Need help!! Vista 32 home premium wont boot

[brc3404]

Desperately seeking help. I have a laptop with Windows Vista on it. Im trying to get to the recovery console to repair an endless boot failure -loop. The blue screen error  i received when i chose do not reboot from windows advanced boot options screen is unmountable_boot_volume. When i try to boot into safe mode it just stops loading files and nothing else  happens. Last know good config does not work either. Ive set the boot order in bios to cd/dvd first to boot from a vista system recovery disk. Upon restart i press a key to boot from cd rom as message indicates. I get a white loader bar which says loading windows files, when that completes i get a greenish/yellow loader bar that says microsoft. After 1 min or so that disappears and im staring at a black screen that goes no further. I thought maybe i needed a different recovery disk, so a friend of mine sent me an iso  of windows vista. I attempted to boot from this dvd i created successfully with windows disc image burner , and the same thing happens as listed above. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[DaveLembke]

It might be getting hung because the hard drive is sick... do you have a spare hard drive to swap into it? Then boot off of the disc and try to install to this other healthy hard drive? I had a Dell that did exactly what you are explaining for problem with a 40GB IDE HDD. I swapped out the 40GB HDD with a 12GB that I had laying around that was a good drive, but smaller and then i was able to install Windows with no problems, although not much HDD space on a 12GB drive after windows is fully patched.

[brc3404]

Dave,
Thanks for your reply. No such luck with an extra laptop hardrive laying around. Im pretty sure the boot cd/dvd should still get to the windows startup/install screen even if it were the hard drive. I used a few diagnostic programs while running  Hirens boot cd, in which they show the hard drive having 232 of 250 gb remaining. I ran memtest to test the memory, and no errors were found. Any suggestions from anybody on where to go next to get this repair disc to boot all the way up so i can do a repair?

[Allan]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555302

[brc3404]

Thanks Allan. Problem is I can not get to command prompt with or without using a recovery or installation disc. Also, when attempting to load safe mode, or safe mode with command prompt from windows advanced boot options, it loads some of the files and freezes about 20 seconds into it.... Ive done repairs before from a recovery disc with xp, but this is my first go around with vista. Itit wont go any further beyond loading windows files, and then hangs when booting from the cd/dvd?

[patio]

Link to the .iso ? ?

Very may well be why it didn't work...

[Allan]

I suggest you run a diagnostic on the hard drive.

http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 (or http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28744&hl=hard+drive+diagnostic)
Make sure you select the tool which is appropriate for the brand of your hard drive.
Depending on the program, it'll create bootable floppy, or bootable CD.
If downloaded file is of .iso type, use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD (select "Write image file to disc" option), to make the CD bootable.
For Toshiba drives, see here: http://sdd.toshiba.com/main.aspx?Path=ServicesSupport/FujitsuDrivesUSandCanada/SoftwareUtilities#diagnostic

[brc3404]

Thanks for your reply,
https://www.copy.com/s/8odLQ0g4QLBApgyx/Windows%20Vista%20Home%20Premium%20SP2%20(32%20Bit).iso
Ive also attempted with a vista 32 and 64 bit recovery cd i purchased off of ebay. And  last but not least ive attempted the one built into Hirens bootcd, all 3 give me the same result as previously mentioned.

[brc3404]

Allan, thats where the problem comes in. Im not sure of the brand of hd as its a lap top and Ive yet to take it apart. That is my next step if thats the direction it leads me.

[Allan]

You can try SeaTools for DOS and DataLifeguard for DOS and see if either of those work. BTW, removing the cover from the hd drive on a laptop should take you about 30 seconds.

[brc3404]

Okay, my apology as I have little experience with laptops and the hardware layout. I though if I removed the bottom than pieces would go everywhere, making it a nightmare to put back together.

[Allan]

No apology necessary - not an issue.

[brc3404]

Patio did you find anything wrong with the iso?

[patio]

Patio did you find anything wrong with the iso?

Yes...i wouldn't trust it...

[brc3404]

Its from an IT guy I used to work with. Its not from a torrent. Why do you say you wouldnt trust it?