chkdsk loop in Vista Home Basic

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Petes_IT

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Hi

I have a clients Compaq Presario C700 Laptop which is in a continuous loop of chksdk. On startup it says the usual "one of your disks requires checking" thing, checks the C: drive, says there are no problems, reboots and starts the loop again.

If I stop chkdsk and attempt to load windows it says that it is configuring updates: stage 3 of 3 - 0% complete. After a while it shuts down and the loop starts again.

I've tried booting into safe mode but it stalls once \windows\system32\drivers\crcdisk.sys is loaded.

I then tried booting from the vista install disk and running system restore, but it wont allow the restore because there are errors on the drive. I ran chkdsk again. Still no go.

Also tried startup repair, found errors and says it fixed them but on reboot, back to the dreaded loop.

I booted from UBCD and ran chkdsk /r , it found and repaired errors but on reboot I was back to the loop.

Client says she was on facebook and the computer shut down suddenly. Seems to me that it was in the middle of an update at the time and this caused the problem.

I dont really want to reformat so any help you can give would be great.

Thanks
Pete
 
Last edited:
Go ahead and dismount. I've never lost any data as a result of doing this. I'm sure you probably have an image anyway, so if it fsck's up you can go back to square one.
 
Petes_IT said:
Hi

I have a clients Compaq Presario C700 Laptop which is in a continuous loop of chksdk. On startup it says the usual "one of your disks requires checking" thing, checks the C: drive, says there are no problems, reboots and starts the loop again.

If I stop chkdsk and attempt to load windows it says that it is configuring updates: stage 3 of 3 - 0% complete. After a while it shuts down and the loop starts again.

I've tried booting into safe mode but it stalls once \windows\system32\drivers\crcdisk.sys is loaded.

I then tried booting from the vista install disk and running system restore, but it wont allow the restore because there are errors on the drive. I ran chkdsk again. Still no go.

Also tried startup repair, found errors and says it fixed them but on reboot, back to the dreaded loop.

I booted from UBCD and ran chkdsk /r , it found and repaired errors but on reboot I was back to the loop.

Client says she was on facebook and the computer shut down suddenly. Seems to me that it was in the middle of an update at the time and this caused the problem.

I dont really want to reformat so any help you can give would be great.

Thanks
Pete
Click to expand...

The update/reboot problem is actually quite common, there are many threads on Google about this. In your case it *sounds* like you might also have a hard disk problem, making the reboot problem moot.

Rick
 
Thanks Rick. I googled the problem before I came here. No real solutions that I could find

Something I didnt mention before, I get an error message 0000000000.CDF-MS when I stop chkdsk from running. According to Vista Forums these codes seem to relate to a file renaming issues as part of windows updates.
 
ACG said:
I've got an idea. How about checking the hard drive to see if it's bad. My money is on that its bad, and NO, I don't mean a chkdsk, even though so far, according to your results on that, I would have pointed the finger at the HDD long before.
Click to expand...

Yep - either bad HDD, or bad RAM causing corrupt data on the HDD.

This morning I had a Vista machine that was stuck in a reboot loop after a RAM upgrade. It was starting the boot and rebooting at crcdisk.sys. Removing the mismatched RAM fixed the problem.
 
It sounds like the disk is going bad. Throw the disk into another computer, run chkdsk /r after backing up all data and then you may have to do a repair install. In my experience you can fix individual corrupted files one by one and waste a lot of time. While the disk is in another computer, test the disk with HDDscan and see if it passes. Any green, orange or red sectors and your disk is going bad. If you start getting bad sectors, then you don't have much time. You can still use that disk, but it could last a year, one month, or one day. If you need reliability, then replace the disk. If the original isn't too bad, you can image it over and then do the repair install.
 
Thanks, i have run a quick scan on the hard drive using HD tune and it came out OK. I drilled the client for more info. Someone turned off the laptop by holding down the power button when it wasnt responding. I'll do a complete test now
 
Done helping? What am I too much of a newbie?? Dont bother answering any of my future posts if thats your attitude.

Thanks to everyone else. A Full scan using HD tune on UBCD came up clean. I think its just corrupted and a clean install will do the trick.
 
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I dont want this to go on for ages. No, I'm not a noob and I wasnt looking for an easy answer. Clearly after hours of trolling the web before I came here, an easy answer wasnt to be had. I ended up searching again and found the answer. Now I am done with that issue.

Angry Geek, no I havent found a way to clear the dirty bit. Lots of research has got me nowhere. Any help on that front would be great.

Peter
 
Hi Larry

See my post above on 09-11-2009, 04:00 PM. Theres a link to microsoft re the update loop. No solution to the chkdsk loop yet.

Here is the part I used

Method 3: Rename the Pending.xml file, and then edit the registry
Notes Read the following important notes before you use this troubleshooting method. Use this method to resolve the restart symptom that is described in the "Symptoms" section so that you can back up data before you reinstall Windows. You should use this troubleshooting method only if you intend to back up data and to reinstall Windows.
Use this method only after you try the other methods.

Note If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or from a DVD, see the documentation that was included with the computer for instructions about how to continue.
Use this method only if the computer has no restore points or if you cannot start your computer at a point where the System Restore feature is available.
After you use this method, the following conditions may exist until you reinstall Windows: An update that is being installed may not be installed correctly.
Windows Update may not function correctly.
If an update is being installed, you may be unable to stop the installation process.
You may be unable to enable and disable certain optional Windows features.
Certain optional Windows features may not function correctly.
The computer may be in an unprotected state.
An update that is being installed may not be installed correctly.
Windows Update may not function correctly.
If an update is being installed, you may be unable to stop the installation process.
You may be unable to enable and disable certain optional Windows features.
Certain optional Windows features may not function correctly.
The computer may be in an unprotected state.
Use this method to resolve the restart symptom that is described in the "Symptoms" section so that you can back up data before you reinstall Windows. You should use this troubleshooting method only if you intend to back up data and to reinstall Windows.
Use this method only after you try the other methods.

Note If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or from a DVD, see the documentation that was included with the computer for instructions about how to continue.
Use this method only if the computer has no restore points or if you cannot start your computer at a point where the System Restore feature is available.
After you use this method, the following conditions may exist until you reinstall Windows: An update that is being installed may not be installed correctly.
Windows Update may not function correctly.
If an update is being installed, you may be unable to stop the installation process.
You may be unable to enable and disable certain optional Windows features.
Certain optional Windows features may not function correctly.
The computer may be in an unprotected state.
An update that is being installed may not be installed correctly.
Windows Update may not function correctly.
If an update is being installed, you may be unable to stop the installation process.
You may be unable to enable and disable certain optional Windows features.
Certain optional Windows features may not function correctly.
The computer may be in an unprotected state.
To rename the Pending.xml file and to edit the registry, follow these steps.

Start Windows Vista and go to the System Recovery options:Insert the Windows Vista installation disc in the disc drive, and then restart the computer.
When you are prompted to restart from the disc, press any key.
When you are prompted, configure the Language to install, Time and currency format, and Keyboard or input method options that you want, and then click Next.
On the Install Windows page, click Repair your computer.
On the System Recovery Options page, click the version of the Windows Vista operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
Insert the Windows Vista installation disc in the disc drive, and then restart the computer.
When you are prompted to restart from the disc, press any key.
When you are prompted, configure the Language to install, Time and currency format, and Keyboard or input method options that you want, and then click Next.
On the Install Windows page, click Repair your computer.
On the System Recovery Options page, click the version of the Windows Vista operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
Use the System Recovery options to rename the Pending.xml file and edit the registry:On the System Recovery Options page, click Command Prompt.
Type cd C:\windows\winsxs, and then press ENTER.
Type ren pending.xml pending.old, and then press ENTER.
Type regedit, and then press ENTER.
Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
On the File menu, click Load Hive.
Locate the following folder:
C:\windows\system32\config\components
When you are prompted for a name, type Offline_Components.
In Registry Editor, locate and then delete the following registry subkey:
HLKM\Offline Components\AdvancedInstallersNeedResolving
HKLM\Offline Components\PendingXmlIdentifier
On the System Recovery Options page, click Command Prompt.
Type cd C:\windows\winsxs, and then press ENTER.
Type ren pending.xml pending.old, and then press ENTER.
Type regedit, and then press ENTER.
Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
On the File menu, click Load Hive.
Locate the following folder:
C:\windows\system32\config\components
When you are prompted for a name, type Offline_Components.
In Registry Editor, locate and then delete the following registry subkey:
HLKM\Offline Components\AdvancedInstallersNeedResolving
HKLM\Offline Components\PendingXmlIdentifier
Exit Registry Editor:At the command prompt, type exit to exit Registry Editor.
Press ENTER.
Click Restart.


Re the dirty bit. There is a microsoft article on how to set it but not remove it. See
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...all/proddocs/en-us/fsutil_dirty.mspx?mfr=true

Ive tried chkntfs /x but still no luck

Peter
 
Over a year later, and i now have the crcdisk.sys loop thing and I still can't find a definitive answer to this problem, which I just ran into yesterday. Any other help on this problem???
 
schwags said:
It sounds like the disk is going bad.
Click to expand...

Have had this problem as well. I found that the hdd diagnostics are not 100% reliable. How would you deal with the drive failing after all the work you put into it?
If it were in my shop, I would sell them a sweet HD upgrade ("you will have twice the space for your photos and music, it runs faster PLUS it uses "green" technology") Clone the drive and THEN use the old drive for your own education. . try to find the problems.
 
Last edited:
Since there are still not a lot of good suggestions on solving this problem out there on the Google, I thought I would add an addendum on how I solved it.

In my case it turned out to be a problem with the disk itself that is undetectable by CHKDSK or by the SMART routines on the HDD. This results in the drive appearing to be dirty even after it has been thoroughly checked. There may be some interaction between the disk problem and a registry corruption as well.

If I boot to a Vista disc and use the repair options to restore the registry to an earlier date, I get a "registry corruption" error and the restore fails. This happens to all the restore points that I have tried and in spite of numerous successful CHKDSKs. However, if I image the drive to a new HDD, that new HDD boots and runs just fine (oops, I can't remember now whether I had to go back to a restore point or not). So, the solution is, as Atlanticjim suggests above, image--> new HDD --> profit.

The old drive on this machine is a Samsung and I've run it through their diagnostic. After a full surface scan, the diagnostic suggests that the drive be reformatted to see if that fixes some problem that it does not specify. If this were my drive, I would ditch it, it's old, it's got some mysterious problem and is not worth the risk of my data. I'm doing the same for the customer.
 
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