System recovery just has an option to reinstall the OS and destroy any personal data on the machine. I'm trying Startup Repair again because it had an option to restore to a previous setpoint (assuming there is a setpoint)
It's amazing how long it's taking to do anything, even trivial stuff.
If I can boot to a safe-mode command line, is there a system file checker-outer? I kinda thought there was a command for that, but maybe the system has to actually be up.
Recovery environment ("repair your computer" from the F8 boot menu) has a command prompt. Chkdsk can be run from that. System file check can be run from that. In each case you need to know which drive letter to point it at, which isn't necessarily c: when viewed from recovery environment.
Open command prompt, and run "dir c:", "dir d:", etc, until you determine which drive letter recovery environment sees your main Windows install on. It'll be the one that has Windows, "Program Files", "Program Files (x86)" and Users folders.
I usually run "chkdsk <drive letter:> /x", repeat until it runs clean.
System file check by "sfc /scannow /offbootdir:<drive letter:> /offwindir:<driveletter:\windows>" Where <drive letter:> is where you've determined your Windows to be.
If SFC tells you it found problems but can't fix them, you're probably looking at a wipe and reinstall to totally resolve the problem.
None of this is going to fix a drive that is starting to go bad. Sometimes that's actually a judgment call, as when a drive is just starting to run dog-ass slow, but still technically passes diags.
