Hi Greg,
Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community Forums. We are here to assist you in your Windows related issues.
As per the given issue description, whenever you startup your laptop, you get a message saying that there is a problem with the computer and need to restart and
then starts with the Automatic Repair. You have also mentioned that after the diagnosis and repair attempts, it then comes up with a message that Automatic Repair could fix the issue and also it shows that the issue is caused by the file: “C:\Windows\System32\Logfiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt”
which is the log file for the Automatic Repair.
1.
What all “Advanced Options” have you tried from the Windows Recovery Environment, when the Automatic Repair failed to repair the computer?
2.
Have you made any recent changes on the computer prior to this issue? If yes, what were they?
3.
Are you able to boot and log into Windows 8 on your computer now?
4.
What exactly happen when you boot into the computer? Is it directly going to the Windows Recovery Environment showing the advanced repair options?
5.
Are you having the Windows 8 Installation CD with you?
If the computer shows Windows Recovery Environment (Win RE) when you boot, then let’s try running the Check Disk utility using the Command Prompt from the Win RE
and check if that helps.
a)
From the Win RE Screen, click on “Repair your computer” and then select “Troubleshoot”.
b)
Click on “Advanced options” and click on “Command Prompt”.
c)
Type the following command in the command prompt window and then press “Enter” key on the keyboard.
chkdsk /f /r X:( drive letter)
d)
Press “Y” if you are prompted to perform the Check Disk the next time the computer restarts.
This would restart the computer and then it will proceed with the Check Disk.
Important: While performing Error-checking or ChkDsk on the hard drive, if any bad sectors are found and when attempting to repair that sector, the data available on that sector might be lost.
After the Check Disk is completed, it would restart the computer. After this is completed, I would suggest you to check if the issue persists.
If the issue persists, then it would be great if you can send me the content of the file “SrtTrail.txt” from the location “C:\Windows\System32\Logfiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt”
You may open this file and then copy and paste its content in your reply. If the Command Prompt shows the current location as “C” drive, then you may access this file by entering the command “cd C:\Windows\System32\Logfiles\Srt\” (enter the command without
the quotation mark) and then entering the name “SrtTrail.txt” to open it.
This will open a notepad with the name “SrtTrail.txt”. Now, you may just include its content when you reply.
Hope this information helps. If you need any further assistance or information regarding Windows, please feel free to get back to us. We’ll be glad to assist you.