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Windows Vista Problem solving for the Windows Vista Operating System. Please remember to state which edition of Vista you are using - Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate etc. and whether you are using the 32-bit or 64-bit version if you know.

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  #1  
Old February 28th, 2009, 08:38 PM
nayov nayov is offline
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BSOD, how to disable shadowing and caching?

I have a Dell desktop, Inspiron 530S, Vista 32 bit Premium, just a year old. I made the mistake of an improper shutdown (pulled the plug from the wall) and now Windows won't load. Start Up Repair said Unmountable_Boot_Volume and a 'possible solution' is to disable shadowing and caching, but how do I do that?

Also, it didn't come with a recovery DVD. If I get one, is there an option where my data will be saved, or is everything lost no matter what? I know that the built in utiliy will wipe everything clean, so that's a last resort.
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  #2  
Old March 1st, 2009, 11:30 PM
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AnnMarie AnnMarie is offline
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Hi nayov. It sounds like you might have either damaged your boot sector or have corrupted files. We may be able to fix this problem. Can you borrow a Vista Installation DVD from a friend?
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  #3  
Old March 2nd, 2009, 12:09 AM
nayov nayov is offline
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.No, I'll have to buy one. All I need is a generic Vista Installation Disk or does it have to be Dell specific?
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  #4  
Old March 2nd, 2009, 12:30 AM
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AnnMarie AnnMarie is offline
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No it doesnt need to be Dell specific but you need to speak to Dell about this this. They should have supplied you with a Dell installation DVD. See the note on this page.

In the meantime, what options do you have in Start Up Repair? Are you able to access a Command Prompt?
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  #5  
Old March 2nd, 2009, 12:46 AM
nayov nayov is offline
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Yes, I can access Command Prompt...and I've run chkdsk /r to no avail.

Thanks for that link. I'm going to read it shortly. I have to tell you though that I bought the computer at Wal Mart so I'm sure it was a cost cutting move to not include the disc.
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  #6  
Old March 2nd, 2009, 12:58 AM
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AnnMarie AnnMarie is offline
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Have you tried bootrec /fixmbr or bootrec /fixboot? See here for more information.
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  #7  
Old March 2nd, 2009, 01:40 AM
nayov nayov is offline
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bootrec /fixmbr results were "The operation completed successfully."

bootrec /fixboot results were...nothing.
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  #8  
Old March 2nd, 2009, 03:15 AM
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AnnMarie AnnMarie is offline
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And I take it, you are still getting the error message?

If so, you are going to need to talk to Dell and obtain your Vista Installation DVD. Once you have it, you can try an Upgrade Installation. This shouldn't affect your existing files and programs. See here.
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  #9  
Old March 3rd, 2009, 02:25 AM
nayov nayov is offline
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I now have the DVD that came with the computer (turns out I had it all along!). I ran it but the Upgrade option is "disabled" and the other only option is a clean install which of course will wipe everything out.

Dell tech support said I'm sunk, but I wonder if they just said that to get rid of me in the shortest amount of time. So...are they right?
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  #10  
Old March 3rd, 2009, 02:32 AM
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AnnMarie AnnMarie is offline
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You can try slaving your drive to another computer and see if you can retrieve your data that way and then do a clean install.

If you need help with this, post a new topic in the Hardware Forum.

Alternatively, you could take it into a repair shop and aks them to try and retrieve your data for you.
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  #11  
Old March 11th, 2009, 01:00 AM
nayov nayov is offline
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Thanks, Dell Tech determined that it was a bad hard drive so they are sending a new one to me.
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  #12  
Old March 11th, 2009, 02:21 AM
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AnnMarie AnnMarie is offline
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Thanks for the update nayov. I hope you were able to recover your data.
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  #13  
Old March 19th, 2009, 01:26 AM
nayov nayov is offline
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Smile

Oh wow, this computer is running beautifully now. No more crashes or anything of the sort unlike before. I did a 'stress test' by loading a whole bunch of open windows (in 'tabs') that while it maxed out the CPU to 100% (according to the gadget i added in Sidebar) it did not crash. I used to curse Vista, but turns out that it, Vista, was not the problem but a bad/dying hard drive was the real problem. Consider too that i have a run-of-the-mill Dell (Inspiron Desktop 530S) purchased at Wal Mart.
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  #14  
Old March 19th, 2009, 06:23 AM
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AnnMarie AnnMarie is offline
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Excellent.
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