Seemingly infinite looped Windows Startup Repair

[Howlit]

While this deals with hardware as well, I thought this would be the best section to post for help since it's more or less dealing with the OS more.

So the computer has been acting rather oddly, and I went to do a restore via a backup I made with Windows 7. I used the system restore feature that Windows will use with the image file it makes. This essentially caused the computer to crash and no longer will the computer read the HDD. Even plugged in as an external drive, it will sit there and try to load the drive in a docking station forever.

Deciding to put it back in the computer and leaving it on, the screen stayed black for awhile and proceeded to do an automatic Startup repair, and has been doing it for just over 4 hours now. While the LED is flashing, indicating it is indeed being read by the computer, nothing is changing at all. It just keeps scrolling the small blue bar over and over on the startup repair wizard.

So my question -- is this ever going to end? If not, does this indicate the drive is dead, and if not, is there any way to fix it? Disk Management won't even acknowledge the drive exists, and if I click on the drive under "My Computer", than explorer will freeze and stop responding until the drive is removed.

I don't mind losing everything on the drive, as I planned to reformat and reinstall.

[-pops-]

As you have already planned to reformat and reinstall, I suggest you do that.

There comes a point in all computer repairs and maintenance when it is not viable or reasonable to continue with trying to get an errant system to do as it should - I think you have reached that point.

To answer your specific point about the drive being dead. With the machine behaving so strangely, it is unfair to say. The chances are that it is OK but I think you will only find out for certain by going through the reformat/install procedure.