Is it possible to fix Windows Vista setup through Ubuntu
I am fed with my uncles system. It has Windows vista on it and it keeps on crashing. First there were blue screen errors. I had re-installed Vista in that pc hundreds of time. It is time consuming to format the system and then install all software and then again it crashes after sometime. I do not know that is the cause behind it, but there is something which is not stable. I am looking for some possible ways by which I can troubleshoot various issue of this operating system by using Ubuntu. It is much easier to create a bootable usb drive compared to Windows. Is there any tools which is available for operating system like ubuntu to troubleshoot Vista or any other Windows operating system.
Re: Is it possible to fix Windows Vista setup through Ubuntu
There are some options that you can try out. I am not sure that there are advance troubleshooting options available on the same. You can use a live Ubuntu usb drive mostly for resetting Windows password.
Re: Is it possible to fix Windows Vista setup through Ubuntu
You can try that for diagnosing hardware issues in Windows. I always carry a bootable usb drive in my system. Sometime due to improper hardware your system crashes constantly. This can also be due to corrupt driver files. For that you just need to boot Ubuntu first through live usb. Once done you can use some applications in Ubuntu like memtest and scan the issue. Memtest is a very powerful tool which is used for scanning memory errors. There is a separate disc that comes with multiple of bootable tools called as UBCD. This cd is a pack of software that can scan your system on boot level, test hard drive, restore firmware and perform number of test. Why don't you keep Ubuntu on dual boot in that laptop. I think this might help you to get rid of any major issue. There can be bad sectors in your hard drive also. Due to bad sectors your system crashes most frequently.
Re: Is it possible to fix Windows Vista setup through Ubuntu
Your windows is not corrupted. It is crashing. So surely there is some hardware that is not working fine. Disconnect anything extra attached like cards, or modems or rj45 cables, etc. Then check one more time.
Re: Is it possible to fix Windows Vista setup through Ubuntu
I think your system might be heating. You can add a temperature monitor in the live usb. It is also possible to manually add more programs in Ubuntu live. The best thing is to install Ubuntu as secondary operating system. So in case if you are facing such issue you can test the system on another operating system. If that does not crashes then it means the operating system is not proper. You will have to arrange a good Vista disc for that. And if it crashes then hardware fault. You can start testing from temperature monitoring and then hardware diagnostic. I had fixed common errors of windows like hal.dll missing. This is one of the most common error that you will notice after system crash. The file is located inside System32 folder. You can simply replace the file and reboot your system. You can find the file from any working computer or from bootable windows disc. I keep a copy of windows setup in my different folder so that if there is any such issue I can restore that quickly.
Re: Is it possible to fix Windows Vista setup through Ubuntu
I think that is a hardware fault. I have a clear doubt on your hard drive. If you face blue screen then the issue lies with ram. You will need to find a appropriate replacement for the ram and then check back.
Re: Is it possible to fix Windows Vista setup through Ubuntu
Those live operating system can help you to repair boot errors. I cannot confirm that you can deal with any major system errors with it. It is better if you can carry the same to any service center. The most you can do is keep a ghost partition in your system. So that if it crash you can restore that instantly. Ghost partition creates a image of your entire C drive. This includes your drivers, software's, updates, etc. You just need to restore it completely. It wipes out the old data, so do not forget to take backup. Like backup of outlook pst files, download folder, saved password etc.