Posted on 10/11/2007 6:43:36 AM PDT by metesky
My wife just got a Windows automatic update for Windows Vista. The problem is that her machine is running XP.
She tried to reject the update but the machine automatically re-started and now she's getting messages like "No operating system found". We're both just users with not a clue of what to do.
Wish I could help. I am avoiding Vista like the plague...
I’m hoping for some pointers from FR’s resident Windows expert...
Find a hammer and then go visit Apple.com.
I’m running XP too. I got the update last night and have had no problem. Good luck.
If you have the original Operating system disks put in the initial installation disk, you might need to change your bootup sequence in the BIOS.
was the update from an email or a web page pop-up?
I cannot imagine vista getting xp updates, or xp getting vista updates.
That’s the problem: She doesn’t have Vista! The damn update just took over and now the machine is about as useful as a door stop, four years of bookkeeping records gone to dust.
Check for some of the obvious stuff first. Sometimes you’ll get that message if a floppy disk is in the drive.
You might have inadvertantly downloaded a virus. Windows XP and Vista updates require software authentication and this couldn’t have happened throught the legit Windows Updater utility. If it did, the newspapers would have been screaming about it right now since millions of computers run update daily all over the world.
agreed, check for obvious.
if you are PC-retarded, call an expert, don’t try to recover yourself, especially if you cannot afford to lose data.
It was a Windows Automatic Update and simply started the update itself. When asked,
“do you want to restart now?” She chose “later”, but the update restarted anyway and now she’s stuck in what looks like BIOS with a “no operating system found” message.
Oh boy. There’s a fix but not easy as its likely beyond your experience level (no offense). So in your case I'd call 'The Geek Squad'. They come out and fix computer issues in your home.
btw, I'n Running Windows XP Pro - BUT - have Vista loaded on my HD which I can use as the OS in the future when Vista becomes 'safer'. I worry about the same thing you're going through. That the auto update 'sees' Vista on my HD and updates that then my XP Pro is 'gone'.
Good luck.
When will that be? 2012 or so?!
If the most important thing now is data recovery don’t format the hard drive. No operating system found is often what you see when a hard drive fails. You can normaly recover the data by installing it as a slave drive in a different machine. Or the same system with a new hard drive as an boot drive. The update might not have been the cause other than a forced re-boot.
When running one of the OS's and the files of the other are accessible in it, the OS which is running will see the files of the other OS as data only. It won't run any component of the second OS unless you're using something equivalent to a virtualiser.
That's the reason why there is a boot order that sorts out this confusion right at the beginning of the boot process, before any of the OS's are run.
Agree with everything you said.
If the original poster can boot into safe mode, maybe try doing a system restore in safe mode.
If the hard drive is bad, the timing may just be a coincidence.
I had a friend with a mac whose motherboard got fried when he tried to connect to the internet via an unrecognizable WiFi connection in his neighborhood. He blamed the mac’s failure on WiFi since the mac crashed immediately after he logged in, but the guy at the mac store told him that had nothing to do with it.
I also think this must have been a virus. I have run XP pro on all three of my home systems and two of our work computers. I have automatic update turned on and have received “no” Vista updates.
Question!
Do you have another computer at home running XP?
If so I am willing to help you (through email) try to save your data. If you have another computer and would like my help please private message me. I have worked as a PC tech since 1996 and have had to fight these problems before.
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