An error message at Windows Vista startup can occur due to hardware or software issues. Once the error message appears, the hard drive becomes unmountable making all the data stored in the hard drive inaccessible. In such circumstances, an ideal backup acts as a perfect solution to restore the lost data. However, if no backup is available or backup falls short to access the data, then you will need to use advanced data recovery software.

Consider a practical case, where you encounter the below error message when you attempt to boot your system:

“Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause...

File: \Windows\system32\ntkrnlpa.exe

Status: 0xc0000428

Info: Windows cannot verify the digital signature of this file”

Data stored in the hard drive becomes inaccessible after the above error message appears. The error message reappears every time you attempt to boot your system.

Cause:

As suggested in the error message, the error message is caused due to hardware or software failure. The hardware failure can be caused due to damage in hardware components like CPU (Central Processing Unit), motherboard, chipset, display adaptor, RAM (Random Access Memory) memory module and more.

Another root cause of the above error message can be file system corruption. A file system can be corrupted due to improper system shutdown, operating system corruption, virus attacks and more.

Resolution:

To resolve the above error message and access the data, you will need to follow the below measures:

Ø If the error message appears due to hardware issues, then you will need to use Windows Memory diagnostic tools to identify which hardware component has damaged. Repair the hardware component and reboot your system.

Ø In case of file system corruption, insert the Windows Vista installation CD and reboot your system.

However, if you receive the same error message even after following the above measures, then the best solution left is to reinstall Windows Vista. A clean reinstall of Windows Vista will comprehensively erase all the data saved in the hard drive partition. For complete recovery of data in such situations, you will need to use advanced data recovery applications. These data recovery tools are embedded with advanced techniques and are easy to understand due to their highly interactive user-interface.