For instance, your PC is infected with a virus. To remove it, you activate an anti-virus program service on your system and perform a virus scan of the entire hard disk. When you restart your computer the very next time, you may see the following error message on your computer screen:

“A disk must be checked for consistency….”

Cause:

The file system has become corrupt because of unexpected or improper system shutdown. During a shutdown process, the system saves all your data and safely closes all the currently running processes and applications. Due to improper closing of files, the corresponding Master File Table (MFT) or File Allocation Table (FAT) records may get damaged which results in file system corruption.

This would prevent you from accessing the vital data stored on your hard drive. Here, you may use a backup to perform Partition recovery. However, if the backup is missing, you should try to follow the below given steps.

Resolution:

Try the following steps to resolve the issue-

• Run the ‘Chkdsk’ command-line utility with ‘/f’ switch to identify and repair any disk related errors
• Start the PC using a bootable system disc and perform ‘Startup Repair’ of Windows 7.
• If all the above steps fail to resolve the issue, perform a fresh install of Windows 7 operating system.

Reinstalling Windows 7 would delete all the existing contents of your system hard drive. To recover the lost, formatted data in such situations, you should take the help of free download Partition recovery software of a reliable data recovery company.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Partition Recovery is a comprehensive tool that recovers lost, deleted, or formatted data from logical drives or volumes in any instance of data loss. It can perform Windows Partition Recovery of more than 185 different file types.

“Windows could not start because the following file is missing:
\system32\drivers\ntfs.sys”

This is a problem with the NTFS partition of your computer. After you recieve the error message, you are unable to start your system any more, hence unable to access any of your data in the computer. This is a pure case of data loss and may require NTFS partition recovery software.

Causes:

You recieve the above error message when, you perform any of the following events:

• If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
• If you have installed Windows XP SP1 rollup after enabling the hyper-threading have or installtion of another processor to your system. This has occured because as Rollup 1 was released prior to Windows XP SP2, and you have installed rollup after the installation of Windows XP SP2. This should not be be done logically.

Resolution:

The resolution to the above described problem are as follows:

• Restart your system afterinsertion of the Windows XP startup disk or Windows XP CD in the respective disk drive or CD drive
• When prompted, start the system from the CD drive after selecting any option
• To initiate the ‘Recover Console’, press R when you have the “Welcome to Setup” screen
• If your system is a multi boot system, select the required installation you need to access from the ‘Recovery Console’
• When prompted, provide the ‘Administrator password’. In case there is no password, press ENTER
• Type the folloing commands in the ‘Recovery Console’ command prompt and press ENTER after each command

cd system32
ren ntkrnlpa.exe ntkrnlpa.old
ren ntoskrnl.exe ntoskrnl.old
cd “c:\windows\driver cache\i386″
expand sp2.cab -F:ntkrpamp.exe c:\windows\system32
expand sp2.cab -F:ntkrnlmp.exe c:\windows\system32
cd c:\windows\system32
ren ntkrpamp.exe ntkrnlpa.exe
ren ntkrnlmp.exe ntoskrnl.exe

• To leave the ‘Recovery Console’, type EXIT. This will restart your system

Even after performing the above steps, you may not resolve the problem. In such cases, you need a backup to recover your lost data. But in absence of proper backup, you can still recover your data by using NTFS Partition Recovery Software.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Software is one such tool that recovers data from lost, formatted FAT, NTFS, and exFAT file systems. The software also recovers Lost/Deleted data from harddrive, SD card, Memory card, and external drive.

Some of the reasons for data loss are partition corruption and resizing, repartitioning of hard drive unsuccessfully, file system damage, hard drive formatting, virus attack, boot sector problems, etc. NTFS Partition Recovery is not completely out of question for the layman PC user. There are some very useful instructions following which you can recover the data from the formatted or corrupt NTFS computer.

For example, if you find the following error message while trying to access your hard drive data, “NTFS Error: error in reading file_volume MFT record.”; the way to resolve it is to replace the NTFS.sys file. It involves a detailed procedure to replace the file, which may become difficult for novice or inexperienced computer users, aggravating the issue more. In such a case, you may have to format your operating system altogether.

However, formatting of your NTFS partition resolves the issue, but at the stake of your vital data. The only safe method left is to go for a third part NTFS partition recovery software to recover back your data. It is more advisable in such cases that you should not write anything to your computer so that the formatted data will not get overwritten.

You can easily recover NTFS partition data and find all of it at its previous location on the hard drive. You can find Windows recovery software that are compatible in their task with Windows 7, Vista,,  XP and 2000. Recovery is possible even from compressed NTFS file systems with support for many types of data storage media like memory cards, CDs, DVDs, etc. apart from external hard drives. You can safely choose a reliable software to recover your lost data.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is a reliable NTFS partition recovery software that can recover back your formatted data 100% safely. It can be used for formatted hard drives as well as those that are corrupt. It becomes essential for those instances when data recovery is a must and the software works well both with NTFS as well as FAT – based computers.

Let use take a practical example to understand this more in detail. After upgrading your Windows system to Microsoft Windows XP, consider, you receive following error message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

Windows\System32\Hal.dll

Reason: The problem occurs in case Boot.ini file contains incorrect entries. It is also possible that the mentioned file is missing or has become damaged.

Troubleshooting:
Enter the Recovery Console by first inserting the CD into the drive, and then restarting the system, by booting from the CD, and pressing R to start the Recovery Console. When prompted, type your administrator password, and press Enter.
At the command prompt, type the below mentioned command, followed by pressing Enter:
bootcfg /list
After all the entries in current Boot.ini file have appeared on screen, at the command prompt, type the below mentioned command, followed by pressing Enter:
bootcfg /rebuild

After this, follow the directions that appear on screen to add Windows installations to the Boot.ini file, as guided below:

On getting message similar to undermentioned, press Y,

Total Identified Windows Installs: 1

[1] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)

On getting message: ‘Enter Load Identifier’, type ‘Microsoft Windows XP Professional’ or ‘Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition’, depending on which version of XP you have upgraded to, followed by Enter.

And, on getting message: ‘Enter OS Load options’, type ‘/fastdetect’, followed by Enter.
Once done, type ‘exit’ to quit from the Recovery Console.
When the computer restarts, the updated boot list appears, and, you get a message: ‘Please select the operating system to start’, indicating that the system is functioning properly.

But in case the above steps do not sort the problem, then you will have to reinstall your Windows XP, thereby losing all the partition data. But, the presence of an updated backup can certainly help you recover partition information, along with all the data saved in that partition.

However, if you didn’t create a backup before upgrading, and your data has been lost, then you can use Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery to retrieve your vital data. Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP and 2000, this partition recovery software works with exFAT, FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS5 file system volumes.

Consider having received the following error message on an NTFS formatted Windows based computer:

‘Stop 0×00000024′

Cause:

The first step to resolve is to find the cause of the error. This can be done by analyzing the four parameters that appear. The first parameter informs of the source file (the first 4 hexadecimal characters after 0x) and line number (the last 4 hexadecimal characters of the parameter). The second, third and fourth, respectively have the address of the exception record, context record and location where the original exception occured.

• Do check for Error messages in Event Viewer or AutoChk. In case a device or driver is causing error, you will be able to isolate the issue.
• Disable virus scan, disk defragmenter, backup programs that constantly check the computer. A Hardware diagnostics tool may also be run.
• Run chkdsk /r to resolve file system structural damage.
• Non-paged pool memory depletion may also lead to such a problem.
• Lastly, corrupt system or data volume that is NTFS formatted can also give this error. In case the error pops-up when computer is restarted, or when Recovery Console or Setup is run, the reason behind the error cannot be analyzed.

Resolution:

In case the error is caused by the last reason, try one of the following:

• Since the system partition has NTFS file system, it might be corrupt. Disconnecting other disks having NTFS volume helps isolate the problem disk. Once done, the same can be attached to FAT file system computer and chkdsk can be run on it with the /f parameter. This should sort the problem.
• In case, another system is unavailable and you do not have another partition to install FAT file system upon, perform chkdsk with the /p parameter.

But if all the above methods fail, then delete, re-create and then format the partition.

After the reformat, if you have a valid and updated backup, then just restore data from it, else use a third-party NTFS data recovery software to do this.

Stellar Phoenix NTFS Data Recovery Software is a read-only, user-friendly application that has been designed specifically to handle data recovery from NTFS formatted partitions. This NTFS Partition Recovery software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP and 2000.

Some error messages may flash on your screen when a partition data is lost or damaged:

“Disk read error has occurred.”
OR
“Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt.
Windows root\system32\hal.dll.”
OR
“The disk in drive is not formatted. Do you want to format it now?”

Causes:
You install an extra instance of Windows XP on a system, which has Windows Vista and Windows XP in dual-boot configuration.
Some missing system files and a bad boot record.
You try to convert a FAT partition to a NTFS partition.
You try formatting unallocated disk space while removing the newly generated partitions and merging the disk space to previously created partitions.

Resolution:
Use the Bootsect.exe for restoring Windows Vista Master Boot Record (MBR) and boot code, which transfers control to Windows Boot Manager (WBM) program.This helps to recover partition data in case of a dual boot configuration.
Repair boot record using fixmbr command from Microsoft Windows XP Recovery Console if the primary boot record of Windows XP is damaged.

If any of these methods are not able to recover windows partition data, then in that case, you need  to rely on a more sophisticated windows partition recovery software to recover back your invaluable data. A partition recovery software is one that employs effective scanning algorithms to recover lost, deleted, or formatted partitions helping you access your data again.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Software is one assured tool that recovers deleted files from both FAT and NTFS file sysyems. It can support more than two hundred file types and is compatible with  Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP and 2000.

Consider a situation in which you are using Windows XP and marked the primary partition as active with the help of Windows Disk Management snap-in tool. However, when you restart the computer, it does not start and you may receive the following error message:

“NTLDR is missing.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.”

Cause:

Such issues occur if the partition that you marked as active does not have the required Windows boot files or the boot files for any other operating system.

Resolution:

This problem can be solved using any of the following methods:

Change the active partition: You should change the active partition using the following steps:
Insert the Windows Millennium Edition (Me) boot floppy disk to boot to the command prompt.
Type ‘fdisk’ at the command prompt and press Enter.
Click ‘Yes’ to enable large disk support.
Click ‘Set active partition’ and press the number of the partition that you want to make active and press Enter.
Press ESC, remove the floppy disk and restart the computer.
Replace the necessary startup files: If the critical boot files are missing, then you should restore them by using the following steps:
Start the system using Windows XP CD, and press F10 or R when the ‘Welcome to Setup’ screen is displayed.
Press C to start the Recovery Console.
Type the following commands to go to the root drive and copy the ‘ntldr’ file to the system. Press Enter after every command:
cd ..
cd i386
Copy ntldr c:
Copy ntdetect.com c:
Bootcfg /add
Type ‘exit’ and press Enter to exit Recovery Console and restart the system.

If the problem is not solved using these methods, then you should use a third-party partition recovery utility to recover all the inaccessible data. These data recovery tools are read-only in nature that use fast and sophisticated scanning algorithms to recover data without any difficulty.

The most reliable Windows partition recovery software that recovers lost, deleted, or formatted data from FAT, NTFS, and exFAT partitions is Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery. Supporting different storage devices such as hard drives, iPods, memory cards, etc, this partition recovery software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000, and NT4(SP6).

Consider a scenario wherein you want to upgrade from a 40 GB hard disk to a 160 GB hard disk. You swapped the disks and attached the 160 GB disk. You made 3 partitions in the new hard disk. Now, you want to attach the older hard disk to use it as a slave hard disk for data backup purposes. After attaching the secondary hard disk, you are not able to view the primary hard disk in the BIOS.

Cause:
The file system of the primary hard disk may have corrupted badly and the hard disk partitions can not be accessed.

Resolution:

Try to detach the secondary hard disk and see if the system is running properly. If the problem persists, connect the primary hard disk to a working system having same operating system. Here, the drive may not be visible in My Computer but will be visible in Disk Management option in Administrative Tools. You should try to run chkdsk to repair any type of damage in the hard disk. If the file system is not damaged, chkdsk would scan the hard disk successfully and it may resolve the issue. But if the file system is corrupt, then you will get the following error message:
“No partition is bootable.”

After getting this error message, it becomes clear that the partition is corrupt and you will have to use partition recovery software. These tools use complex scanning algorithms to scan the hard disk and recover all the inaccessible partitions. These highly user interactive tools are read-only in nature and do not require having any prior technical knowledge.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is an efficient partition recovery tool that repairs and recovers the lost data in the hard disk partition. It recovers from FAT 32, VFAT, NTFS, NTFS5 partitions. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003, and 2000.

While restarting Windows Vista operating system, sometimes, all of a sudden a black screen appears and the system stops responding. This problem usually happens due to a possible corruption in the file system and to the dismay, similar problem also lies with Windows Vista Service Pack1. In Service Pack1, the autocheck.exe process usually hangs in the middle. Corruption of the file system leads to data loss or inaccessibility, compelling you to go for Widows data recovery.

A brief about autocheck.exe and the problem:

The process autocheck.exe runs automatically at the start-up and is meant for finding errors with the system. Usually, NTFS marks the problematic partitions as damaged. As, autocheck.exe is used to detect the corrupted partitions, at the start-up, when NTFS marks the partition as damaged, it doesn’t do anything to repair them. The problem initiates there and at the next restart, NTFS again does the same work of marking the damaged partition, however, sutocheck.exe restarts and the system behaves improperly. Even, you can’t be able to cancel the autocheck.exe process and log on to the system.

Resolution:

* The mostly advisable resolution for the above issue is to download the AIK (Automated Installation Kit) and to create the Windows PE 2.1 disc, with which you have to restart your system.
* Use the command chkdsk/f to repair the corrupted partition.
* If the problem still remains, you have to format the drive and make a fresh installation.

Moreover, in order to avoid the same problem you need to install the hotfix for the same. However, with formatting, all the data from the troubled drive will be erased and you need to restore it from previously taken backup. In the absence of backup, partition recovery software can help you recover the lost or formatted data.

You can purchase Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery software that can recover all your formatted, lost or inaccessible Windows data from all kinds of FAT and NTFS file system based volumes. This is a completely risk free utility and supports Windows Vista, Windows 7, XP, 2000 and 2003.

Consider, you start your Windows based system, but instead of the Welcome screen, you get the following error message:

File: \Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc0000034
Info: The Windows Boot Configuration Data file is missing required information

Reason:
The error may appear owing to two reasons:
The Bootmgr entry (representing the Windows Boot Manager) is not present in the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.
The Boot/BCD file that exists on the active partition may be damaged or missing.

Resolution:
To resolve the problem, you may

•    Repair the BCD store using Startup Repair
•    Rebuild BCD store either using Bootrec.exe tool or manually

For Startup repair, put the disc in the drive, and start the system. When prompted to click a key, do so! Choose the language, time, currency, data input method, before clicking Next.
After this, select Repair your computer, and choose your operating system, before hitting Next again.
In System Recovery Options, click Startup Repair, and restart the system.

If the above step doesn’t solve the problem, then follow the above steps, to reach the System Recovery Options, dialog box, and choose Command Prompt in it.
•    Type Bootrec /RebuildBcd in it before hitting enter.
•    Now the Bootrec.exe tool that runs, may present you with installation path, and you need to type Yes, to add the entry to the BCD store.
•    If it doesn’t, then remove the BCD store, and recreate it:
•    Type Bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup, and hit enter.
•    Then type ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old, and press enter
•    Lastly type, Bootrec /rebuildbcd, and press enter, before restarting the computer.

If the above methods do not work, rebuild the store manually. For this, in the above method, after getting into command prompt, type following commands, each followed by enter.
cd /d Z:\Windows\System32; here Z: refers to the Vista-installed partition.
bcdedit /enum all; the output received from this command has a Windows Boot Loader section, which has a GUID listed for resumeobject. Note this GUID from resumeobject.
bcdedit -create {bootmgr} -d “Description”; here Description is the description for the new entry. bcdedit -set {bootmgr} device partition=Z:; where Z refers to the Vista partition.
bcdedit /displayorder {GUID}; the GUID here is the one received above
bcdedit /timeout Value; Value represents time in seconds before the Windows Boot Manager selects the default entry created by the above command
After all this, restart the computer.

Normally, these steps should take care of the problem. Otherwise, one will have to reinstall the operating system from the installation disk. However, reinstallation of Windows may lead to data loss, thus calling for a backup to recover partition data.

Windows Data Recovery can be performed using efficient and user-friendly partition recovery software, like, Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery. The tool is compatible with all versions of Windows, and can be used to recover any of the supported more than 185 file formats.