arise due to the corruption issues in the Boot.ini file. The Boot.ini file is having incorrect entries. Also, it may be possible that the boot path in this file is having incorrect location for the Windows directory.

Resolution:

To overcome this problem, you should modify the Boot,ini file to correct the invalid entries. However, you should backup the boot.ini file before doing anything modifications in order to avoid any further damage to it. To save the boot.ini file, you should perform the following steps

• Click Start | Run and enter 'sysdm.cpl' and press the 'Enter' key.

• In the 'Advanced' tab, click the 'Settings' option in the 'Startup and Recovery' section.

• In 'System Startup', click the 'Edit' option to open the file in Notepad for editing.

• Click File | Save As and save another copy of the boot.ini file.

• In the original Boot.ini file, edit the settings as per the individual options.

Please note that you should edit the boot.ini file in the presence of a trained technician as it could lead to further damage, if badly done.

If you are unable to upgrade to Vista even after modifying the boot.ini file, then you should a third-party Windows recovery software to recover the inaccessible data. These read-only tools are very helpful as they use extremely safe scanning algorithms to recover hard drive.

When it comes to recovering hard drive, the best third-party software is Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery, which extracts data from various memory devices. With the capability to extract data from FAT, NTFS, and exFAT file systems, this hard drive recovery software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.

Windows XP data recovery from unbootable system

Windows XP is the most used and highest earning operating system for Microsoft. Easy-to-use, hardware compatibility etc are some of the features which make it so popular among users. However, there may be some start-up problems with the system. Such problems can occur due to power cuts, incompatible hardware, virus attacks etc.

In such cases, in-house methods should be tried to resolve the problem and start the system. And if you are not able solve the issue then you should use a third-party Windows data recovery software to retrieve data..

Here I consider that my readers would have used a bridged PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) display adapter. You have inserted the display adapter in a PCI slot and upgraded the operating system to Windows XP Service Pack 2. When you restart the system, it fails to do so. An error message is displayed, that is:

“*** Stop 0x000007B (parameter1, parameter2, parameter3, parameter4)
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE”

Cause:

The root cause of this error message is that there is an add-on PCI adapter on your computer that has an integrated PCI-to-PCI bridge and graphics adapter. Because of this, the ISA Enable and VGA Enable bridge control registers are not correctly set. And, if the boot controller is assigned the incorrect PCI resources, then the active system drive becomes inaccessible. And hence, the system is unable to boot.

Resolution:

To resolve this problem, you can perform the following steps:
Remove Windows XP SP 2 using the Recovery Console.
Install the 890463 hotfix.
Reinstall Windows XP SP 2.

You will able to access and boot the Windows system using the aforementioned steps. However, there is very big possibility that you may lose the data during this process as it involves installing the operating system. Therefore, to recover Windows files safely you should use a third-party Windows recovery software. Such read-only tools enable you to recover Windows data without overwriting the original data.

Windows XP Data Recovery if the core files get corrupted

At the startup of Windows XP system, the core files are executed to boot the system. Some of these files are ntldr, boot.ini, ntdetect.com, ntoskrnl.exe, hal.dll, etc. These files are very critical for the well-being of the system. When one or all of these files are missing or get corrupt, then the system starts behaving abnormally.

Such cases may arise due to power outages, virus infections, corrupt file system, damaged operating system, etc. You should use appropriate corrective measures to rectify the problem. If you are not able to provide a solution, then you should use a third-party Windows recovery tool to do this.

Consider a scenario wherein you start Windows XP and you experience the following cases:

• The Start button or taskbar is not visible.

• Either the blue or black screen or the wallpaper is displayed.

Cause:

The root cause of such unusual behavior could be any of the following reasons:

• The taskbar has been selected to auto-hide from the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

• The user account settings are corrupt.

• The explorer.exe file is not getting loaded during setup.

• The system that are required to boot the system are missing or corrupt.

Resolution:

To resolve the issues in corresponding manner, you should perform the following methods:

• Disable auto-hide: You should ensure that the auto-hide option is disabled in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

• Log on as a different user: If the user account settings are damaged, then you should login as a different user. If it resolves the problem, then you should create a new account and copy the old settings to the new user account.

• Start computer in Safe Mode: If the explorer.exe file is not loading, then you should start the computer in Safe Mode and try to run an antivirus utility or apply all the updates from Windows Update.

• Repair Windows XP: If none of the previous methods work, then the operating system is corrupt. In such case, you should repair Windows XP. To do this, you should select the option to repair existing installation. Doing so will only replace the Windows system files while keeping the installed applications and data safe.

The aforementioned methods should be able to recover windows XP system. However, sometimes these methods do not guarantee the safety of data especially while performing in-place repair of Windows XP system. In such cases, you should use a third-party Windows data recovery software to recover Windows files.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is a Windows data recovery softwareWindows data recovery tool is capable of restoring more than 185 different file types from various storage devices. This utility is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000. that recovers lost, inaccessible, or formatted data from both FAT and NTFS file systems. This

System Restore an advanced Windows 7 feature

Hopefully a user never uses this windows 7 application, but as with all system maintenance, it's always worth making sure that you're ready in the event of having to call on it.

The purpose of System restore is to keep notes of everything you change on your computer, enabling you to reverse them with a couple of clicks. Times you might need to use it include clearing up a bit of spyware that managed to sneak its way on to your system, error messages suddenly appearing after installing a new tool, or a critical error developing.

System Restore is switched on by default when you install Windows 7, although it's always worth doublechecking. Type 'restore' into your Start menu (not pressing Return) and you'll see the three key options – opening System Restore, and shortcuts to creating and restoring from a Restore Point.

Windows 7 creates these automatically, once a week or just before you install new software, but you're not bound to this schedule – you can create your own Restore Points whenever you like. For the most part, though, this isn't necessary.

The most important thing to remember about System Restore is that it isn't a file backup tool – it's a system backup tool, and there's a critical difference.

System Restore's job is to look out for Windows files; the programs that you install; registry settings that get changed; and other behind-the-scenes elements – not your documents.

System restore is entirely different from data backup. One should always backup data on hard drive in order to ensures windows recovery

The advantage of this is that in the event of a disaster, you can get your system up and running without needing to worry about anything you created post-Restore Point being wiped away. The downside is that there's not much that it can do if your problem is a deleted file or corrupted photograph.

Windows 7 does add one useful feature, however. Along with system data, Restore Points track any changes to files and folders, enabling you to go back to previous versions.

RESTORE POINT: The best time to make a System Restore point is when you've just installed/reinstalled Windows 7 and your drivers, and everything's working as it should

Right-click on any file or folder, choose 'Restore previous versions' and you will see the list. This is fantastic for documents with a long lifespan, but it doesn't help you if you only need to rewind time by an hour or so.

System security

What can help is that System Restore works hand-in-hand with Windows Backup, although this isn't switched on by default. You'll find the option to use it in System and Security in your Control Panel.

This provides extra previous version support, with its saved copies accessed from the same place as the System Restore ones mentioned earlier; file backups that enable you to retrieve individual documents; and most dramatically, full system images.

A system image is a complete copy of your hard disc – Windows, system settings, your documents, your files, even your wallpaper settings – that can simply be dropped back on to the drive after a crash, ready to use as though nothing ever happened.

Resource: http://www.techradar.com/

Windows XP Data Recovery after “Unmountable Boot Volume” Error

MS Windows XP contains a system volume where the operating system is installed. On completion of POST (Power On Self Test) operation, system partition is read operating system is loaded. If the boot or system partition is not recognized then the machine may not boot up.

This may result a severe data loss problem. In such critical situations, an updated and valid backup proves great help. But, if backup is not available, Windows data recovery is the only way to go.

In a practical instance of unbootable Windows XP computer, you may come across the below error messages while booting up y our computer:

“Unmountable Boot Volume”

After the above error message, boot process gets interrupted. The operating system can not load and you can not get into your system. In order to fix this behavior and recover Windows data, you must figure out the root of this problem.

What is the reason for 'Unmountable Boot Volume' Error in Windows XP?

You may run across this behavior of Windows XP due to any of the below reasons:

The Boot.ini file of your Windows XP computer is either missing or damaged.

The hard drive is bad and unreadable.

Solution

There are two possible solutions of this problem, depending upon the cause of the problem:


Missing or Corrupt Boot.ini File-

Boot your system in recovery console.

Type chkdsk /p in recovery console to check if drive is bad.

Reboot your system if chkdsk does not find any error.

If you system has same problem after running chkdsk, reboot your system back into recovery console.

Run chkdsk /r to locate bad sectors and retrieve data.

Bad or Unreadable Hard Drive-


If critical data structures, like file system, boot loader, and MBR (Master Boot Record) of your Windows XP, are corrupt, you need to format the hard drive and reinstall operating system to fix the issue.

Then comes the ultimate solution ie formatting but it also removes all the data from hard drive and puts you in need of Windows recovery.

Recovery is potential through advanced and powerful third-party tools, known as Windows data recovery software. They are competent enough to systematically scan entire hard drive and extract as much data as possible from it.

How to Clone Windows Hard Drive without Data Loss?

In order to upgrade you system to a faster and larger capacity mode, you need to reinstall the operating system and the programs on new hard drive. This procedure may cause data loss and there is a need of Windows Data Recovery Software.

But , don't worry there is a solution too. You can create a mirror copy of your hard drive that could easily restore all of your data, programs and even operating system. This method is known as Disk Cloning.

Disk cloning is the process of copying the contents of one computer hard disk to another disk or to an "image" file (also called Ghost Imaging). Often, the contents of the first disk are written to an image file as an intermediate step, and the second disk is loaded with the contents of the image. This is considered as the best way for moving to a larger capacity disk.

Here are some of the uses of hard drive cloning tools:

• Up gradation of Hard Drive : You can use such applications to upgrade to new or larger capacity hard drive. It prevents data loss and need of Windows Data Recovery Software.
• Provisioning new systems : Provisioning with the standard set of software so that you can go away with complete application suite and doesn't need to waste time in installing individual programs.
• Complete system backup : Using hard drive cloning applications, you can create a comprehensive and full backup of your operating system, data and all the installed application software.
• System recovery : Using the disk clone software you can create rescue disk that is used to restore your computer to its original settings after operating system malfunction. This is basically used for operating system recovery.

One thing which should be kept in mind regarding cloning software is that it should be able to access even the protected OS resources. At the time creating a clone the system should be in a working state. The prior OS on the destination drive will be overwritten. The windows data recovery software by Stellar Phoenix , is an easy to use and an effective tool to clone your hard drive . It is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP and 2000