XP Boot loop on an encrypted drive.

[mrwobbly]

I have a desktop that has a boot loop. It was supplied by county with truecrypt. Safe mode or safe mode with command prompt loop also. Normally I would boot with a live CD and replace the registry with an earlier version manually and/or run chkdsk /r.

Because the drive is encrypted the disk contents are not seen.

 

Any suggestions I could try before I reinstall?

 

Thanks Nick

[FN-GM]

Have you tired good last known config?

 

I have never booted from the TrueCrypt rescue disc, but is there a facility to decrypt in there? If so you could decrypt then use a live CD and then re-encrypt.

[mrwobbly]

Have you tired good last known config?

 

I have never booted from the TrueCrypt rescue disc, but is there a facility to decrypt in there? If so you could decrypt then use a live CD and then re-encrypt.

 

Last known loops also.

 

I believe that TrueCrypt forces you to create a rescue disk on install but this was never supplied with the computer.

[Arthur]

this was never supplied with the computer.

I think re-installing everything is your only option if you don't have the rescue disc.

[box_l]

I would try removing the drive and mounting in another machine.

 

Decrypt the drive from there, (i presume you know the password for trucrypt). this is a lot slower than

decrypting from the rescue disc but should complete overnight.

 

When decrypting a whole system disc there is a tick box somewhere that lets you mount it without the boot loader part.

 

Marked with red circle

 

Then you can try all the known fixes for your looping OS.

 

At the very least you will be able to recover all the files from the HDD.

 

Also, ask county for the rescue disc or iso. I would be suprised if they didn't have one.

 

BoX

Edited June 27, 2011 by box_l

[mrwobbly]

I would try removing the drive and mounting in another machine.

 

Decrypt the drive from there, (i presume you know the password for trucrypt). this is a lot slower than

decrypting from the rescue disc but should complete overnight.

 

When decrypting a whole system disc there is a tick box somewhere that lets you mount it without the boot loader part.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10562[/ATTACH]

Marked with red circle

 

Then you can try all the known fixes for your looping OS.

 

At the very least you will be able to recover all the files from the HDD.

 

Also, ask county for the rescue disc or iso. I would be suprised if they didn't have one.

 

BoX

 

Thanks for that. I have the key and the computer at home. I will stick a drive in and try my backup from last week and have a play with the encrypted drive.

[box_l]

Did you get it fixed?

[mrwobbly]

I phoned county who said the rescue disk was in the school safe. I started decryping the drive Thursday night and it’s still doing it. I tried mounting the drive in another computer but it just locked up Truecrypt. I’m hoping it’s finished by tomorrow night as I’m back in the school Tuesday.