Unable to reinstall Windows 10 - Multiple Problems

Taciturn · 13 Sep 2020

To provide a summary:

1.) My laptop is a Asus X551CA. On September 5, my laptop randomly crashed. I was browsing the internet when the computer began to freeze, and when I used ctrl/alt/delete to restart the computer, that did not work. After waiting 15 minutes, the screen went black displayed an Blue screen error message win32kfull.sys as the error code.

Unable to reinstall Windows 10 - Multiple Problems-september-13-2020-windows-error-win32kfull.png

2. Since that abrupt shutdown, the computer was stuck in a Automatic Repair loop. The repair would not finish for me, and at times would go to a 0xc000000e code.
3.) I tried to access my system restore file through the Windows RE screen, but I received a message to scan C: for errors. When trying to scan for errors through the System Restore option, the status bar would not move despite waiting for an hour or two.
4.) I then used sfc/scannow and later chkdsk /f /r c: - Neither option worked for me. The sfc scan would reach 100% and say Windows resource protection could not perform the requested operation and chkdsk will say

x:\windows\system32>chkdscciopijjn
chkdscciopijjn is not recognized as an internal or external commend program or batch file

Unable to reinstall Windows 10 - Multiple Problems-img_20200908_031344.jpg

5.) Chkdsk would since not finish scanning for me, and was taking two days to scan. I later tried to reinstall Windows 10 via USB, but during the first try the screen was blinking after the installation process finished. Then the screen restarted to disk repair minutes after. If I skip the repair scan, I will see either the Critical_Process_Died error or a 0xc00000e9 code. I have tried to allow the disk repair to finish, but the computer would restart every time on Stage 2. I tried to reinstall Windows 10 again thinking an problem occurred while installing, but now I see a message "Windows Setup could not reinitialize the deployment engine. To install Windows, restart the installation."

Unable to reinstall Windows 10 - Multiple Problems-september-13-2020-windows-setup-could-not-reinitialize.jpg

I have used SeaTools for DOS which could not find my hard drive, and currently is using HDDScan to hopefully find what is wrong. I did purchase a new hard drive thinking my current HDD has failed, but I want to restore this hard drive since I could not back up my files before this happened. Is there a way to finish the Windows 10 installation or access the hard drive to retrieve my files if the HDD is beyond repair? I can not access the hard drive currently, as when connected to my other computer I will be asked to format first.

NavyLCDR · 13 Sep 2020

You can try a USB to SATA adapter, but it sounds like the old HDD is just toast.

Taciturn · 13 Sep 2020

NavyLCDR said:

You can try a USB to SATA adapter, but it sounds like the old HDD is just toast.

Thank you for commenting, though I do have my usb to sata connected to scan my hard drive with HDDScan. I am trying to find ways to either complete the Windows 10 install or save my files before they are gone. May I ask please if you know a way to save my files if I can not finish the installation?

Ghot · 13 Sep 2020

Taciturn said:

Thank you for commenting, though I do have my usb to sata connected to scan my hard drive with HDDScan. I am trying to find ways to either complete the Windows 10 install or save my files before they are gone. May I ask please if you know a way to save my files if I can not finish the installation?

IF the hard drive is dead/dying, which it sounds like it is, then stop doing things with it. Replace the HDD in the laptop, install Win 10 on the new SSD or HDD, and then put the old HDD in an external enclosure. You may be able to get some of your files off of it.

If you keep trying to access the HDD or re-install Windows on it, in the laptop... you probably will finish killing it.

/e As @zbook said... you could also use another computer to access the dead/dying drive... if it's still accessible at all.

zbook · 13 Sep 2020

If you can boot a flash drive please comment in the thread.

If you cannot boot a flash drive either move the drive to an empty bay of another computer or borrow / purchase a HD enclosure
https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Enclosu...node=160354011

If you can boot a flash drive then tools can be created on a working computer that may be able to backup important files.

Taciturn · 14 Sep 2020

zbook said:

If you can boot a flash drive please comment in the thread.

If you cannot boot a flash drive either move the drive to an empty bay of another computer or borrow / purchase a HD enclosure
https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Enclosu...node=160354011

If you can boot a flash drive then tools can be created on a working computer that may be able to backup important files.

I apologize if I am confused, but do you mean can I boot up with a usb with my hard drive? If so, yes I can access the Windows RE and I do have my old backup laptop. Do I have to use a HD enclosure as you and Ghot recommends? To save my files, I do not mind buying

- - - Updated - - -

Ghot said:

...

I can connect the hard drive to my other laptop, but I can not access the files. I receive a message every time to format to use the hard drive. I was going to try to find a program to recover files like Recuva, but I will try a HD closure first

zbook · 14 Sep 2020

Please perform the following steps:

1) Find 2 or 3 flash drives that you can format (> or = 8 GB)

2) Make tools that can be used to recover important files, test the drives, and troubleshoot

3) On a working computer create:

a) a new bootable windows 10 iso 2004:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10
Download Windows 10 ISO File
Download Windows 10 ISO File
Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10
Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10

b) bootable Ubuntu flash drive:
Create a bootable USB stick on Windows | Ubuntu tutorials
Create a bootable USB stick on Windows | Ubuntu
Linux to the rescue! How Ubuntu can help a computer in distress | PCWorld

c) a Sea Tools flash drive:
SeaTools | Seagate Support US

4) Plan:
a) backup all files by booting Ubuntu / Linux
b) test the drive using Sea Tools
c) if the drive fails the long generic test > replace the drive
d) if the drive passes the long generic test > troubleshoot or clean install

Pejole2165 · 14 Sep 2020

Agree with above advice to stop trying to use the disk until you can use a working computer to access it with recovery tools, every attempt to write to the disk increases the chance of overwriting/ destroying existing data, every start up of the disk runs the risk of finishing it off for good if it is a hardware issue.
Once you can access the disk from a caddy, enclosure, second PC, I would suggest making a forensic copy of the disk using Macrium or similar app before trying to recover files if the data is important to you.
As for recovery you could try Testdisk from TestDisk Download - CGSecurity, people have had quite some success using it to recover data. I am sure if you wait a little while this thread will be updated with more suggestions.

Ghot · 14 Sep 2020

Taciturn said:

I can connect the hard drive to my other laptop, but I can not access the files. I receive a message every time to format to use the hard drive. I was going to try to find a program to recover files like Recuva, but I will try a HD closure first

You want to connect the HDD to another computer, so you can try to access it, w/o trying to boot from it. If there isn't another computer available, then you will want to use an external enclosure.

The point here, is quit trying to boot from or install Windows on a dying hard drive. It's much easier to recover data from a drive acting as a storage drive, than a drive acting as a Windows drive.

Translation...
If you keep trying to "fix" that hard drive, you are going to kill it so dead, that you won't ever be able to get data off of it. You need to put that drive in a computer where it WON'T be the boot drive. Then you MIGHT be able to retrieve some of the data, with a program like Recuva.

/edit

We've all been there. Our first inclination is to FIX whatever is causing the problem. Sometimes though, NOT trying to fix something is the better choice.