Unable to boot after restore

After using Acronis True Image 10 (Build 4942) to restore my Windows Vista C:\ partition I started to boot but got a blue screen with the following Error Message:


STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The registry cannot load the hive (file):
\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SECURITY
or its log or alternate.
It is corrupt, absent, or not writable.


I tried pressing F8 while rebooting but it did not launch the various repair options.

This is the first time I have tried an Acronis restore on my new computer so I'm upset and disappointed that it has failed at the fisrt hurdle. They say "You haven't got a backup until you've successfully restoted it" Too true!

Does anybody know what might have caused this problem ... and the solution?

 

Have a look here Vista: Are there issues with the disk ID?. You will need to do a repair install with your Vista DVD. Search the forum for more Vista info. I don't use Vista so I can't be more specific.

 

Hello beltandbraces,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please do as thomasjk suggests and perform a Startup Repair using Vista DVD. Please see the thread thomasjk pointed to and, particularly, this post for more information.

Thank you.
--
Marat Setdikov

 

Thanks for your advice thomasjk. Printed and read the 34 pages of "Issues with the disk ID" thread! Thanks also to Marat.

I tried the suggested solution of performing a Startup Repair but found that my OEM CD version of Vista does not include the Repair utility! As was pointed out by many of the experts contributing to the above thread, many OEM versions of Vista do not include this. I believe they put it in a hidden WINRE partition on the hard disk and it is accessed by pressing <F8> while booting up. I tried this and it doesn't work!

Any ideas of what else I might try?

 

Boot with a BartPE cd or a Linux Live cd - this will enable you to look at the contents of your hard drive with a Windows Explorer-like interface. Check if there is a folder named I386 with a lot of files in it. If there is, there is a way of making your own Windows Installation cd using that entire folder, but you will have to search the Internet for exactly how to do this.

Good luck.

 

I eventually solved the problem by restoring the whole disk not just the Vista partition. I have posted more comments to the "Vista: Are there issues with the disk ID?" thread at:
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=173214

 

I saw this same behavior when changing hard drives. A restore of only the C (boot) partition was not bootable but a restore of the entire drive booted normally.

I was fortunate to have a real Vista DVD, so I could repair the partition only restore and get it booting. Interestingly, after the repair, I was able to backup and restore only the C partition, and it still booted normally.

It's possible that now that you have restored the whole disk that restoring just the C partition may work. It's worth a try.