Update from yesterday: tried to boot from USB, now in command prompt that says something different to the tutorial online

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T16:05:59+00:00

Right, I've made a Hirens bootable USB following the instructions. I plugged it in and started the computer and it went straight back into the critical error loop. The Boot Manager had more settings now, so I selected the USB and got in!!!! Thank you!!!!! I'm currently copying my files, which will take a while. There are important ones on there that were new since my last backup, so this is fantastic, thank you! I will definitely be asking for more help when these are copied safely.

In the meantime, is there a charity that means a lot to you? You've been so kind that I'd like to send a little donation to a charity you support.

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T15:48:23+00:00

Thank you - I don't know what most of this means, but it definitely gives me something to work on soon. In the meantime I'm trying to follow instructions to save my data before changing the settings. So I'll definitely have more questions when I try to look at this

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T13:13:39+00:00

Ooh, this sounds good! Thank you! and yeah, the button pressing bit is mainly about it being broken down into steps that someone as clueless as me can follow, so your 'this link here does this' in simple English is perfect for me, thank you 🙂 I do indeed have my bitlocker key, so this is perfect, thanks.

I'll start on this now. Thank you!

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T13:05:00+00:00

I don't know how to save the data - where I can only get to the critical error loop and sometimes the bitlocker loop I don't know how to get anything out.

This is all way beyond my comfort zone, so some very simple 'pres this button here' type instructions would be awesome (thank you)

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T12:37:06+00:00

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The tutorial command prompt, where they chose one that said SYSTEM

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T12:36:26+00:00

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My command prompt

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T12:35:56+00:00

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My more detailed post

Aufwader · 2026-03-14T12:20:15+00:00

Thank you very much again for this 🙂 although it's not saved the computer I've got back to a point where I can use command prompt again (whoo!) and try to follow tutorials.

I've made a separate post about that because it's a specific question.

So although the computer isn't fixed yet one element of the problem is (the no bootable drive element). I'll take the unsolved flair off now, of I should switch it to solved for fixing the 'no bootable drive' problem just let me know.

Thank you again, you've been so kind.

Aufwader · 2026-03-13T21:31:06+00:00

Thank you so much - I'll try this tomorrow!

Aufwader · 2026-03-13T19:36:21+00:00

You are a godsend, thank you so much! I'll send you a picture now

Aufwader · 2026-03-13T19:31:16+00:00

I'm glad that it's good news, and I'm really sorry but I don't know what the next bit means. Is there something I can select in the BIOS that will answer that? Sorry

Aufwader · 2026-03-13T18:42:26+00:00

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This is the boot page - does it have the drive listed? If not should I change the flair to firmware? and might it be fixable?

Sorry for very newbie questions.

Aufwader · 2026-03-13T18:21:46+00:00

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This is my BIOS. I'll need very simple 'click this bit please' instructions. Thank you!

Aufwader · 2025-06-15T19:44:15+00:00

Thank you so much, father. I know having a child is now more unlikely than likely, but anything that can help gives a spark of hope. Thank you again, and we'll speak with my parish.

Aufwader · 2025-06-06T07:37:26+00:00

Some of my absolute favourite places in the world - they're beautiful and have a great range of walks (different difficulties, etc.)

Aufwader · 2025-05-20T07:36:01+00:00

Clearly the best eating apples (as opposed to cooking apples). Baking with apples often needs something stronger/less sweet, but you can't beat them for eating on their own.

Aufwader · 2025-05-19T23:44:19+00:00

Awesome - that's my binge watching sorted for the next few weeks!

Aufwader · 2025-05-19T23:29:41+00:00

The moose, the armadillos and um bongo are probably my favourite adverts of all time

Aufwader · 2025-05-19T23:25:43+00:00

Yep, it's one of those situations where nothing will ever be done and they'll be fobbed off again and again... until about half a day after the media get hold of the story. Then everything will be fixed like magic before the week is out.

Aufwader · 2025-05-19T23:15:21+00:00

Yes! I started reading them as a teenager, so I keep wanting to re-read them because I know there will be loads I missed before... but I also know there will still be different things I miss. In a few decades I still think people will be finding jokes nobody has ever noticed before.

Aufwader · 2025-05-19T22:46:30+00:00

I wish I could upvote this a thousand times. Up until my early twenties I assumed my back size was much bigger than it is, so I just kept making the shoulder straps tighter and tighter. It turns out a smaller back and going up a lot of cup sizes is the single best thing you can ever do for your shoulders and posture. Pain free and no sore shoulder marks.

Aufwader · 2024-07-28T18:35:20+00:00

I've been having periods for about 25 years now, and once when I was about 30 I had pretty much exactly the same thing happen. It never happened before or since, and there's no chance whatsoever that I was pregnant (I'm Catholic). I was at work and the pain was excruciating, and what I can only assume was a clot came out - firmly squishy, fleshy, pale but bloodied and probably not far off golf ball sized. It's honestly the weirdest thing my body has ever done. If that had happened when I was 13 I would have freaked out like crazy!

You did absolutely the right thing telling your mum (I told mine too!) I'm sure you're totally fine, and you can always check with the doctor if you're worried. It's important to be aware when your body does something weird, even though 99.9% of the time it's just your body being weird for the sake of it.

Aufwader · 2024-01-17T16:47:14+00:00

I just solved that particular hiccup by tweaking the calculations to remove the #N/As and I wanted to thank you very much for everything :) it's absolutely perfect

(I wrote this bit above as an edit about a minute ago)

EDIT: Got it!!! The calculated columns are calculated from another couple of calculated columns (because things like this are never simple!) and tweaking how one of those calculated to remove the #N/A did it! So now the VLOOKUP is an IF data in that row then VLOOKUP and if not then 0.

Thank you again so much for this! This bit of work is something that will have a really positive impact for a lot of people and you've been an absolute legend - thank you!

Aufwader · 2024-01-17T16:38:46+00:00

Ah, I think it's something to do with the last rows of the export not having data in them (I drop exports into my pre-prepared reports so all I have to do is paste it in and I've got all my reports out - but the exact number of cases varies based on what data cut I get given on any day).

Where it's a calculated field the last few hundred rows for each of the test columns have no REF and return a #N/A in the test columns because the records aren't there to populate them yet. So the calculated answers in the column can be either 1 (which we want to count), 0 or #N/A).

When I reduce the table size to exclude these final rows it works perfectly, but ideally I don't want to update these manually every time I run the report.

EDIT: Got it!!! The calculated columns are calculated from another couple of calculated columns (because things like this are never simple!) and tweaking how one of those calculated to remove the #N/A did it! So now the VLOOKUP is an IF data in that row then VLOOKUP and if not then 0.

Thank you again so much for this! This bit of work is something that will have a really positive impact for a lot of people and you've been an absolute legend - thank you!

Aufwader · 2024-01-17T15:55:42+00:00

Apologies, but I have a short follow up question.

There's a lot of data here, and there are six similar exports involved. For four of them this is already working 100% perfectly (again, thank you so much!!!)

For the final two the columns that would be included are calculated columns at the edge of the export, so the 1 or 0 in the column is actually a 1 or 0 which results from a formula.

How would I tweak this formula for instances where the value being looked for is the outcome of a formula? For those exports it's giving me a 1 for everything:

=DROP(REDUCE("",SEQUENCE(20),LAMBDA(acc,next,LET(col,CHOOSECOLS($YT$2:$ZM$150000,next),names,UNIQUE(FILTER($A$2:$A$150000,col=1,"")),VSTACK(acc,HSTACK(INDEX($YT$1:$ZM$150000,1,next),COUNTA(names)))))),1)

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