BleepingComputer.com: Windows (7) Boot Manager Problem

History/Background
My computer has been working "fine" for almost a year now (averaging around 50 blue screens/crashes a month -- but I can use the computer for long periods of time usually). It was believed that the hard-drive was causing the failures back then and I had it replaced/RMA'd but it still occurred so I managed as best as I could.

Now, my computer will not even reach the Windows login screen.

More about my computer:

• Western Digital 500-600GB drive (not sure model at the moment)
  
• Radeon HD 4670 GPU
  
• AMD Athlon Quad-core 2.8Ghz CPU
  
• ASUS motherboard (not sure model at the moment)
  
• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (I don't believe SP1 was installed)

What happens when I turn the computer on:
The computer will post and the BIOS message will flash but then I see this:


Then after selecting either option ('Start Windows Normally' or 'Launch Startup Repair') I see this:

It will begin loading files but stop around 35-40% completion in the progress bar at the bottom.

The next thing I see is this message:

Hitting continue or ESC essentially starts the process over again (Windows fails to load, select an option, fail to load Windows files, see Windows Boot Manager error message again).

What I have tried:

• Both options 'Launch Startup Repair' and 'Start Windows Normally'
  
• Changing the boot device order in the BIOS settings (hard-drive is only storage device connected)
  
• Unplugging/replugging in the hard-drives power and SATA cables to/from motherboard and power supply
  
• Changing the SATA port connected, several ones tested - same result.

I don't have an alternative hard-drive to test.

Questions:

• Is this error actually caused by the hard-drive, like I suspect?
  
• Is the drive salvagable, able to be used again?
  
• Is the data itself salvagable, able to be recovered somehow?

This post has been edited by DrKevorkian: 15 July 2011 - 05:52 PM

What model is your hard drive? You can go here http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?level1=6&lang=en and download a diagnostic utility to verify the hard drive is bad.

1. Very possible I/O error means it's timing out
2. If it is bad then No
3. Data should still be on there, but if the drive is timing out it may be difficult... the only way to know for sure is to try... by getting an external enclosure of getting a linux live CD

I don't think I'll be able to run the diagnostic tool.

And I believe that it's the WD Caviar Blue 560.

How can I run the Diagnostic tool? Is there a way from the BIOS?

This post has been edited by DrKevorkian: 17 July 2011 - 09:48 AM