Windows 8 OS broken

Cubz

Member
Member
Messages
19
Location
England
I have a Dell Inspiring 15r and yesterday it started running extremely slow. I realised that installed software had restarted the laptop while it was in the middle of an important windows update. After a few attempts to fix it I'm stuck with nothing.

Now when booting up I get to a screen telling me the OS needs repairing. I downloaded and created a Windows 8 disk so that I could repair windows. However, due to it being UEFI I am unable to do this. I have tried booting in legacy but the repair disk doesn't seem to know where to locate my OS. I've tried a refresh and automatic repair with no such luck. From the repair disk, I tried to run system restore but it tells me to restart and choose the OS, however there is no option to do this.

I could do a Dell factory reset, but I have very important files on my laptop that if lost would loose me my job.

Please could someone advise me how to repair my laptop, or backup files before a reset.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
Backing up your files is the most important thing at this point.
Back up your files

If unable to get into Windows, I'd suggest trying one of these links: https://www.google.com/search?q=bac...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
The most important thing to backup is your Users folder - that'll contain most (if not all) of the data on your system.

Thank you. I only need to backup a few documents. I've just realised I can use hirens boot CD to backup lol

I was hoping to find a way of repairing windows rather than having to spend alot of time reinstalling windows 8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)
Once you have the documents backed up - then you can try different things to repair the OS.
Without the backup - each repair step that you take could erase your data.

I'd start with these free, bootable diagnostics: Initial Hardware Diagnostics
Depending on the results of that, then I'd suggest obtaining the drivers for the storage controller on your system (so you can load them at the "Load driver" prompt in Startup Repair.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
I've tried every repair I can think of. Nothing seems to work.

When in repair menu, the main OS hard drive doesn't seem to be recognised. However, running a dell diagnostics test reveals the hard drive working perfectly fine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)
Contacted Dell, they are sending out a Windows 8 Disk. Thanks for your help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)
Now i've bumped into another problem.

I've loaded Mini windows xp on Hirens boot cd, but don't seem to be able to locate the main hard drive, again it is definitely working as diagnostics shows it working fine. I am also in legacy mode as that is the only way I could get hirens boot cd running.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)
It sounds like you don't have the drivers for the hard drive controller.

I'm uncertain if you have the RAID or the AHCI version, so try each (they have similar filenames, so it must be done one at a time):
RAID: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...rsion=Windows 8, 64-bit*&DownloadType=Drivers
AHCI: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...rsion=Windows 8, 64-bit*&DownloadType=Drivers

Extract the appropriate version (probably the ones that end in ...f6flpy-x64.zip to a CD or a flash drive
Then, when given the option to load drivers, point it at them and see if it loads.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
It sounds like you don't have the drivers for the hard drive controller.

I'm uncertain if you have the RAID or the AHCI version, so try each (they have similar filenames, so it must be done one at a time):
RAID: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...rsion=Windows 8, 64-bit*&DownloadType=Drivers
AHCI: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...rsion=Windows 8, 64-bit*&DownloadType=Drivers

Extract the appropriate version (probably the ones that end in ...f6flpy-x64.zip to a CD or a flash drive
Then, when given the option to load drivers, point it at them and see if it loads.

That seems very plausible, i'll give it a shot. Cheers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)
Well it seems like once again another problem has arose. Upon powering up, the laptop takes about 5 minutes just to boot past the Dell logo. Then when it eventually gets to the Windows 8 installation setup, it just continuously stays black with a cursor in the middle.

I wish they kept things as simple as they used to be, i'd have it fixed by now!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1Pro - Finally!!!
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Samsung/NP780
    CPU
    Came with the laptop (i7 of some sort)
    Motherboard
    Pretty sure that it has one, but haven't checked inside the case!
    Memory
    upgraded to 12 gB from 8 gB
    Graphics Card(s)
    has switchable - Intel/ATI - Used wrong drivers, now ATI card is inop :( Will have to fix it soon!
    Sound Card
    I'm nearly deaf, so this isn't used often
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touchscreen on laptop/32" Toshiba on HDMI (laid the Sharp TV on a mouse and cracked the screen!)
    Screen Resolution
    800x600
    Hard Drives
    One Samsung 1tB drive - 5400 rpm. Gonna switch to a 7200/10000 rpm or an SSD (if I can find $500 for a 1tB SSD!)
    - Switched to 500 gB Samsung 840 series SSD - WOW!!!
    PSU
    Why do we ask this for laptops?
    Case
    Silver with a neat Samsung logo
    Cooling
    sub-par, gotta get around to working on it soon Worked on it - still sub-par! :(
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural - the same one I've used since it orignally came out around 1995
    Mouse
    no Mouse - Trackball!!!!
    Internet Speed
    too slow when I'm waiting for a download to finish
    Browser
    Yes, I use this (Firefox mostly, w/IE next most)
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
    Other Info
    I'm handsome and a snappy dresser :0)
Sorted now. Thanks to everyone that helped :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Home Premium
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15r (N5110)
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