BSOD: process1_initialization_failed

This issue would go unsolved in this case. If you are stumbling upon this thread due to troubleshooting this error for yourself, I urge you not to get discouraged. Begin by following everything from the original post prior to the section labeled "Other attempts". There are a remarkable number of cases posted online exclaiming the bootcat.cache deletion/substitution is enough to boot the OS for further repair. I believe this particular laptop failed a system restore and went through the ringer with a local technician before reaching myself - it was a lost cause.

Let the original post in this thread serve as a conglomeration of resources and paths to troubleshoot when approaching this problem.

If stumped, do your due diligence and back up critical data and move on. Learn from my surprise - Nirsoft's portable key recovery application, Produkey, can run off a USB when using the command prompt from Startup Repair's advanced options. If nothing else, this will arm you with the original Windows key for reuse.


The link by @magicandre1981 lists a bad disk as the main reason for this crash, which is logical as Startup Repair failed. SSD disks are fragile and may fail (especially low-cost ones).

An SSD normally has lots of spare capacity to replace worn-out sectors. When that capacity is exhausted the disk normally passes to read-only mode. If that happened to you and if some crucial disk data was only partially written to the disk, then data may be lost.

I suggest booting with the good SSD while installing the bad one as secondary internal disk or if impossible in an external enclosure (less recommended), then:

  1. First backup all your data as much as possible, because this might be your last chance.

  2. Install and invoke Speccy to review S.M.A.R.T. data for the disk. If too many errors exist the prognostic is not good. If you wish us to have a look, post a screenshot of this data.

  3. Run chkdsk. If serious problems are found, either give up on the disk or try chkdsk /f - but be aware that this may just complete the destruction. For more information see this howtogeek.com article.

  4. Repair corrupted system files with the SFC command:

    a. Boot from your Windows install disc
    b. Click on Repair your computer after selecting proper language, time and keyboard input.
    c. Select the Windows installation drive, which is usually C:\, and click Next
    d. Choose Command Prompt when the System Recovery Options box appears
    e. Write the following command and press Enter:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=D:\ /offwindir=D:\Windows\

  1. Boot via the F8 menu and choose the "Last Known Good Configuration".

  2. In another Windows 7 computer (or boot with the good disk), create a System Repair Disc by: Start, type system repair, select Create a System Repair Disc, and follow the prompts, then boot with it on the bad disk.

  3. If all has failed, the SSD might be irreparable, or at least the Windows installation is unsalvageable. As a last effort you might try a clean install.
    (Note: The solution taken by the poster was similarly to give up and re-purpose the disk).