[matt1211001]

hi, my computer has been wrong for awhile now and keeps on restarting and going onto the blue screen....now when i try to load it , it gets so far and then just restarts the starting process.

i tried to re-install vista but when i get part way through the installation it says there isnt enough volume in the hard drive ( which i noticed had 3 partitions in it).

if there is any way of fixing this problem then help would be greatly appreciated... thank you

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Before trying to reinstall vista you could have tried the repair option to see if that fixed it. However, during the installation you have to select where you would like to install vista, you have the option to delete partitions but by doing so you will lose all your data. Delete the partitions you dont need and then install vista.

[hendaz]

Before trying to reinstall vista you could have tried the repair option to see if that fixed it. However, during the installation you have to select where you would like to install vista, you have the option to delete partitions but by doing so you will lose all your data. Delete the partitions you dont need and then install vista.

[SRX660]

Matt, Welcome to Geeks To Go.

When you are booting up the computer keep hitting the F8 key until you can see this screen.



Then pick the last known good configuration by using the arrow keys to highlight it., then click the enter key. It may take a while but it may bring your OS back.

If that does not work, please do the same F8 thing except this time pick safe mode. Once in safe mode you will :

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Advanced tab.

3. Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog box.

4. Clear the Automatically restart check box, and click OK the necessary number of times.

5. Restart your computer for the settings to take effect.

Now when you go to shut down and a fatal error occurs, you'll at least see it and it won't cause an automatic reboot. You still have to sort out what's causing the problem. You can look up the error message here.

http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.php

You can post the message back here to see if we can help.
If none of the above works you may have to find a Vista DVD and do a check disk with it.

Windows Vista - Running Checkdisk from a Boot CD/DVD

If Windows will not boot in either normal or safe mode, there may be a problem with the file system on your hard drive, or the hard drive itself. Microsoft provides a utility, checkdisk, that can help determine the state of your hard drive.

CAUTION: Please make sure your important data is backed-up on an external storage device
(such as a CD, DVD, or external hard drive) before attempting this procedure. DoIT assumes no
liability for data loss that occurs as a result of this procedure.

1. You must boot from the Vista installation or recovery disc that came with your computer.
insert your Vista installation DVD and then restart the computer.
2. If you are prompted to Press any key to boot from CD or DVD... do so. If you do not
press a key before the message disappears, the computer will not start using the CD or
DVD.
3. After your computer has booted from the disc, select your language and the press Next.
4. Click on Repair your computer.
5. You must choose the operating system that you would like to repair. For most users there
will only be one option listed. Select the operating system you wish to repair and click Next.
6. The System Recovery Options will then appear. To run checkdisk, you must click on Command Prompt.
7. A black window will appear. This is the Command Prompt.
#In order to run checkdisk to repair the hard drive, you should type the following:
chkdsk C: /r
and press Enter. If Vista is installed on a drive besides the C: drive, you should replace C: with the appropriate drive letter.
8. Checkdisk will now run. The scan may take several hours to complete.
9. When the scan is complete, a report will display. Write down any errors on the report and post them here.
10. To leave the System Recovery tool and reboot your computer, type exit and press Enter.
Remember to eject your Windows Vista CD or DVD before your system tries to boot from it.

Hopefully chkdsk will fix your problem. If even chkdsk does not fix your computer, you will need to save as much data as you can to another computer or CD's/DVD's and then do a reinstall of the system on your computer. For now lets try these thing to see if your system will come back.

SRX660

Edited by SRX660, 27 August 2008 - 07:33 AM.

[SRX660]

In your Personal message to me you stated:

also when i try to install vista it has now changed and now shows only one hard drive which i could install vista on, this is called " Drive 0 unallacated space" and when i select that drive it says that i am not able to because there isnt enough volume, which i thought was strange as it showed that there was 298gb of free space.

What has happened is that you have apparently Fdisked your hard drive. This has left you with a single partition large unallocated drive. A unallocated drive just means it has not been formatted in any type of file system, like NTFS, or FAT32.


Format A Partition Using The Vista DVD

You can format a partition using either the Disk Management Console or you can use the Windows Vista DVD to achieve the same result.

To use the Vista DVD proceed as follows:

1/ Switch on your PC

2/ Quickly insert the Vista DVD into your CD/DVD-ROM drive

3/ A message will appear asking you to 'Press any key to boot from CD/DVD

4/ Press any key

5/ A black screen will now appear with a progress bar along the bottom. The legend say's 'Windows is loading files'

6/ After the files have been loaded the Language screen will appear.

7/ Select your language from the list and press Next

8/ At the Installation screen press the Install Now button

9/ The product key window will now open

10/ Type your product key number into the available box and then press OK

11/ The End user Licence Agreement now appears. You 'must' accept this to continue

12/ The next screen to appear is 'Where do you want to install Windows'

13/ At the bottom of this window you will see an option marked Drive options (Advanced), click on this option

14/ In this Window select 'unallocated space' from the list of partitions and then click New

15/ A size box will now appear under the New option

16/ Type the size of the new partition into this box (or simply accept the default), then click the Apply button

17/ The new partition will now be created.

On the 16, i personally like to partition a 40 gig partition for Vista OS and programs, So i will make the partition that size and then install Vista on it. Later i will go into computer management>disk management and format the rest of the drive into a DATA partition where i will put all data, pictures, files, and everything else but the programs on.

Then you clean install Vista.

http://www.theelderg...nstallation.htm

SRX660