I'm facing a major issue with my mother's laptop after trying to deal with Avast, which I suspected was slowing it down. In my attempt to remove it, the laptop froze and now it won't start. The error messages I'm getting have been quite frustrating:
- I initially encountered error code 0xc000007b related to a random Avast library.
- After some workarounds where I renamed files to .bak, the error changed to 0xc0000001.
I've tried using Ventoy with Hiren's BootCD alongside a Windows 10 ISO but haven't had any luck. The Safe Mode option is also a no-go.
A couple of complications make this situation trickier:
1. My mother has some private plugins for Autodesk Revit that aren't backed up.
2. There are important digital certificates tied to a company.
3. I'm worried about accessing Microsoft Office, as I don't know the registered email used at purchase time.
What can I do to fix this? I've attempted various commands without any success. The option to remove the hard drive and connect it to a Linux machine is on the table, or I could run Hiren's BootCD again. Looking forward to your suggestions!
3 Answers
It seems like you might have to take a more drastic approach. I honestly don’t quite get why you’re concerned about those plugins and certificates — can’t you back them up in another way? If rebooting into Safe Mode is not working, formatting the system might be your best bet, as tough as that sounds.
If you're unable to start in Safe Mode, I advise trying to get Avast fully uninstalled by using a bootable USB with the Avast removal tool, if you can access that. If that doesn't work, you're left with reinstalling Windows and possibly losing access to those applications unless you can retrieve the files somehow.
Unfortunately, I can't even access Safe Mode. I really want to remove the startup executables for Avast without losing everything!
Sounds like you're in a tough spot! Renaming files randomly isn't a reliable method for fixing this kind of issue. I’d recommend doing a clean installation of Avast when you can boot the laptop again, assuming you can get into Safe Mode. But if it won't start at all, you may need to think about reinstalling Windows, even though I know you’re worried about losing access to those important programs.
How can I reinstall it if I can't boot up? I just renamed everything back!
I renamed those files because Avast was preventing me from starting normally. I was hoping to avoid a full wipe since I need access to those programs.