Windows Vista Cannot Boot!

[Hashime]

My friend called me today with this error, the system tried to auto repair, which failed, and cannot boot into safe mode. The final read out I get Identifying the problem is:
Problem Signature
Problem Event Name StartupRepairV2
1. System Disk
2. 6.0.6000.16386.6.0.6001.18000
3. 6
4. 262148
5. BadPatch
6. BadPatch
7. 0
8. 3
9. WrpRepair
10. 2
OS Version= 6.0.6000.2.0.0.265.1
Locale ID= 1033

He allowed windows to auto update over night and found his computer like this in the morning. (I've told him off before yet he still continues)
He cannot find the recovery disks but his computer has a built in recovery partition, and the laptop manufacturer did not supply a copy of windows.
Data loss isn't an issue but avoiding it is preferable.
Could any tech savvy people around the site lend a hand?
Thanks!

 

[Hashime]

Any Ideas guys? (the Canadian guys, which applies to both genders)

 

[Wicky_42]

Any idea how to use the recovery partition? Sounds like your best bet, but you're going to loose his data.

You could hook the hard drive up to your own comp as a second drive, and see if you can access the data on it - if Windows has corrupted then that should work. That would, at least, allow you to save data.

If you have a copy of the install disk for the same OS you could try the system repair function on the disk - could repair corrupted files.

Otherwise, if you don't have the install disk and valid license key, you're a bit stuffed. Contact the laptop manufacturer and get them to sort it out - or download a copy of the OS. You've already bought the license, it's hardly stealing now, is it?

 

[Hashime]

Good point, I had a feeling this had no easy solution

 

[zakski]

download ubuntu as an iso, burn it onto a cd, set up the dead computer to boot from the cd. run ubuntu off the disk, this will then allow you to remove any data via usb sticks

 

[jasoncyrus]

snip

My question is wtf is wrong with his hardware or what questionable software is he using that is making it do this with an overnight update. I do those all the time with big updates and nothing like this has ever happened to me.

It does however sound like a fragged HDD to me.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Corrupt OS or failing hard drive.