Never got Windows to boot again, just had to wipe and re-install
So I was never able to get my Bootcamp Windows 8.1 install to boot again or get it to repair, so i finally just used. Bootcamp Assistant to wipe the partition, and re-partition.
So I was never able to get my Bootcamp Windows 8.1 install to boot again or get it to repair, so i finally just used. Bootcamp Assistant to wipe the partition, and re-partition.
So after coming up yesterday and me running utilities, Windows needed to restart to fix Registry issues, and I never got it back up. It would not let me re-install over the old partition, and it would not let me do anything that would fix it, and the problems seemed to get worse until it is totally tanked, I am going to have to re-install. Activation will require a call to microsoft, but hopefully it will work, and they will let me re-install. Might be a problem because it is an OEM version, but those have to be re-installed.
What a total pain in my ass! I am mean seriously, I can’t believe how they make it to repair windows if there is a problem! The tied down OS is really such a pain. With Mac I can easily use another hard drive with another system install on it and run repairs at least.
So after I ran the utilities Smart PC Care on Windows it needed to restart to finish fixing the registeries, and the computer got caught in a restart loop to Windows install dvd. I zapped the PRAM a couple of times to try and reset the startup disc, but that didn’t work, so i also reset the SMC, buy that didn’t work so I had to open the computer to eject the dvd from the tray and then the computer wouldn’t start at all.
So I tried the whole re-install the system and it said that the USB Windows 8.1 was not right, so I was not able to use it, though I don’t know why. They are both Windows 8.1 Professional 64 Bit installs.
I then tried the command line, but ‘sfc /scannow’ failed and wouldn’t work. So I did more googling and tried ‘bootrec /fixmbr’ to fix the Master Boot Record and it quickly said it succeeded. Still I restarted into Mac and made a Windows 8.1 install DVD in my Parallels install and set the restart disc to it, to try to use repair off of it, but amazingly when I restarted it restarted into my Bootcamp, which seems to be working fine now.
I plan on running Smart PC Care on it, but it isn’t starting now, so I am going to re-install it and run some utilities, just as soon as my NVIDIA GeForce Experience update finally manages to finish! Then I am installing my CalDigit drivers so I don’t kill BootCamp if I happen to have something installed in it. And then I am making a backup DVD so I can try and repair from that.
I am actually amazed that there are no Utilities to run from a second hard drive installed in your Windows PC to fix another install. I guess it is finicky about that, but I easily boot into my Parallels, so I could run a Utility on my BootCamp install, but am not allowed to.
Well so far today my USB is working, and I have put my Microsoft Trackball Explorer Back in. Let’s hope it keeps working.
So I tried to boot into my Windows 8.1 Bootcamp Partition and it was a no go. Showed the green windows window then went black and restarted back into Mac.
I think the problem is that because of my USB issues I had moved my keyboard and mouse to the USB 3 Ports of my CalDigit SATA and USB 3 PCI card, but I have not installed drivers as of yet in Windows. It was fine without them before because I never plugged anything in, but without the drivers, it sure was not happy, and would not restart. So I need to make sure to install those drivers if and when I get Windows working again.
Now I am lucky in that I also have a separate Windows 8.1 Parallels install, for those times when I don’t want to fully boot into Windows, or do anything Graphics intensive. With that I was able to use a USB Key to create a recovery partition, and let it run it’s utilities to fix Windows, but they didn’t work, neither the auto fix or going to a backup.
So then i downloaded the Windows 8.1 Setup program to try and create an ISO so I could have a Windows 8.1 Installer and wipe my drive except my data (a pain, but I don’t have that much installed), but I ran into another problem. The program only works with a Windows 8.1 Serial number, not a Windows 8 serial number, though it was a free upgrade to 8.1! WTF!
Luckily with a little google searching I was able to download the Windows 8.1 ISO thanks to PC Advisor. You basically have to download the Windows 8 Install program, and enter your license number, and get it to start downloading, then quit the program. Then from the same link download the Windows 8.1 installer and run it, and it won’t ask for your serial. When the program finishes you can either make a USB by clicking install by creating media, or create an ISO, which you can use multiple times.
To do the ISO to a USB stick you need to download the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, and install that, and point it at the ISO you saved. Once that is done you need to copy a file to it as explained by PC Advisor or it will make you use the same serial number as the one you used to download, instead of whatever one was used for your install (since I have 2 installs).
Once Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool finishes, it is time for me to try again. I will restart into Windows with the Recovery Partition in, and tell it to re-install but keep my data, and will insert my painfully created USB stick with the Windows 8.1 Installer, and then it is time to re-install all of my programs! YIPEE! And I have had to use a 3rd USB key to use Boot Camp Assistant, to redownload the latest Bootcamp drivers so I can get my mac working once Windows does a mostly clean install!
Will update and let you know how things go.
In the last few days I have been having USB freezes on my Mac, where all my USB ports seem to die, and only a restart can fix the issue. I had thought it was my beloved Microsoft Trackball Explorer that was causing the issue (as it has been known to cut in and out), and so I detached it and switched to my Kensington Trackball explorer that I bring to work, and it seemed OK today. Sure last night I had to use TechTool and restart into my emergency drive, and run diskwarrior, but I figure that is par for the course after a few hard resets. Anyway, the problem happened again today, and I decided to try something different, since I have a CalDigit USB 3 and SATA card, I tired plugging my Kengsington and Keyboard into that, and low and behold those ports still worked. Now I was in the process of rebuilding my iPhoto library, so I didn’t restart, though I should have as the computer totally hung up shortly thereafter, but I did have time to look at a System Report.
The system report was telling, as it showed all of my USB devices, but still showed my trackball and Microsoft Keyboard connected to the USB 2 port as well as the USB 3 port. Hoping it is not a hardware issue, I decided to reset the SMC, by disconnecting power for a minute, and then reset the PRAM 3 times as I restarted. So far so good, but it usually is after a restart.
Hopefully it is OK now, but we shall see.