Windows 7 System Restore Environment (HELP!)

kegobeer said:

Do you have the same issue when you try to select Repair your computer from that screen - no operating system is detected?

How do I repair from that screen? Which option. I listed what it displays in last post. Thanks.

kegobeer said:

Sorry, I didn't notice you put those options in your last post. You don't have the option - you have to use the repair DVD, which you've already tried.

The only thing I can think of that might be happening is that the restore environment is looking at the first partition (the 100MB partition that is usually created during Windows 7 installation) for the OS and not finding anything. Sometimes you can delete that partition and then re-run the repair action in the restore environment, which should then locate the Windows operating system. Now, I've never tried that myself, but I've had people do it and they reported success.

Thanks for the tip.

There are 3 partitions on here, I followed the instructions in post #2.

Startup repair menu doesn't see an operating system

What it gives me for LIST PARTITION is this:

Partition # | Type | Size | Offset
Partition 1 | Recovery | 1500 MB | 1024 KB
Partition 2 | Primary | 288 GB | 1501 MB
Partition 3 | Primary | 8111 MB | 290 GB



I also tried following this too but it says the file isn't found.

Bootrec.exe Tool - How to Use in Windows Recovery Environment

kegobeer said:

Well, now we know what's going on. The first partition is the Toshiba recovery partition, which will allow you to restore the system to the original shipping configuration, just restoring the operating system, and a few other options. However, that will completely wipe the OS partition. There are several different options you can select during the process. It's explained in the manual, starting on page 61.

http://cdgenp01.csd.toshiba.com/cont...00_09Aug11.pdf

Obviously they want their data saved and not wiped, so if you choose that path, make sure you copy all of their data to removable media (external drive, flash drive, etc).

I'm still looking around, trying to find more information on how to access the Windows restore environment when the first partition is a recovery partition.

Thanks, I'm reading through the manual now.

As the manual mentions on page, if you press and hold 0 during start up screen it will go into their own restoration tool. I think my neighbor may have tried this and it failed or something. When I try it now the laptop makes a loud beeping noise and doesn't go into the recovery tool.

kegobeer said:

Well, it sounds like it's pretty well messed up. Is it still under warranty?

Doubt its under warranty still. Is there a way I could hook up the hard drive from the Toshiba to another laptop or my desktop and back up any important files? And how would I go about wiping clean the hard drive and just doing a fresh install of Windows? I don't think they have the Windows install disc but the laptop has a sticker on the bottom with the serial # for the install.

Thanks again for your help Kego.