4. Resolving Restart or Shutdown Issues
The normal way to shut down or restart Windows 7 is to
click Start, click the Options button to the right of the power and lock
buttons, and then click Restart or Shut Down as appropriate. There are
times, however, when Windows 7 won’t shut down or restart normally and
you must resolve the problem that is preventing the operating system
from shutting down or restarting. To resolve shutdown or startup
problems, follow these steps:
Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to display the Windows screen and then
click Start Task Manager. If your computer doesn’t respond and
you’ve waited a sufficient amount of time for it to recover by
itself or complete any pending tasks, press and hold the computer’s
power button to force a shutdown.
In Task Manager, click the Application tab, as shown in Figure 5. Look for an
application that is not responding. If all programs appear to be
running normally, skip to step 5.
Click the application that is not responding, and then click
End Task.
If the application fails to respond to the request, you’ll see
a prompt that allows you to end the application immediately or
cancel the end-task request. Click End Now.
Try shutting down or restarting the computer. Press
Ctrl-Alt-Delete, click the Shutdown button or click the Shutdown
Options button (the arrow to the right of the Shutdown button), and
then click Restart.
If the preceding steps don’t work, perform a hard shutdown by
pressing and holding the computer’s power button or by unplugging
the computer.
NOTE
If you force the computer to shut down, the Windows Error Recovery screen should be displayed
automatically the next time you start the computer. You then have the
option of starting the computer in one of several Safe Modes or using
normal startup. After you start your computer, you may want to run
Check Disk to check for errors and problems that might have been
caused by the hard shutdown.
5. Recovering from a Failed Resume
When your computer enters sleep mode or hibernates, Windows 7 creates a snapshot of the current
state of the computer. With sleep mode, this snapshot is created in
memory and then read from memory when you wake the computer. With
hibernate mode, this snapshot is written to disk and then read from disk
when you wake the computer. Windows Resume Loader handles both the sleep
and the hibernate operations.
Your computer may have a problem with resume for a variety of
reasons, including errors in the snapshot, physical errors in memory,
and physical disk errors. If there is a problem resuming after waking
the computer, Windows Resume Loader will prompt you with a warning
message similar to the following:
Windows Resume Loader
The last attempt to restart the system from its previous location
failed. Attempt to restart again?
Continue with system restart
Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot.
Enter=choose
This prompt gives you two options for resuming:
If you select “Continue with system restart,” Windows Resume
Loader will attempt to reload the system state again. If you select
“Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot,” Windows Resume
Loader will delete the saved state of the computer and restart the
computer. Although a full restart will typically resolve any problem,
you’ll lose any work you hadn’t saved before the computer entered sleep
or hibernate mode.
6. Repairing a Computer to Enable Startup
Windows 7 includes the Startup Repair tool (StR) to automatically detect
corrupted system files during startup and guide you through automated or
manual recovery. Once started, StR attempts to determine the cause of
the startup failure by analyzing startup logs and error reports, then
attempts to fix the problem automatically. If StR is unable to resolve
the problem, it restores the system to the last known working state and
then provides diagnostics information and support options for further
troubleshooting.
When you install Windows 7, a Window Recovery Environment (Windows
RE) partition is created automatically. Because of this, note the
following:
If your computer fails to shutdown properly, the Windows Error Recovery screen is shown automatically
the next time you start the computer. You then have the option of
starting the computer in one of several Safe Modes or using normal
startup.
If your computer fails to start, the Windows Error Recovery
screen is shown automatically the next time you try to start the
computer. You then have the option of running the Startup Repair
tool or using normal startup.
If the Windows RE partition has been corrupted, you
won’t be able to access any of
the repair tools. To safeguard your computer against this possibility, you can create a
System Repair disc as discussed in Section 21.3.8. |
|
You can manually launch the Startup Repair tool by following these
steps:
If the computer is running but has started with errors, click
Start. On the Start menu, click the Shut Down options button and
then click Restart.
During startup you can access the Windows RE, press F8 to
access the Advanced Boot Options screen. If the computer has
multiple operating systems, you’ll see the Windows Boot Manager
screen; select the operating system to work with, and then press
F8.
On the Advanced Boot Options menu, use the arrow keys to
select Repair Your Computer, and then press Enter.
The computer will load the Windows RE. In the System Recovery
Options dialog box, select a language and keyboard layout, and then
click Next.
To access recovery options, you need to logon using a local
administrator account. Select the local administrator to log on as,
type the password for this account, and then click OK.
In the System Recovery Options dialog box, note the location
of the operating system, and then choose Startup Repair.
The Startup Repair tool checks for problems preventing your
computer from starting. If problems are found, the tool tries to repair
them to enable startup. The automated troubleshooting and repair process
can take several minutes. During the first phase of the repair, you can
click Cancel to exit.
If Startup Repair doesn’t find common problems, you see the “Do
you want to restore your computer using System Restore?” dialog box.
Clicking Restore starts System Restore. Clicking Cancel returns to the
startup repair process and the Startup Repair tool will attempt to make
repairs using advanced techniques. During this advanced phase, you may
not be able to click Cancel to exit the repair process.
If Startup Repair is successful, your computer will start. If
Startup repair was unable to find or correct problems, you’ll see a note
about this and will be able to send more information about the problem
to help Microsoft find solutions in the future. Select the option to
send or to not send information to Microsoft. You’ll then return to the
Startup Repair dialog box.
To access advanced repair options, click the related link and
follow the procedure discussed in the next section, Section 21.3.7, to continue
troubleshooting. Otherwise, click Finish. You may want to disconnect any
external devices that you’ve recently connected to your computer and then try to start your
computer again. Otherwise, ask your network administrator for help or
your computer manufacturer.
Corrupted system files aren’t the only types of problems that can
prevent proper startup of the operating system. Many other types of
problems can occur, but most of these problems occur because something
on the system has changed. Often you can resolve startup issues using
safe mode to recover or troubleshoot system problems. When you are
finished using safe mode, be sure to restart the computer using a normal
startup. You will then be able to use the computer as you normally
would.
You can restart a system in safe mode by completing the following
steps:
If the computer is running but has started with errors, click
Start, then click the Options button to the right of the power and
lock buttons, and click Shut Down.
Start the computer. During startup, press F8 to access the
Advanced Options screen. If the computer has multiple operating
systems, you’ll see the Windows Boot Manager screen; select the operating
system to work with, and then press F8.
Use the arrow keys to select the safe mode you want to use and
then press Enter. The safe mode option you use depends on the type of
problem you’re experiencing. In most cases, you’ll want to use one
of the following options:
- Safe Mode
Windows loads only basic files, services, and drivers
during the initialization sequence. The drivers loaded include
the mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, and base video. No
networking services or drivers are started.
- Safe Mode with Networking
Windows loads only basic files, services, and drivers
during the initialization sequence. The drivers loaded include
the mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, and base video.
After the initialization sequence, Windows loads the
networking components.
- Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Windows loads basic files, services, and drivers, and
then starts a command prompt instead of the Windows 7
graphical interface. No networking services or related drivers
are started.
- Last Known Good Configuration
Windows starts the computer in Safe Mode using registry information that
Windows 7 saved at the last shutdown. Only the HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC) hive is loaded. This registry
hive stores information about the hardware configuration with
which you previously and successfully started the
computer.
If a problem doesn’t reappear when you start in Safe Mode, you
can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers as
possible causes. If a newly added device or updated driver is
causing problems, you can use Safe Mode to remove the device or
reverse the update.
If you are still having a problem starting the computer
normally and you suspect that problems with hardware, software, or
settings are to blame, remain in Safe Mode and then try using System
Restore to undo previous changes.
7. Recovering Your Computer Using Windows RE
When you install Windows 7, a Window RE partition is created
automatically for your computer. You can use Windows RE to repair the
computer by following these steps:
During startup, press F8 to access the Advanced Boot Options
screen. If the computer has multiple operating systems, you’ll see
the Windows Boot Manager screen; select the operating system to use
and then press F8.
On the Advanced Boot Options menu, use the arrow keys to
select Repair Your Computer, and then press Enter.
The computer will load the Windows RE. If the Windows RE fails
to load, see the following section, Section 21.3.8, for more
recovery information.
In the System Recovery Options dialog box, select a language
and keyboard layout, and then click Next.
To access recovery options, you need to log on using a local
administrator account. Select the local administrator to log on as,
type the password for this account, and then click OK.
In the System Recovery Options dialog box, note the location
of the operating system, and then choose a recovery option:
- Startup Repair
Launches the Startup Repair tool to repair problems that
are preventing Windows from starting.
- System Restore
Runs System Restore so that you can restore Windows to
an earlier point in time.
- System Image Recovery
Allows you to recover Windows using a system
image created previously.
- Windows Memory Diagnostics
Runs Windows Memory Diagnostics so that you can
check for memory problems.
- Command Prompt
Opens a command prompt so you can work with the
commands and tools available in the recovery
environment.
When you cannot recover Windows any
other way, your final recovery option is to reinstall Windows 7. Before
you do this, try to repair the computer by using Startup Repair and
System Restore. If these repair techniques do not work, you should try
to recover the computer using a system image.
8. Safeguarding Your Computer from a Corrupted Windows RE
If the Windows RE partition has been corrupted or removed, you
won’t be able to access any of the repair tools. To safeguard your
computer against this possibility, you should create a System Repair disc. The repair disc contains a boot image
that allows your computer to access a Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) that
includes a Boot Manager and generalized Boot Configuration Data (BCD). The disc also includes
tools for automatically fixing the boot sector on your computer’s system
volume.
To create a repair disc, follow these steps:
In Control Panel, under the System and Security heading, click
the “Back up your computer” link.
On the Backup and Restore page in Control Panel, click “Create
a system repair disc” in the left pane.
When prompted insert a blank CD or DVD into your computer’s
read-writable CD/DVD drive and then click Create Disc. If your
computer has multiple read-writable CD/DVD drives, you can specify
which drive to use.
After Backup and Restore prepares and creates the recovery
disc, click Close and then click OK. Eject and label the disc
“Repair Disc Windows 7 32-bit” or “Repair Disc Windows 7 64-bit” as
appropriate.
The repair disc is architecture-specific but not necessarily
computer-specific. Typically, you can use any 32-bit repair disc to
repair any 32-bit Windows 7 installation and any 64-bit repair disc to
repair any 64-bit Windows 7 Installation. So if you encounter a problem
and aren’t able to access the recovery tools on your computer, you can
create a repair disc on another computer with the same architecture as
yours and then use this disc for recovery.
To use the repair disc, insert the repair disc into your
computer’s primary CD/DVD drive and then boot your computer from the
disc. You then be able to access the recovery environment as discussed
previously under Section 21.3.7. If your computer
doesn’t allow booting from a disc, you’ll need to change the boot
options in firmware and then repeat this step.
9. Recovering Your Computer from Backup
System image backups contain all the information needed to
recover the Windows operating system. This means system image backups
contain your programs, any files used by the operating system, all
drivers, and all registry settings. You can use a system image backup to
recover the operating system and your programs to the point in time the
backup was created.
You can recover the Windows operating system using a system image
by following these steps:
If the computer is running but has started with errors, click
Start. On the Start menu, click the Shut Down options button and
then click Restart.
During startup you can access the Windows RE, press F8 to
access the Advanced Boot Options screen. If the computer has
multiple operating systems, you’ll see the Windows Boot Manager
screen, select the operating system to work with, and then press
F8.
On the Advanced Boot Options menu, use the arrow keys to
select Repair Your Computer, and then press Enter.
The computer will load the Windows RE. In the System Recovery
Options dialog box, select a language and keyboard layout, and then
click Next.
To access recovery options, you need to log on using a local
administrator account. Select the local administrator to log on as,
type the password for this account, and then click OK.
In the System Recovery Options dialog box, select System Image
Recovery, and then click Next. Follow the prompts to recover the
operating system.
10. Reinstalling Windows 7
When all else fails and you cannot recover Windows in any
other way, you can reinstall Windows 7. This procedure follows the same
steps you would follow if performing a clean install of the operating
system. Reinstalling Windows 7 will result in the loss of all user
settings and programs. After reinstalling the operating system, you will
need to reconfigure the computer and reinstall your applications.
