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[SOLVED] Winload.exe missing

Will, after installing the driver to the thumbdrive, the same error occurs. Would need another method to reformat the drive.
 
Hi Hugo459440,

Sorry for the delay. I'll hopefully have some new instructions for you shortly. Do you have access to another Vista computer by any chance?
 
Hi Hugo459440,

We'll use an alternative Linux distro, called Puppy Linux. This is slightly larger, so may take a while to download depending on your connection, but you should be able to load the distro fine. The steps are broadly similar to last time, but with some alterations. Please ensure you read the instructions carefully, and follow each step as written.

Download http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/unetbootin-windows-latest.exe & http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/puppylinux/puppy-5.2.8/lupu-528.005.iso to the desktop of your clean computer


  • Step 1
  • Insert your USB drive
  • Press Start > My Computer > right click your USB drive > choose Format > Quick format
  • Double click the unetbootin-windows-latest.exe that you just downloaded
  • Press Run then OK
  • Select the DiskImage option then click the browse button located on the right side of the textbox field.
  • Browse to and select the lupu-528.005.iso file you downloaded
  • Verify the correct drive letter is selected for your USB device then click OK
  • It will install a little bootable OS on your USB device
  • Once the files have been written to the device you will be prompted to reboot ~ do not reboot and instead just Exit the UNetbootin interface
  • After it has completed do not choose to reboot the clean computer simply close the installer
  • Remove the USB and insert it in the sick computer
  • Boot the Sick computer
  • Press F12 and choose to boot from the USB
  • Follow the prompts.
  • A Welcome to Puppy screen will appear. Wait for Puppy to load fully.

    ---------------------
  • Once you see the desktop, ignore the preferences and networking windows that will appear. You can safely close these.
  • At the bottom left hand corner of the screen, double click on your Windows partition. This is most likely sda2, but you may have to try several. You should see all the folders present on your C:/ drive if you have the correct partition.
  • To navigate through folders, click only once. You may need to wait for the files to fully load at each step.
  • Click Windows > System32 > Boot
  • You should now see winload.exe - right click on this and select Copy.
  • A copy location should now appear. Carefully delete the /boot/ section of the folder location. The location should now end with /Windows/System32/winload.exe
  • Select Copy. If you are prompted to overwrite the existing file, select Yes.

    ---------------------
  • Next to the partitions, you should see a USB icon. Most likely this will be labelled sdb1, or sdc1. Make a note of the drive name.
  • Access the partition directly before the Windows partition. This is most likely sda1, but you are trying to find the /boot/ folder when you first open the drive. Make sure you are not accessing the USB drive by mistake, as this will also have a /boot/ folder.
  • Once the folder has loaded, you should see a file labelled BCD near the bottom.
  • Right click on BCD and select Copy.
  • You will now need to change the location. Change this to /mnt/sdb1/BCDbackup
    Note: sdb1 should be changed to the name of your USB drive.​
  • Select Copy.

You can now exit Puppy Linux. Click Menu < Shutdown. Remove your USB drive and restart your computer. Are you now able to Boot, or are you still encountering the same error?

Step 2

  • Remove the USB drive and insert in a clean machine with Internet access
  • Zip the BCDbackup file to BCDbackup.zip
  • Please attach this file in your next reply.
 
I could not find a Windows folder, just a Windows.old folder and I copied the winload.exe from there. I'm sure thats wrong but had no other choice.
Computer still the same, probably due to that error
I assumed I had to save the session and I saved the file in my thumbdrive. Its a lupsave.2fs, Filesystem : ext2

Gonna try and find the file again. Will give a reply
 

Attachments

I have a $WINDOWS.~BT , $WINDOWS.~LS , Windows.old and Windows.old.000 file.
I copied both winload to windows.old and windows.old.000.
Tried to copy it the windows/system32/winload.exe (as stated in the windows boot manager) but that copy failed so i just copied both to their respective folders

Computer still unable to load
 
Just discovered that windows.old.000 is part of the original C Drive. Some of my files are in there, including the user and windows file I'm supposed to access. Right now I copied the winload.exe but still no change. Here the BCD
 

Attachments

Hi Hugo459440,

Looks like one of the installation attempts didn't automatically restore after failing. Please check the exact filepath of the Windows.old folder. Is it /mnt/sda2/windows.old? Can you also take a look at your Windows Vista installation disc and check for scratches.
 
The path is /mnt/sda1/windows.old
The other one is /mnt/sda1/windows.old.000/windows
The first path is for a previous restore point if I'm not wrong, from when I did the first Vista installation
The second path is the one which I suspect is the current windows file for my C Drive.
The Installation disc has quite a few scratches. Might be the reason why it can't run. Must be due to the laptop CD drive malfunctioning.
 
I just searched for the file. Winload is in the path /mnt/sda1/Windows.old.000/Windows/System32/winload.exe so it should be correct. The folder that is causing the problem is Windows.old.000 I think? Cause the original path should be without it?
 
That's correct, the Windows folders are now in the wrong folder after attempting to re-install. Usually these are automatically replace if an install fails, but it looks like it didn't get that far. Check if the following folders exist on sda1:

sda1/Windows
sda1/Program Files
sda1/Program Files (x86)
sda1/Users
sda1/Documents and Settings​

  • If any of these folders exist, append .vista to the end of the folder name.
  • Right click on Windows.old.000/Windows, select copy, and move the location to /mnt/sda1/Windows
  • Once you've done this, copy Program Files, Users and Documents and Settings using the same method.

Once you're done, remove your USB and reboot the computer. Are you able to get any further into Windows now?
 
I have program data and $Recycle.Bin. Renamed both with vista also.
Cant find Program Files (x86), Documents and Settings
 
Hi Hugo459440, after copying the files over to the correct location you're still seeing the "Winload.exe is missing" error message? When you tried to re-install Vista, did you get as far as the Windows logo? At what point did the install fail?
 
Yep. Its the windows boot manager page.
I'm not sure what you mean by the second part. Is it the first install or this time when I put the disc in?
 
Hi Hugo459440,

I mean when you put the disc in, how far does it get before it stops? Take a look at the following article, scroll down to "Access the Windows Recovery Environment from Windows Installation Media". If you're able to boot into the recovery options, there are a couple more steps we can try.
Windows Recovery Options

You may also want to try making a new copy of the installation disc. You will need to create an ISO file of the CD, you can do this on a working computer using ImgBurn or a similar tool. Your working computer may be able to read the disc well enough to create a working copy.
 
Ok this is what I did. I got the computer running but not sure for how long. I basically moved the Windows folder to sda1, while renaming the other windows folder Windows1. I don't get the winload missing error anymore.
However when I try to log in, this happens : The user profile service failed the logon
 
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