Error 0xc0000135 - windows not starting loop,

Cat24 · 22 Jan 2016

Hello, I need help with my computer which is a HP Envy 700, operating on windows 10. I think it's 64 bit but I'm not 100% sure. I'm using my tablet to post this, sorry if there's any typing mistakes, its hard to type on it.

Everything has been fine until I switched it on this morning. I switched it on then went off somewhere, came back to see it was running a disc check and then I got a blue screen saying my computer had ran in to a problem and needed to restart.

It goes into a loop, of not being able to start up. It won't even load in safe mode. I've tried a system restore but the only date it will reset to is the day before. This fails, it says the restore file is damaged or something.

My housemate looked at it, only had him for an hr before he had to go out but he pressed a key as the computer was starting up, and set something so that the computer would start up using(?) a USB, on this USB he put an installation file for windows 10. He tried to run a repair off this USB and tried to run the repair (which would not delete my files). Annoyingly this didn't work, I've lost the page, but it said in order to do this, youd have to run windows normally. Which we can't do.

He says the last thing he can try when he gets back is to install Linux and save the files I want to keep using that, and then format the computer. It didn't sound like he thought that would work though.

If anyone can give me any advice, that would be great thank you. I have lots of work I can't lose.
Thank you!!

(Sorry, Im not good with computers, tried explaining the best I could)

Also, thought I should add that I upgraded to windows 10 a few months ago, keeping all my original files, I didn't format my computer.

dalchina · 23 Jan 2016

Hi, in those circumstances, the first thing I'd do would be to try check the disk and then back it up. (Note: your attempt to restore failed, suggesting possible disk corruption).

You can do that using - for example- a windows installation disk, boot from that, select Repair this PC, and navigate to a command prompt., and then use chkdisk on the appropriate drive or partition.

If chkdsk is clear, or you've used it to repair the disk, then I'd
create an image of the disk
using e.g. Macrium Reflect (free), booting from its boot disk or USB flash drive, to an external storage medium.

That creates a full backup of everything from which you can extract files without worrying which you haven't backed up.

If chkdsk fails and can't repair the disk, then you're down to what you can copy off the disk using an external boot disk, for example, or extracting the disk and connecting it to another PC.

(You may wish to try that if you can't access the disk when in your laptop in case sthg is wrong with your laptop).

There are plenty of threads on the forum about being stuck in a repair loop which you can read, however I think you may need to deal with recovering your data (if you haven't been in the habit of using disk imaging regularly- which everyone needs to use to preserve the state of their PC, their sanity and make a complete backup) first.

Once you know the state of your disk (you can check its SMART parameters using a program on a boot disk for example - Passmark does one (free)), then you can decide what to do with it.

Cat24 · 23 Jan 2016

Thank you for your reply.

We set up a bootable windows on a usb, and set up the BIOS so that it would run that first from start up. It did, but when we tried to run a repair, it said it was unable to, something to do with incompatibiliy. It said we had to run it by starting windows normally, which we cant do. The custom setting would erase all my files.

We tried the disc checks, I can't remember what we did further with this.

We managed to load an older version of windows 10, think it was called windows home.

From this, we got another blue error page which said,

"The operating system couldn't be loaded because a critical system driver is missing or contains errors/

File:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\avgboota.sys
Error code: 0xc000000f"

We searched for the AVG related error, and found that someone had managed to load their windows by selecting option 8 in the start up settings, which was 'Disable early launch anti-malware protection'. I tried this using the older version of windows and got the loading page whcih appears just before the user log in page, (closest id gotten) but it stayed loading and I got an error related to my wacom tablet (which was not plugged in).

I click but it keeps returning and stays on the loading page. I've tried leaving it for over an hour.

Through the re imaging options, I've found that I can see all my files from my d drive when it gives me the option to search manually for the device. Does this mean my files definitely aren't corrupted? Or atleast likely not all of them are?

I'm going to try and do the re-imaging tomorrow when I take my PC home as I'll have another PC to download things, my housemate is bored of downloading things using his computer.

Thank you for your help, any more would be greatly appreciated!

dalchina · 24 Jan 2016

Good that you ran chkdsk- obviously there's sthg wrong with your OS partition at least.

"We managed to load an older version of windows 10, think it was called windows home. "
- not sure what you mean by this.. load windows? install? Not worth trying to repair or install Windows until you've backed up your date and sorted out disk problems / decided if your HDD is any good still.

Basically there are two editions of Win 10, Home and more expensive Pro. (Ok there's an Enterprise edition too.. forget that).
There are two basic builds of Win 10 available to the public.. 10240, the first public release, and 10586, the 'November upgrade' also known as TH2 or 1511.

Your first priority is to make a backup of any key data if you haven't already got one.

Assuming D: is a separate partition, if you can see files there, it means the partition structure is intact, but it doesn't mean there isn't some corruption. Without running chkdsk, we don't know.

I don't know where you keep your personal data- by default, alas, MS encourages people to put personal data on the same disk/partition as the OS - a fundamentally and seriously bad idea. (And programs often create folders in 'documents', 'videos' library folders - by default on C: )

See if you can use disk imaging first - however it may fail because of disk corruption in which case then run
chkdsk <drive> /F
and see if it can fix the partition's file structure
and then try disk imaging again.

If that fails, manually copy key data as backup.

You should use disk imaging periodically for basic maintenance, to preserve your PC's state and your sanity, and allow recovery in- typically- under an hour.

If you can get chkdsk to succeed, by all means try rebooting just to see what happens- but I think you may be unlucky.

Cat24 · 25 Jan 2016

Hey,
What I ended up doing was downloading Macrium Reflect to a USB and running that off the problem computer. I then was able to transfer the files I wanted to save by hand, (I knew what I wanted and did not want so it didn't take long).
That's exactly what I wanted to be able to do so thank you for recommending to me that free program. I then reset the PC to factory settings, this was fine with me as I had my personal files (which were working fine!) and everything else which I'd saved on a USB pen.
I'm going to try and use the disk imaging, I would've used it instead of transferring the files but I didn't have a portable hard drive with enough space and I was in a hurry to get the files, (I need to get on with work).
Thank you for your help again.