PC Won't Boot into Windows 7

[solidterry]

A couple of weeks ago I was away from my Acer Aspire ATC-605 PC for a couple of hours and when I returned there was a message in the lower-right hand corner of the screen that I'd never seen before that said something like "Super AntiSpyware has found a trojan and...." Before I could finish reading the rest of the message, my PC suddenly shut off by itself and I've been unable to reboot it ever since.

I'm using Windows 7 Pro 64 bit and I'm getting the 0xc000000d error message when I turn the PC on ["An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data."]. I learned about the Hiren Boot CD, downloaded it and used the Rufus app to put HBCD on a USB flash drive, but the computer doesn't seem to recognize the flash drive even though I adjusted the BIOS to boot the computer from the USB device [or Removable Device]. It just keeps giving me this message: "Reboot and Select proper Boot Device or Insert Boot Media in selected device and press a key." I've already done that and I keep ending up back at that screen with that message.

Don't know what else to do. I need to rescue the files I worked on before my last backup. The SuperAntiSpyware trojan message that began all this might have been a coincidence. I also use MalwareBytes and ZoneAlarm antivirus software. I've already tried opening the computer and dusting inside and re-seating things to no avail.
Can anyone help?

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

Hi, SUPERAntiSpyware is not at all recommended, now what it did it messed up with the boot manager thinking that it's a threat. Boot manager is what helps in pc boot. You need to fix the boot manager, now I don't use HBCD so can't tell how it works. But use a more professional way to fix it. Download windows 7 from Microsoft site, it will be Enterprise edition or you can go to getintopc.com and find windows 7 ultimate. Now the flash drive, I will suggest you see YouTube to find how to create a bootable flash drive using cmd and not any other third party tool. Once you created the bootable flash drive and transferred windows files, boot it.

This is just the first step, second will tell you where you will fix bootmgr using cmd through that flash drive, but before that I wanna know whether you actually can do all this so far or not.


And don't worry about the files, they are right there, unless it's encrypted.

Sent from my ASUS_X01AD using Tapatalk

 

[solidterry]

Your detailed answer is very much appreciated. I will try your suggestion. Please excuse my ignorance on this, but when you say to download Windows 7, do you mean to download it to another computer and maybe transfer it to the flash drive since I can't download it to the broken computer?

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

Your detailed answer is very much appreciated. I will try your suggestion. Please excuse my ignorance on this, but when you say to download Windows 7, do you mean to download it to another computer and maybe transfer it to the flash drive since I can't download it to the broken computer?

Yes, download it to another computer. Or you can use windows disk if you received one with the pc. If not download it from this link
is.gd/swin10123
This is for windows 10 but it will work to fix windows 7.
Follow this. (no cmd process required here)
1-connect flash drive and know the drive letter.
2-download windows media creation tool used NG that link.
3-open it and click next and go with the option to download iso, next chose create USB and make sure it selects the same drive letter of your flash drive.
4-it will automatically create the bootable windows flash drive and will remove previous files, so make sure your flash drive is empty.
5- once procedure completes take the flash drive and connect it to the other faulty computer and see if it's booting or not.

Try this and update us.

 

[solidterry]

Will do. Much obliged!

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

Make sure the computer you USING to create the bootable flash drive is MBR disk and not GPT, use this link to identify. If it's MBR proceed. https://www.isumsoft.com/it/check-if-a-disk-uses-mbr-or-gpt-partition-in-windows-10/

 

[solidterry]

Make sure the computer you USING to create the bootable flash drive is MBR disk and not GPT, use this link to identify. If it's MBR proceed. https://www.isumsoft.com/it/check-if-a-disk-uses-mbr-or-gpt-partition-in-windows-10/

Both drives on my Windows 10 laptop are GPT it turns out. I do have another desktop I haven't used in a few years which has Windows 8 on it, if I remember correctly. I suppose I could dust it off, hook it up and see if it has an MBR disk, unless you have another suggestion.

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

Download windows iso file using the link I gave you to the local hard disk, let's say on desktop. That will be windows 10 iso file. Download Rufus, run it as administrator and in partition scheme chose MBR instead of GPT. Rufus is used to create bootable flash drive, you will chose iso file from the desktop and create bootable flash drive in MBR. Once created check if the flash drive booting or not.

 

[solidterry]

Download windows iso file using the link I gave you to the local hard disk, let's say on desktop. That will be windows 10 iso file. Download Rufus, run it as administrator and in partition scheme chose MBR instead of GPT. Rufus is used to create bootable flash drive, you will chose iso file from the desktop and create bootable flash drive in MBR. Once created check if the flash drive booting or not.

Well, I just tried and it didn't work. Pretty much same result as before with the same message: Reboot and Select proper Boot Device or Insert Boot Media in selected device and press a key." I don't know if it matters, but I had to download the windows 10 iso file to my download folder instead of desktop and then ran Rufus, selecting from the download folder.

 

[syed shahzad haider]

Attach your hard drive to another machine and copy the data first. if the disk is not showing any data format it and use any recovery software to rescue the data.

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

Goto boot options and select USB from their if you see it. Do switch ports if nothing happens in your pc for flash drive.
Boot options,
1- press power button to turn the pc on
2-keep on hitting F12 continuously right after pressing power button.
3-you would see Boot options, select the one with USB by up and down arrow keys, and enter.
See if you get it there, if you don't see boot options with F12 try F9, F10, DEL or ESC key one by one.
If usb doesn't boot, USB is not bootable. Let me know than I will tell how to create it bootable in detail.

No need to remove hard disk, and do not format the hard disk. Your data has nothing to do with this.

 

[solidterry]

Goto boot options and select USB from their if you see it. Do switch ports if nothing happens in your pc for flash drive.
Boot options,
1- press power button to turn the pc on
2-keep on hitting F12 continuously right after pressing power button.
3-you would see Boot options, select the one with USB by up and down arrow keys, and enter.
See if you get it there, if you don't see boot options with F12 try F9, F10, DEL or ESC key one by one.
If usb doesn't boot, USB is not bootable. Let me know than I will tell how to create it bootable in detail.

No need to remove hard disk, and do not format the hard disk. Your data has nothing to do with this.

On my computer the delete key is the one thath takes me to the BIOS Setup Utility where the Boot Options screen is.

Goto boot options and select USB from their if you see it. Do switch ports if nothing happens in your pc for flash drive.
Boot options,
1- press power button to turn the pc on
2-keep on hitting F12 continuously right after pressing power button.
3-you would see Boot options, select the one with USB by up and down arrow keys, and enter.
See if you get it there, if you don't see boot options with F12 try F9, F10, DEL or ESC key one by one.
If usb doesn't boot, USB is not bootable. Let me know than I will tell how to create it bootable in detail.

No need to remove hard disk, and do not format the hard disk. Your data has nothing to do with this.

Thanks! Now we're starting to get somewhere. I made it to the Windows screen where you choose your language, so I chose English and I'm at the Windows Setup screen now where I'm given the choices to Install Now or Repair your Computer.

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

Nice, on this Install now screen, we will only work on a black window called cmd, and don't click on any option.
1 - Open CMD, hold down shift and press F10
2- Once you see the black window, type in these commands and press enter on every command.
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /rebuildbcd
bootrec /scanos

You should be seeing command completed successfully message, once done all four, restart your PC. And let me know the status.

 

[solidterry]

Nice, on this Install now screen, we will only work on a black window called cmd, and don't click on any option.
1 - Open CMD, hold down shift and press F10
2- Once you see the black window, type in these commands and press enter on every command.
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /rebuildbcd
bootrec /scanos

You should be seeing command completed successfully message, once done all four, restart your PC. And let me know the status.

I clicked on Install Now thinking it would take me to the black screen. Was that a mistake? I'm now at a Windows Setup screen that prompts me to Select the operating system you want to install which has six Windows 7 Ultimate options to choose from.

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

I clicked on Install Now thinking it would take me to the black screen. Was that a mistake? I'm now at a Windows Setup screen that prompts me to Select the operating system you want to install which has six Windows 7 Ultimate options to choose from.

DO NOT INSTALL

you can still use shift +F10 to get the black screen or on top you will see back arrow click that to go back.

 

[solidterry]

Thanks! I'm at the black screen now. I will type in the commands.

 

[solidterry]

DO NOT INSTALL

you can still use shift +F10 to get the black screen or on top you will see back arrow click that to go back.

After executing the 3rd command (bootrec /rebuildbcd) I'm given the message "Successfully scanned Windows installations. Total identified Windows installations: 1. Add installation to boot list? Yes(Y) / No(N) / All( (A)"

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

After executing the 3rd command (bootrec /rebuildbcd) I'm given the message "Successfully scanned Windows installations. Total identified Windows installations: 1. Add installation to boot list? Yes(Y) / No(N) / All( (A)"

TYPE IN A and Enter

 

[solidterry]

TYPE IN A and Enter

Okay, I've executed the commands and restarted the computer and Windows looked like it was gonna start, but it's just a blank black screen now. Should I have removed the flash drive from the USB port? Also, should I have changed the BIOS back to not boot from the USB?

 

[Jack-TheTechnician]

Okay, I've executed the commands and restarted the computer and Windows looked like it was gonna start, but it's just a blank black screen now. Should I have removed the flash drive from the USB port? Also, should I have changed the BIOS back to not boot from the USB?

Yes, do all that you just said