Please help! Windows 7 won't load on this laptop (factory reset doesn't help) \ VOGONS

Please help! Windows 7 won't load on this laptop (factory reset doesn't help)

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First post, by Kerr Avon

Posted on 2015-05-25, 21:17

Kerr Avon Offline

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(Sorry if this is in the wrong sub-forum, please move it if it is.)

I've been passed a laptop to sort out, which was full of malware, Windows (7) running slowly and occasionally crashing, the usual state of a machine used by someone clueless and apathetic about computer security. I was told I could just reformat it, as he doesn't want anything off it saving, so I tried resetting it to the factory default, which seemed to work, but when Windows booted up, it just stuck in the Windows 7 loading screen (black screen, with the four colour flag thing).

I tried safe mode, but it also crashes/gets stuck whilst loading - the last file it lists in the loading screen is

WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\CLASSPNP.SYS

I retried factory reset, with the same results, so I tried to install Windows 7 on to the laptop from my Windows 7 DVD, in case the factory reset image on the laptop had somehow gotten corrupt, but again Windows locks up (or goes into an infinite wait state, whatever it is), and now I can't even access factory reset, as the (non-working) install on the laptop didn't add the option, of course.

I've tested the physical memory (MEMTEST86+) and the hard drive, and they both give no errors, and I've reset the BIOS to it's original settings (a million to one chance that that was the fault, but I tried anyway), so can anyone suggest anything, please?

The laptop is a Samsung np305e5a-a03uk, Windows 7 64-bit, AMD A6 3420M CPU, 6GB RAM.

Reply 1 of 6, by ahendricks18

Posted on 2015-05-25, 21:34

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Please elaborate when you say "but when windows booted up". Did you try formatting it or launching a bootable optical disc?

Main: AMD FX 6300 six core 3.5ghz (OC 4ghz)
16gb DDR3, Nvidia Geforce GT740 4gb Gfx card, running Win7 Ultimate x64
Linux: AMD Athlon 64 4000+, 1.5GB DDR, Nvidia Quadro FX1700 running Debian Jessie 8.4.0

Reply 2 of 6, by Jorpho

Posted on 2015-05-25, 23:36

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My usual advice is to try booting from a live Linux CD and see if that works at all.

Reply 3 of 6, by Lo Wang

Posted on 2015-05-26, 00:17

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I startpaged CLASSPNP.SYS out of curiosity, for I never had it hang on me, and here's what I found:

https://www.chrisnewland.com/solved-windows-7 … -classpnpsys-64

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" - Romans 10:9

Reply 4 of 6, by Kerr Avon

Posted on 2015-05-26, 16:28

Kerr Avon Offline

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ahendricks18 wrote:
Please elaborate when you say "but when windows booted up". Did you try formatting it or launching a bootable optical disc?

I mean "when the laptop starts, and Windows 7 starts booting", sorry. I first tried resetting it to the factory default and this worked OK (at least the overwriting of the C: drive with the image of the factory reset C: drive seemed to work, but then when I reset the laptop and Windows booted up, it just stuck in the Windows 7 loading screen, the black screen, with the four colour Windows symbol/flag thing.

So I tried to install my own Windows 7 disc, the self booting DVD, which, again, crashes at the same screen as above (black screen, four coloured symbol).

Jorpho wrote:
My usual advice is to try booting from a live Linux CD and see if that works at all.

I'll try that when I get home, and report the results, thanks.

Lo Wang wrote:
I startpaged CLASSPNP.SYS out of curiosity, for I never had it hang on me, and here's what I found:

https://www.chrisnewland.com/solved-windows-7 … -classpnpsys-64

Thanks for that, but the solutions there didn't help (and the BIOS of this laptop is the usual modern minimalist one, it doesn't have any options relating to SATA/IDE/AHCI etc).

Reply 5 of 6, by AidanExamineer

Posted on 2015-05-27, 09:17

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I see safe mode tank on CLASSPNP.sys all the time, and it's always meant Windows was horked up pretty badly (messed up drivers, can't initialize hardware? something like that)

Sometimes you can use the Windows 7 disc to do a repair installation. I don't usually see that work, but most of the time I'm working with Enterprise distributions, and a Win 7 retail disc has a hard time fixing that.

Strange that you are unable to do a fresh install of Windows 7. How did you test the hard drive? I'd recommend a bootable version of GW Scan, if you can still find it.

Reply 6 of 6, by Kerr Avon

Posted on 2015-05-28, 18:16

Kerr Avon Offline

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Nevermind, the owner said he'd buy a new laptop, so I've given this one back to him. Thanks for all of the responses, anyway.

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