Windows Vista Error: F3-FF00-0020 when running System Restore

I am desperately in need of some assistance.

My Toshiba Laptop (about 2 and a half years old) was running Windows Vista with all the MS 2007 office applications. Over the last few months it had been getting progressively slower and of course that was incredibly frustrating.

Someone told me that there was a way to restore the computer back to its 'out-of-the-box' state, and this seemed too good to be true in my opinion. So i saved all the files i wanted to keep and got instructionson how to restore my computer.

All seemed to be going well in the restoring process until i was met with an error "Error: F3-FF00-0020. Computer will shut off now" (or something along those lines)

so i turned on the computer again and let it run when i got another error "BOOTMGR is missing ".

So after a little google-ing and searching i got the impression that i needed to load Vista back onto the computer with the disk. But my computer came with Vista already loaded onto it and do you think i could find a disk in the things that originally came with the computer???

And my Google search from before said that this was a common occurance and could be easily fixed with a free download of the windows vista recovery files. This directed me to a Limewire Torrent file (I usually abhore using P2P sharing programs like this - but i was desperate) and it downloaded an *iso file image that had to be burnt to disc.

So I have my makeshift recovery disk (it was a 64bit version - I have no idea what that means BTW - but it sounded better than the 32 bit) and i find my Microsoft Vista product code on the bottom of the laptop (almost worn away- but there) and i try booting the computer from the CD.

All seems to be going okay until i get an error code 0x80070002 (something about the file cannot be found - or something along those lines)

I am at the point where i dont know whether to cry or tear my hair out in frustration. I have considered taking to some kind of computer specialist - but am so afraid that in the process i will drain my bank account.

My questions to you wonderful people out there are:

1. Can anyone help me repare this without having to buy new software or pay a computer expert?

2. Am i even doing the correct thing - keeping in mind i am a very basic computer user so computer related jargon does not sit well with me! lol

3. Would it simply be easier/ cheaper/ less hassel to go out and buy the new Windows 7 program and go from there?? Would that even fix the problem i have?


If anyone out there can help me it would be so very much appreciated! I am getting sick of googling on my iphone!

 

Your Laptop probably came with a program that would generate recovery disks. I have 2 Toshibas and they both were that way. You had to run this program before it died. Your best bet and chepest way to go now is to contact Toshiba and see if you can purchase a set of recovery disks. I had to do this with HP a few years back when I didn't get around to making the disks and the harddrive went out to lunch.