Vista won't start after sata driver update

One for all the windows bashers to get their teeth into no doubt...

Acer Aspire 5100, all working fine until last night.
Attempted a driver update offered via win update, this failed.

This morning, laptop won't boot, system recovery does not work and
factory/driver recovery is on a partition on the hard drive. (No DVD/CD
included. grrrrr)

I can get to a command prompt.

I could do a factory reset. (but I don't want to lose all my data)
I used to have the option to recovery drivers from here, but can't seem
to get to this...

Vista cannot find my backup (I do have another partition that i can get
most stuff of, but not emails, settings etc)

Is there a way I can "roll back drivers" from the command prompt?

Cheers
Southern Kiwi

 

This was your error...hardware drivers via windows update is a big no no...

Pass....do let us know....one day I will have vista...of course 2~3
years from now it will be stable...

:/

regards

Thing

 

Another thought, can I "re install" just the system files? I can't see
how automatically, but could i copy the original hd drivers?

I can navigate the c: via command prompt, could I copy the program files
directory to the D: partition then copy it back after the factory reset?

If so what is the syntax? copy c:\program files *.* d:\ ? will this
get the sub directories?

 

If you can get to the Windows advanced startup menu (F8 key on boot) you
might have a shot by selecting the option to "use last known good
configuration". This rolls backs the registry and driver entries to the most
recent settings that worked.

 

Southern Kiwi wrote on 8/23/2007 5:43 PM:

I don't know if you have sufficient drivers at the c
prompt to copy to a cd, but if so that would be the
best way to go, or some other item off of the
computer, like a usb hard drive, or to another
computer via network.

Wayne Sallee

 

impossible wrote on 8/23/2007 6:17 PM:

Yep, you definitely want to try that if you haven't
yet done so.

Wayne Sallee

 

It's the associated system registry entries that you need -- the ones
overwritten by the bad driver "update" -- and these can only be recreated
successfully with a complete system recovery or repair reinstallation.

Just salvaging your installed program files won't work, because you'll be
losing all the system registry entries for those programs when you
re-install Windows.

Assuming here that nothing else has worked for you yet by way of recovery,
maybe you should concentrate on saving your data files -- "My Documents",
email, bookmarks, etc. From a command prompt, use:

xcopy Source Destination /s /e

Other xcopy options are documented here:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/xcopy.mspx?mfr=true

 

Thanks for that, working my through xcopy now :-(

 

If Last Known Good doesn't work, can you get into Safe Mode? If so,
you should then be able to remove the offending driver (or rollback to
prior to the driver install).

1. Restart the PC.
2. As soon as the boot up begins, press the F8 key. It's more
successful if you tap continually at F8 until the Advanced Boot
Options menu appears
3. If you receive a "keyboard error" message, reboot the PC and start
again. .
4. Using the arrow keys select Safe Mode if it is not selected.
5. Select Safe mode and then press Enter.

 

Ended up xcopying everything i could, did a factor reset, then restored
a week old backup off another partition.
(the restoration from backup was a pita, didn't get account settings,
emails etc)
manual copied emails, favorites etc back.

Now to clean up all the double ups and crap.....

Cheers Skiwi

 

nah, I'll just try to convert you

try booting knoppix (or other linux live CD) if you can see the data
using that maybe you can get it out of that box over the lan.

or put the hard disk in an external enclosure...

Bye.
Jasen