Laptop won't boot. Logon service fail, samcli.dll problem, safe mode won't boot...

[CudaMan]

My gf was using the laptop last night, says she didn't do anything out of the ordinary and the laptop wouldn't shut down properly. I looked at it this morning and I'm stumped at the moment. Don't have time to google all day, got work to do.

Windows 7 Home Premium. It's slow to boot up (it has an SSD, has always booted very quickly) and eventually I get to the Windows login screen. After I enter my password it comes up with:

"The Local Session Manager service failed the logon.
The RPC server is unavailable."

I am unable to click the "OK" button, and after a few minutes I get the following:

LogonUI.exe - Bad Image
C:\Windows\system32\samcli.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support.

If I try to start in Safe Mode I get a long delay of Loading Windows Files followed by a brief BSOD and reboot.

I kindof need the laptop for work tonight. This isn't good.

Actually now trying it again Windows doesn't even get to the login screen.

I don't particularly want to start from scratch as I have stuff on there I'd like to keep. What are the odds this could be hardware causing a software problem? Bad RAM or...?

[Kchrpm]

Uh...I'm worried you might be totally borked and need to use recovery disks, judging from some quick Googling.

[Kchrpm]

http://www.dlltool.com/articles/2014052804/


You may have failed to recover the samcli.dll file by clean boot, sfc /scannow and system restore, then you can make sure of the fact that there is something wrong with your Security Accounts Manager so that you can't install or uninstall anything properly now.
As we have already understood that samcli.dll errors are widely associated with other dll files and system application, it is extremely difficult to exactly diagnose the source manually by a computer expert, not to mention an average computer user. Therefore, we recommend you a professional and unique dll error fixer DLL TOOL for you. This repair tool has the ability to scan your system for malfunctions and provide auto solutions to fixing them. No matter whether it is .dll file missing, .exe high CPU / memory usage, or a .sys blue screen of death (BSOD).

[thesameguy]

Does it just hang at the desktop without a login screen?

Have you tried loading the Last Known Good Configuration?

Where you are is tough - you've got some corrupted system files. It could be the result of failing/failed hardware, or it could be the result of something like a Windows Update gone awry. There are recovery options for sure, but you may need some other stuff - like another Windows computer, or a flash drive with PE on it, etc.

[CudaMan]

I finally found my blank Win7 disc and tried to recover from the last restore point but it failed. "There was a disc failure during the restore." [among other messages]

So I'm trying to run a chkdsk /r from the Win7 restore mode on the DVD but it isn't working.

Seems if the SSD simply lost its connection I wouldn't even get as far as the boot/logon screen in Win 7, so I'm thinking it's a failing SSD. Fine, if I can recover the bad sectors enough to get my stuff off the drive and start over with a new one (yay, more unnecessary expenses!).

[thesameguy]

SSDs don't have bad sectors in the same way mechanical drives do... they automatically map out questionable spots on the fly. Or at least they should.

What error is CHKDSK reporting?

You may have better luck removing it and connecting it to another computer for diagnostic work. It's also possible it needs a firmware update... lots of them end up needing that.

[CudaMan]

Firmware would cause sudden expiration of file integrity? Weird...

Seems I can't attach photos on mobile. But I got chkdsk to work, sort of. It gets 22% into the second diagnostic (verifying indexes) and runs into a problem.

"Failed to transfer logged messages to the event log with status 50."

I ran this about 6 times and it seemed to get ever so slightly farther each time but still only 22%. On the second to last attempt, I got this message:

"The first ntfs boot sector is unreadable or corrupt.
Reading second ntfs boot sector instead."

And it ran until 22%. The next time, it said:

"The first ntfs boot sector is unreadable or corrupt.
Reading second ntfs boot sector instead.
All ntfs boot sectors are unreadable or corrupt. Cannot continue."

[Random]

We lost one or more of the boot sectors on a laptop drive once--don't recall if it was my current Dell or the previous. I think I ended up popping the drive out, copying all my personal data off it, formatting it, and reinstalling Windows. :|

[thesameguy]

That would be the typical scenario.

WRT to the SSD question, unlike physical drives the actual media on an SSD is abstracted from the computer by a controller layer, which is essentially a mini-computer. SSD firmware can be (and often is) flawed in such a way that routine operations stop working at a random or apparently random time. Corsair (IIRC) had a bug where the drive would start causing BSODs after being up for a certain number of hours. Samsung had a UEFI bug that result in device not found failures after a certain Windows update. There is a lot more logic to running an SSD than an HDD, and as such there are a lot more opportunities for issues. I'm not saying firmware is your issue, but I am saying it costs nothing to try and might result in saving you a bunch of time reinstalling Windows. If you haven't kept up on that, it's worth looking into IMHO... especially if you have an SSD with known firmware problems. It seems unlikely - though not impossible - that the drive both failed in the boot sector and in the data area (wherever samcli exists) at the same time. It seems like there is a reasonable chance there is another explanation than totally failed flash all over the place.

[Jacee]

Take a look here and see if this helps: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-system/logonuiexe-bad-image-error/4976ecf6-b4a6-4caa-9880-15026ed7cb28

[CudaMan]

I finally got a chance to work on this.

I removed the ssd and put it inside a portable USB-interface enclosure to connect to the desktop pc as an external drive in order to back up data first. The drive is recognized, but the important folders never load. Only unimportant things like programs.

Next step was to download Samsung Magician software to update the firmware. It didn't recognize the drive as being a Samsung ssd so I disnt have the option to update firmware. I figured the interface of the USB enclosure was interfering.

So I opened the pic case and hooked up the ssd directly to the power supply and mobo. Same result - the drive is not recognized as a Samsung ssd, even though it is recognized as the proper size.

Anything else I can try? Ssds are cheap enough now I could get a replacement for $70, not too bad, I'd just really like the data and to not have to buy anything I don't need.

[thesameguy]

What's the serial number on the drive?

[CudaMan]

S0MSNEAZ802442

[thesameguy]

Odd - is it one of the new-ish 8xx-series (830, 840, 850) drives or one of the old legacy drives?

[CudaMan]

It'd a 470-series iirc

[Yw-slayer]

Wow, talk about old-school.

Data recovery service, then buy a new SSD?

[thesameguy]

Yeah, I think that's where this is going. I was wondering if Magician wouldn't see the drive due to the age, but the 470 is actually the earliest SSD that it supports. There are some error-checking utilities you could run against it, but what's at stake is scrambling the data to the point it's unrecoverable. So the question is, is pay-for data recovery on the table?

[CudaMan]

I suspect it's more money than I want to spend to recover the data. Unless it's like under $30 I suppose I'll simply start over with a new drive.

Quick check showed a SanDisk 128gb for 70 or so a couple days ago. What might I have better reliability with these days? I thought Samsung ssds were among the better mlc drives back then but it didn't work out for me.

[thesameguy]

Four years is - IMHO - a long time for any drive, especially an early revision of a new product. Water under the bridge, though. :(

Data recovery is probably in the $500 to $1000 range... not cheap.

I wouldn't buy based on brand - I think everyone has had a stinker or two. I think some of the best deals right now are the Samsung 840 Evo (Amazon had it for $90 in 256gb) and the Crucial M550 (same price at TigerDirect). You can save some money going with the M500 - I just bought two 480gb ones for like $190, the 256gb ones can be had for less than $70 last I checked.

IMHO, buy cheap and replace in three years. Don't plan on anything beyond that.

[Kchrpm]

That's depressing, and a solid justification for cloud storage/backup.

[Rare White Ape]

Er no. You can fuck the cloud.

It's a solid argument for backing up locally with a few external hard drives.

[thesameguy]

SSDs haven't been out long enough in a specific incarnation (SLC, MLC, TLC, controllers, etc.) to generate meaningful statistics, but all the current data shows that magnetic storage takes a serious nosedive after 36 months. That is consistent with my experience, and a reason why I just don't let drives go beyond two or three years. I guess it sounds shitty, but at about 24 months I start shopping for a deal on new storage and make a plan to switch mine and sell the old on CL, ebay, whatever. There is always a market for recent, cheap storage, so in general I gain ~50% storage at ~50% cost every two years... eg, I just sold my two two year old desktop 3tb drives for $120, and bought two 4tb drives for $230. That's my approach, 'cause I'm a nerd.

For everyone else, I strongly encourage whatever cloud solution tickles their fancy - Google, OneDrive, iCloud, whatever. Somewhere to put critical data and prevent tears. ;) Really, though, a copy of Ghost is cheap and it never goes bad, and swapping drives every couple years isn't all that much work. ;)

[Kchrpm]

I have external storage and cloud storage, but my external storage is for crap I could lose and not be screwed, as I've had at least two different drives just stop working suddenly on me. I really don't like the idea of tech products as disposable goods. And the idea of "well, these are obviously made so poorly they're just going to randomly break, so I should buy three of them for triple the price!" doesn't work for me.

[thesameguy]

I wouldn't look at them as made to be disposable, but rather made to a specification. Nothing stands in the way of buying enterprise class storage, but if it's $100 for a 256gb consumer SSD or $2000 for an enterprise class one, I think I know which you'll choose. Consumer grade goods are affordable because they are less durable. I'm happy to have the option, because I simply could not afford a $2k SSD. I'm okay with $100 every two or three years.

[Kchrpm]

I meant more for backup storage than SSDs for main use, but your point does remain.

[thesameguy]

The same is true of computer stuff in general, I just used SSDs as an example. ;) Magnetic storage is far less dramatic, but no less real.

[CudaMan]

Well I ordered a new ssd. Didn't find an amazing deal but I got a 240gb crucial m500 for $80. It was over $100 everywhere else I found.

Thanks for the helps fellas.

Every time I think the money bleeding is over with, something else manages to surprise me. I swear in the past I've gone years without having things break or unexpected expenses come up. Those days seem improbable anymore.

[Yw-slayer]

20% cheaper than anywhere else?

Say it.

SAY IT.

[thesameguy]

That's a solid price on that drive. Been happy with the two 480gb drives. Just remember to replace it in 2-3 years. :)

[CudaMan]

Newegg canceled that order, so I did the next best thing and got an M550 256GB from TigerDirect for $90. Laptop works now.

This wasn't the solution I wanted, but at least I know it was the only reasonable way out.

[thesameguy]

$10 for newer tech is a good deal. :up: I've only seen a couple current-gen SSDs drop below that, and it's usually the questionable ones like PNY or Adata. I think some of the Sandisk ones have gone lower, but only by a couple bucks.