Windows 7: No BSOD. Endless startup repair loop. "ntoskrnl.exe corrupted"

I can't get Windows to load properly. Can't get into any safe modes. Just the startup repair screen, over and over. It tells me that there are no system restore points. I have tried copying the ntoskrnl.exe from another Win 7 computer. I have tried the "How to get out of the endless system repair loop" tutorial. The repair attempts are giving me a "0x2" error code. I tried to run sfc /scannow. It tells me (no matter how I try) that there is a system repair that needs finishing and to reboot and try again. (yes I did that) I am running chkdsk /f /r right now. Is there any point in continuing to try to fix? Or should I just reformat and reinstall? (I have already backed up all my data)

Reformatting is often the best and fastest way to get going. Just in case back up