SOLVED Win 7 boot files missing or corrupt

[slowhand59]

I have an Advent Roma 2001 configured, in PC World style, with a "recovery partition" alongside the system partition and, after resolving a hard disk problem, I found that the machine would not start/boot Windows 7. clearly some necessary files are missing or corrupted, but the normal system recovery tools have not solved the problem(s). I'm familiar with the process for resurrecting XP, but not its counterpart for Windows 7...the files and steps for doing this are rather different. it would seem that pretty much everything else is in place on the hard disk, but certain recovery programs report "0" Windows installations when Win 7 is still in place where it was before the disk problem, e.g. it is available to be selected by the main recovery/startup program...this prog can "see" it, but can't access/boot it.

I'd really appreciate it if someone (or some folks) could map out the steps, files, command line statements, etc. so that I can breathe some life into this anaesthetised device sooner rather than later...I may as well work my way through the whole lot rather than using a trial and error method...that might take a long time. however, I'm also happy to be advised on the approach if and where this unnecessary or inadvisable.

thanks in anticipation,

DH

 

[TrainableMan]

Windows 7 uses a boot manager which was apparently corrupted. Install the Windows 7 disk if you have one or a system repair disk if you created one (if not then burn one on a friends W7 machine (type system repair into the Start-search)) and set your BIOS to boot from that DVD. Then do system repair.

I read on these forums that sometimes you have to run the repair three times before it works but I don't know if this will be one of those times or not.

 

[Ace]

You can also try opening cmd through the system repair menu if you have a system repair disk, and from there I would run system file checker.

 

[slowhand59]

thanks...

...Ace n T-Man...will see what happens next...
apologies for any time-lag in responses...due to probs with home connection, I have to use a nearby public service 'til Thursday. thanks again.
D.

 

[slowhand59]

thanks for your response...'got rather distracted with the problem itself and chasing a copy install disk, so I must apologise for the "pregnant silence".

the solution to the problem proved to be a repair/replacement of the corrupted bcd file that screwed up the Boot Manager. I will be delving more deeply into the "details" of that file later...'had the commands/procedure slightly wrong first time round...once this was corrected, the Boot Manager fired up. the install disk was required to replace the spldr.sys that had also been corrupted, I suspect, when the fault developed with the bcd file.

thanks again,

DH

 

[Varyable]

Yes if you could provide details on the commands you ran that would be beautiful! glad you got it all sorted out though. to get non booting windows back feels like an achievement haha.