Hi all,

Heres my problem, not sure if this is the right place but daniweb users seem to answer every other question I have so here goes.

I have windows 7 on my laptop. I have a repair disc that I have made from the same machine when it was working. Now after my mum done something to it, it won't start up. So I have put the repair disc in, booted it from the cd, and I have got to the language select screen. Selected it, and clicked to continue. Then it gets to a windows background and does nothing, like it's frozen.

Can anybody solve this one? I'd be so happy to do it myself rather than take it somewhere.

Cheers all

Dani AI

Generated

Given that can reach F2, F8 and F12, the symptom — stopping at the Windows background after language selection — most often points to the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) hanging, missing storage drivers, or underlying hardware problems (disk or RAM). 's thermal observation is noted, but overheating usually causes shutdowns or reboots rather than a static WinRE freeze. 's media concern is one plausible angle; the steps below are intended to separate “bad media/WinRE” from “failing hardware.”

Suggested diagnostic workflow (in order):

  • Boot a known-good external recovery image from the F12 boot menu (a Windows 7 installer USB or a Linux live USB). A different recovery environment will determine whether the problem is the repair image/optical drive or the laptop itself.
  • If an alternate environment loads, copy critical files off the laptop drive immediately and run disk diagnostics (SMART). If the alternate environment also freezes, hardware (RAM, motherboard, or disk controller) is more likely.
  • Reset BIOS to defaults and remove all external peripherals before further tests.

From a working Recovery Command Prompt (confirm the drive letter for Windows first), these commands often repair boot/volume problems:

chkdsk C: /f /r
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows

Notes and cautions:

  • If bootrec finds no Windows installations, the BCD or the disk may be corrupted or failing; chkdsk will reveal bad sectors.
  • Run Memtest86 (bootable) for RAM checks and use SMART tools (via a live USB or by attaching the HDD to another PC) for drive health.
  • If the DVD behaves inconsistently across machines, try a USB installer or an external DVD drive instead of re-burning media.
  • Back up important data before making fixes that write to the disk. If hardware replacement or disk surgery is unfamiliar, professional service is recommended.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

I can also get the f 2 8 and 12 screens open if this is useful

try to check cooling system cause ma laptop vhave the same problems but i solved it by increasing heat think compoud

Maybe the repair disk is corrupted. Try to download a new one from the internet with other computer and burn another repair disk. Additionally, XP repair disk may also work for some basic windows problem.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.