Vista Won't Boot Up From Hard Drive; File Missing/Corrupted

Vista Won't Boot Up From Hard Drive; Winload.exe File Missing/Corrupted

I reinstalled Vista (same version) on an SSD, after it failed to boot. I can still access the drive and currently have it connected as a 2nd internal drive.

At first, it was an avgsomething file located in the same the directory \Windows\System32\drivers
I tried to remove it using by booting into Ubuntu however the weird thing was, it said that certain file the avg something file had an input/output error on that file, and it wasn't vissible, and then nothing would show in the folder.

Now, it justs the \Windows\System32\drivers\winload.exe

What I did was I renamed the drivers folder to 'drivers.old' and copied the drivers folder from the same copy which was on an SSD. However, I have a reinstall of Vista on the same SSD.

I don't know if what I said helps,
Everything shows in the drivers folder, except the avgsomething file. I don't know what happened to that, however I successfully removed it from another drive, without the error.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    N/A; Custom Build
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe
    Memory
    2GB DDR2 (800MHz) (2x1GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    PCIE: Nvideo GeForce G310
    Sound Card
    Integrated: ADI 1988B 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER AL1916 LCD Display
    Screen Resolution
    1280:1024 (4:3)
    Hard Drives
    Silicon Power 120GB SDD (SATA)
    PSU
    Retail Plus+ RP-PS55-550W
    Cooling
    AMD Heatsink
Unfortunately I think that you have damaged your install too much. You just don't go deleting any files that you didn't create unless you know that you don't need it. However there are recovery options that you can try. Repair Vista Options - Preferred Sequence
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
I booted up Vista Home Premium install and went into recovery, however the drive isn't listed when it brings up the screens for drives to repair, if you know what I mean?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    N/A; Custom Build
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe
    Memory
    2GB DDR2 (800MHz) (2x1GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    PCIE: Nvideo GeForce G310
    Sound Card
    Integrated: ADI 1988B 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER AL1916 LCD Display
    Screen Resolution
    1280:1024 (4:3)
    Hard Drives
    Silicon Power 120GB SDD (SATA)
    PSU
    Retail Plus+ RP-PS55-550W
    Cooling
    AMD Heatsink
That means that it isn't detecting your installation so you will probably have to do a repair install or a clean install.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
The avgthing is AVG anti-virus.

Since you can still access that drive, I suggest first wiping it so it has no files and partitions before you try to install. Also, check in the BIOS to make sure the drive is set to ACHI.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium 64 bit SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    Cyberpower
    CPU
    Intel Quad CPU Q6700 2.67 GHZ
    Motherboard
    NVIDIA 780i
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 560 TI Twin Frozr
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster SB Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VG2436
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    Samsung HD 105SI
    WDC WD20
    Case
    Apevia XJupiter
    Cooling
    air
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX 3200
    Mouse
    Logitech MX 600
    Internet Speed
    30 Mbps
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