Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Rebuilding BCD store in inaccessible Windows Vista to recover lost data

The BCD (Boot Configuration Data) store in Windows Vista is used to start the Windows system. It contains all the essential system startup options to boot the system. However, when the BCD store gets corrupt because of any miscellaneous reasons, then you would not be able to start the system. In such cases, you should use appropriate measures to rectify the problem. In case, this is also not possible then you should use a third-party partition recovery software to recover all the data from the inaccessible system.

Let us assume a scenario in which you are trying to start Windows Vista but fail to do so. The following error message is displayed in this regard:

“File: \Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc0000034
Info: The Windows Boot Configuration Data file is missing required information”

Cause:

This problem could have happened because of the following reasons:

The Boot\BCD file on the active partition is either damaged, corrupt, or missing.
The Windows Boot Manager (Bootmgr) entry is not present in the BCD store.

Resolution:

To resolve this problem, you should perform the following methods:

Use Startup Repair option: To do this, you should perform the following steps:
Use the Windows Vista installation disc and start the system.
Press any key when prompted to do so.
After selecting the preferences, click Next.
Click 'Repair your computer'.
Select the operating system that you want to repair, and click Next.
Click 'Startup Repair' in the 'System Recovery Options' dialog box.
Restart the system.
Use Bootrec.exe tool: To use the Bootrec.exe tool, perform the following steps:
Use the Windows Vista installation disc and start the system.
Press any key when prompted to do so.
After selecting the preferences, click Next.
Click 'Repair your computer'.
Select the operating system that you want to repair, and click Next.
Click 'Command Prompt' in the 'System Recovery Options' dialog box.
Type 'Bootrec /RebuildBcd' and press Enter. If the command runs successfully, then add the entry to the BCD store.
Restart the system.

If you are still getting that error even after using these methods, then you should reinstall the operating system after backing up the data. You should use a third-party partition recovery software to get all the trapped data from the system. These data recovery tools recover partitions without inflicting any damages to the existing files.

The best partition recovery tool that recovers data from FAT, NTFS, and exFAT file systems is Windows Data Recovery. Recovering more than 185 different file types from various storage devices, this Windows data recovery software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000, and NT4(SP6).

Monday, April 11, 2011

How to recover partition data in Windows XP post unsuccessful Windows Update

Updates are critical for proper functioning of a computer system. Windows Update is a feature that enables users to install the latest updates for Windows operating system as well as all its installed components. Updates provide fixes for some previous bugs in the operating system. They help you make the system secure from various virus or malware programs. Despite of having so many advantages, installing updates sometimes results in serious error messages. This could render your system unbootable and thus, make the data stored on the system partitions inaccessible. To overcome this problem, you need to go for partition recovery through a reliable third party utility.

For instance, you may come across the following error message when you restart your Windows XP-based computer after installing some essential updates.

“OS Loader v4.01
Disk I/O Error: Status 00000001
Windows NT could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
Ntoskrnl.exe
Please reinstall a copy of the above file.”

Cause:
The above error message occurred because the 'Ntoskrnl.exe' file in your system is corrupt.

This would prevent you from accessing the valuable data stored on your hard disk partitions. In such circumstances, you may use a backup to recover partition data. If the backup is missing, you should follow the below mentioned resolution steps.

Resolution:

Follow these steps in sequence to resolve the issue-
Boot the system using the Windows XP installation disc.
Press 'R' to enter the 'Recovery Console'.
Select Windows XP and give the administrator password.
At the command prompt, type the following command:
' expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ c:\windows\system32'

Here, 'd' is the CD ROM drive letter and 'c' is the letter of the drive where your operating system is installed.
Enter 'Y' for overwriting the file.
Type 'exit' and restart the system.

If the problem still persists, you may require to format the partitions and reinstall Windows. Formatting would erase all the contents of your system hard disk, causing you to lose all your precious information. In such situations, you should take help of an efficient partition recovery software to recover back all the lost, formatted data. These software use safe mechanisms to recover the lost documents, photos, videos, emails, etc. from the system.

Windows Data Recovery is a comprehensive utility that recovers any lost, deleted, or formatted data from FAT, NTFS, and exFAT partitions. It creates an exact replica of the hard disk and can support Windows partition recovery of more than 185 different file types. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000, and NT4(SP6).

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

How to resolve disk corruption and perform Partition recovery in Windows 7

Windows 7 startups usually create problems for users by introducing several error messages relating to disk failures, hardware configuration problems, third-party software issues etc. If may happen that your computer stops responding immediately after you switch it on or it may even fail before you log on to your user account. There could be many reasons behind this system behavior, such as system misconfiguration, corrupt drivers, corrupt volume, a virus or Trojan infection etc. In such circumstances, it is necessary to interpret the error message carefully and then try to fix the problem. If your computer fails to startup, you may get into a serious data loss situation. To overcome this problem, you need to go for Partition recovery through a reliable third-party utility.

For instance, your PC is infected with a virus. To remove it, you activate an anti-virus program service on your system and perform a virus scan of the entire hard disk. When you restart your computer the very next time, you may see the following error message on your computer screen:

“A disk must be checked for consistency....”

Cause:

The file system has become corrupt because of unexpected or improper system shutdown. During a shutdown process, the system saves all your data and safely closes all the currently running processes and applications. Due to improper closing of files, the corresponding Master File Table (MFT) or File Allocation Table (FAT) records may get damaged which results in file system corruption.

This would prevent you from accessing the vital data stored on your hard drive. Here, you may use a backup to perform Partition recovery. However, if the backup is missing, you should try to follow the below given steps.

Resolution:
Try the following steps to resolve the issue-
Run the ‘Chkdsk’ command-line utility with ‘/f’ switch to identify and repair any disk related errors
Start the PC using a bootable system disc and perform ‘Startup Repair’ of Windows 7.
If all the above steps fail to resolve the issue, perform a fresh install of Windows 7 operating system.

Reinstalling Windows 7 would delete all the existing contents of your system hard drive. To recover the lost, formatted data in such situations, you should take the help of free download Partition recovery software of a reliable data recovery company.

Windows Partition Recovery is a comprehensive tool that recovers lost, deleted, or formatted data from logical drives or volumes in any instance of data loss. It can perform Windows Partition Recovery of more than 185 different file types.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Risk-free partition recovery software to deal with any instance of Windows partition loss

Microsoft released Windows 7 as an advanced operating system over Vista. At the beginning, many users have witnessed instances of data loss while working on Windows 7. Though, Microsoft has released several patches to overcome such problems, still some unresolved problems do exist with Windows 7, which corrupts your partition. Under such situations, you can use any effective partition recovery utility to recover back the lost or inaccessible data from the troubled partition.

One of many real life issues with Windows 7 is that once you leave your system in hibernate mode, after some time, you may find it hanging at the BIOS screen. The reason behind the issue is that at times, the Windows 7 OS fails to locate the boot partition because of missing boot entry. Moreover, in such a situation, if you run the Windows 7 installation disc, it does not even work or fails to detect the partition.

To your utter dismay, you may even notice a partition named as ‘System Reserved’ with no data in it. This is the partition created by the Windows 7 and the not the partition carrying all your data.

Resolution:

In order to resolve the problem, you need to repair the partition by performing Windows 7 start-up repair with the Windows 7 installation disc. Following steps will guide you through the process:

Boot your computer after inserting the Windows 7 installation disc
Choose the option 'Repair Your Computer'
Choose the particular Windows installation, you need to repair
Choose the option, 'Startup Repair'
Click 'Finish' to restart and begin Windows 7

In most of the situation, the above process resolves the problem and you will be able to access your data back. But, if you are still unable to fix the issue, try the command, 'fixmbr' to fix the problems with the partition.

In some of the instances of severe corruption to partitions, the above process may not work and you need to look for your backup server for any recently taken valid backup. You can make fresh partitions and restore the data from the valid backup. However, if you have not taken any recent backup or failed to restore the data from the backup, you have to run any partition recovery software to recover the lost data back.

Windows Data Recovery is a powerful as yet risk-free utility to recover partition with ease. This deleted partition recovery utility is capable with retrieving the data under any instance of partition loss or corruption. Moreover, the software is absolutely easy-to-use even by the ones with less technical knowledge.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Partition data loss due to incorrect Disk Partitioning in Windows Vista and steps to perform Partition recovery

Disk partitioning is often required by users who want to efficiently manage their operating system files, program files, and user data. In addition to increasing the system performance, it allows the users to go for multi-boot setups. But people often confuse on what tool to use and which partitioning scheme to employ. Windows Vista makes disk partitioning easy by incorporating a built-in disk management utility, which allows the users to format drives, create and delete partitions, resize partitions etc. Incorrect partitioning and resizing give rise to several disk-related errors causing partition inaccessibility and subsequent data loss. To overcome the problem and recover the lost data back, you need to go for partition recovery through a reliable third-party utility.

Let's illustrate a practical scenario. Suppose, you are using Windows Vista-based computer. When you try to shrink or resize a partition on your hard disk using Gparted partitioning software, you may receive the following error message:

“File:\windows\system32\winload.exe
Status:0xc000000f
Info:The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.”

Cause:
You made an attempt to resize the boot partition of your system. This has made 'Windows.exe' file of Windows Vista corrupt.

'Winload.exe' is the boot loader program that is responsible for loading the operating system kernel and device drivers. If this file is damaged, you nay not be able to boot the system. You can still recover partition data through a backup. If the backup is missing, you should follow the below mentioned resolution steps.

Resolution:
Repair Windows installation using the steps given below-
Boot the computer using Windows Vista installation disc.
On the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press 'R' to enter the Recovery Console.
Run the 'fixboot' or 'fixmbr' command at the command prompt.
The computer will automatically restart after the repair process.

If the above resolution fails to fix the problem, you should take help of an efficient partition recovery software. These software are highly secure and easy to use. They have several built-in utilities like cloning, imaging etc. that enable you to create an exact replica of your hard disk. They perform a safe Windows partition recovery of all your lost, deleted, or accidentally formatted data.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

How to recover partitions when the HAL file is missing in Windows 2000

In the Windows systems, the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) is the file that acts as a abstraction layer between the hardware components and the software applications. Its main feature is to hide the hardware parts from the kernel so that it can be used on different types of hardware configurations without much difficulty. Hence, when this file is missing or is corrupt then you would not be able to access the system. In these cases, you should try to fix the problem using appropriate corrective measures failing which you would have to resort to using a third-party partition recovery software to recover partitions in the system.

Consider a scenario in which you are trying to start your Windows XP system but unable to do so. The following error message is getting displayed in this case:

“Winnt_root\System32\Hal.dll missing or corrupt:

Please re-install a copy of the above file.”


Cause:

This error can appear because of the following reasons:

There is hardware failure in the hard drive. Because of this, the mentioned file has corrupted.
The partition path in the boot.ini file is incorrectly set.
The ntoskrnl.exe file is either damaged or missing.
You have not installed Windows XP in the location that is provided in the boot.ini file.
The Default value in the [Boot Loader] section is missing or incorrect.

Resolution:

To resolve this problem, you can perform the following methods according to the given cause, respectively:

You can modify the boot.ini file to correct the [Default] entry. Also, check other directories in the boot.ini file.
You can use the 'bootcfg' utility to modify the boot.ini file in the Recovery Console.
You can use the Windows XP Setup CD to replace the copy of ntoskrnl.exe with the existing file.
For the hardware damage, you should run the 'chkdsk /r' command to scan and fix the disk-related errors.

However, if you still are unable to access the system then you would need to use a third-party partition recovery utility to recover all the inaccessible data. These read-only tools are extremely non-destructive in nature that do not damage the storage media or any files while recovering Windows partitions.

The most reliable partition recovery software that is able to recover data from most storage devices is Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery. Supporting exFAT, FAT, and NTFS file systems, this Windows partition recovery software can also recover deleted emails from MS Outlook and Outlook Express. In addition, this software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000, and NT4(SP6).

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Error message that reads: “Windows could not start because the following file is missing: \system32\drivers\ntfs.sys”

Many times it happens with many people, when startig the Windows XP based computer with NTFS.sys file system, an error message pops up. The error message reads like:

“Windows could not start because the following file is missing:
\system32\drivers\ntfs.sys”

This is a problem with the NTFS partition of your computer. After you recieve the error message, you are unable to start your system any more, hence unable to access any of your data in the computer. This is a pure case of data loss and may require NTFS partition recovery software.

Causes:

You recieve the above error message when, you perform any of the following events:

If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
If you have installed Windows XP SP1 rollup after enabling the hyper-threading have or installtion of another processor to your system. This has occured because as Rollup 1 was released prior to Windows XP SP2, and you have installed rollup after the installation of Windows XP SP2. This should not be be done logically.

Resolution:

The resolution to the above described problem are as follows:

Restart your system afterinsertion of the Windows XP startup disk or Windows XP CD in the respective disk drive or CD drive
When prompted, start the system from the CD drive after selecting any option
To initiate the 'Recover Console', press R when you have the "Welcome to Setup" screen
If your system is a multi boot system, select the required installation you need to access from the 'Recovery Console'
When prompted, provide the 'Administrator password'. In case there is no password, press ENTER
Type the folloing commands in the 'Recovery Console' command prompt and press ENTER after each command
cd system32
ren ntkrnlpa.exe ntkrnlpa.old
ren ntoskrnl.exe ntoskrnl.old
cd "c:\windows\driver cache\i386"
expand sp2.cab -F:ntkrpamp.exe c:\windows\system32
expand sp2.cab -F:ntkrnlmp.exe c:\windows\system32
cd c:\windows\system32
ren ntkrpamp.exe ntkrnlpa.exe
ren ntkrnlmp.exe ntoskrnl.exe
To leave the 'Recovery Console', type EXIT. This will restart your system

Even after performing the above steps, you may not resolve the problem. In such cases, you need a backup to recover your lost data. But in absence of proper backup, you can still recover your data by using NTFS Partition Recovery Software.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Software is one such tool that recovers data from lost, formatted FAT, NTFS, and exFAT file systems. The software also recovers Lost/Deleted data from harddrive, SD card, Memory card, and external drive.