Windows 7 No Go!!

Amadeus said:

In Win 7 is there still the ability to get into the console via the command prompt to attempt a repair?

Your post implies one physical HDD with only one partition.
If anything else, post otherwise, and do not attempt these instructions.
And do not use any XP stuff, unless you have dual-boot, not mentioned.

The problem may well be the mbr-code, boot sector, bootmgr, etc...

The solution should be to boot from your W7 install DVD.
This will get 'W7-code' into the box, probably to the "Install W7" screen...

Now you need to get to a "command prompt", which in Win7,
is to hit "Shift F10" which brings up an 'Admin Cmd prompt'. (the 'DOS-box')

(Now you have to find out the 'letter' of your DVD, and HDD.)
type: diskpart
then: list volume -- Note the letters of DVD (D:?) and boot HDD (C:?)
type: EXIT to get out of 'diskpart' and back to the cmd prompt.

type: D: (D:? for your DVD letter)

type: CD boot
type: bootsect /nt60 C: /mbr (C:? for your boot HDD)...
--- He should say "Success" ---

type: EXIT to get out of 'Command Prompt' and back to Win7 Setup.

That ought to do it. Cancel out of Setup, and reboot.
If that doesn't do it, there may be something else to go at.

If w7 can't boot, how are you running these "Third party utilities" ?
Have they made any modifications to your HDD ?

(Amadeus is a well-known first-name...)

Amadeus said:

The system boots up to the 'select operating system' screen with Windows 7 highlighted (it is the only OS on this box). Pressing enter produces a blank screen. A few seconds later the small blue dashes appear in the upper left hand corner of the screen for a few more seconds. Then the cursor appears in the middle of the screen. The cursor is movable with the mouse. And, there it sits.

A "quick" reply, during 'morning' coffee:
'antt's post seems like a good idea - I've seen other posts that said leaving it alone for a while, finally brought it up.
But that was usually after a new install.

"Select OS" would be the 'Boot Manager' screen saying that the MBR, bootsector, and bootmgr executable are all OK.
From this screen, you should be able to hit the 'Tab' key to select 'Memory Diagnostics' at the bottom of the page.
It would also be a good idea to run this for a while (30 minutes?).
Once in Memy Diag, I would select the "Advanced" option and let it run for several passes.

The fact that the "small blue dashes appear in the upper left hand corner of the screen" indicates (to me) that there could be a video problem, video memory problem, etc.
These blue dashes should be 'centered' and at the lower part of the screen.
Unfortunately I don't know exactly whats going on during the dashes.
Obviously, w7 is loading something and the blue dashes are a 'Please wait' type of message.

The 'chkdsk /r' is what apparently "goofed-up" your running installation.
I have read posts that said more that one run is necessary to "fix" disk problems. Perhaps 3 or 4?
This might be able to be done from: boot DVD, Shift F10, for cmd prompt.
___C:
___CD windows/system32
___chkdsk /r etc.
Not sure about this, but the file should exist there, and be executable (launched).

Only one partition. I've thought about trying to partition the drive and loading Win 7 on the new partition. Haven't thought that through yet.

That is indeed a possible solution, which should work.
However that will leave you with a useless install on C:, and a theoretically new working install on the D:? new partition.
Unless you have 'valuable' data on the current C:, a new clean install, with formatting the C: might be the wiser choice.

As for third party utilities - from the install screen of Windows 7 a command prompt is accessible from which the DIR of C: is visible.

"Third party" generally refers to not-Microsoft = Some other vendor's software.
The cmd prompt is Microsoft and is Win 7 code, not third-party.
I assume Shift F10 gets you to that cmd prompt, to do the DIR.

A third party set of DOS utilities also allows for booting to an X: which get me to C: also. From the X: the utilities have not made any changes.

Here I assume you're referring to that 'Hiren CD', which I have also read is an illegal distribution of MS Windows XP software...
My assumption is that it is a form of "BartPE" rescue CD.
I wouldn't use that unless I were really "down in the mud", but I have my own legal BartPE CD with my favorite tools for troubleshooting.
XP may not "fix" things the "w7 way", especially the important things.

In the meantime, try the Memory test, Chkdsk, and antt's suggestion to just let 'er be.
The fact that you started with a running system implies (to me) that Chkdsk 'repairs' are the culprit.

There's a lot of w7 experts on SevenForums and I'm sure there will be many other suggestions for "plan of attack" or fixes.

Amadeus said:

I tried booting with the low resolution option.

Is that a switch on the card?

Yes, I do get to C:> with Shift + F10 at Win 7 install screen.

Good.
Since its a win 7 problem, the 'proper' solution should be done by using only win 7 tools/utils, which I don't know much about...
You have everything on C: from your w7 install. It just ain't workin' right.
Almost everything is in \system32. Some good stuff is on DVD.

My next thought was to see if I could do a SFC. Cannot run it.

What does "Cannot run it" show as error msge?
Did you try SFC this way:
___C:
___CD windows/system32
___sfc /SCANNOW (to verify and repair files) etc.

At C:> type SET
and post that. May be a hint in there.
Should look something like this:

Yes, I could reformat the HDD and reinstall. However, it is my nature to find a way to fix it first. Aside from the satisfaction if it does work it is also a great learning process.

Right... Then you have the patience to 'play around', and a 2nd computer.
And, full comprehension that things could 'get worse', with reformat/reinstall as the final solution.

Edit:
Since you have one drv, 1 partition, you should have the 100 MB partition, also.
Type: diskpart
then: list disk
then: list volume
then: exit
See if the 100 MB partition shows anything of significance, or even if he's listed.

I still work on the cars...when the computers are working well.

How about a clutch on a 74 Alfa Romeo Spider ?

Amadeus said:

Tried the SFC /scannnow from c:\ and c:\windows\system32. Interesting response in both instances. "There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run SFC again."
Now the question is how do I initiate the repair? Rebooted four times with no change.

Found this, and the way I interpret it is:
When you booted from DVD, you were not booting a 'real' w7 installation --
you are "booting" an image-file. ie, like a Zip file, that has to be "unpacked" to
execute w7 commands.
The Cmd-prompt is one of those unpacked cmds, run from the image-file.

When you attempted to run C:\win\sys32\sfc.exe, the 'unpacked-cmd-prompt' KNOWS that it is running from a .wim image-file,
i.e.:
You cannot use the System File Checker tool to verify or to repair Windows Vista if Windows Vista is in a mounted image file or in a bootable WIM file

You cannot use the System File Checker tool to verify or to repair ...
This process will take some time. There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again.

So much for that.

This also implies that the only 'trusted' programs (running from the .wim image file) are those found on DVD, or, if booted successfully to the bootmgr screen (Select an OS), those manually put on C:\Recovery for that express purpose.
------------------------------------------------
The recovery tools put on C:\Recovery are not automatically placed on that menu.
Which brings us to Antman's link, posted above, and siw2's write-up on how this is done.
Once accomplished, it will simply be a copy of the recovery-tools on the DVD, but loaded from the C: HDD instead.
Since none of these worked for you from the DVD, there's not much sense in putting a menu entry in bootmgr to accomplish the same thing.
The menu entry is surely "booted" from an image-file also, like the DVD.
------------------------------------------------

Unless others who have "been-there, done-that" could jump in here, I'd try the DVD repair/restore functions another time or two from DVD, then go for the format/install route. I'd NOT do a 'Quick' format, though...

I would personally also try a thing or 2, 'off-the-wall' (and quasi-rational) such as running BCDEdit,
and say, change the displayed 'label' by putting the identical same entry where it currently is,
in the hopes that he'll write exactly what he began with, with the original being saved as a .BAK file. This way, the "new" BCD-store file will be on a different physical place on the disk.

Or, because I sometimes do stuff like this, is use 'diskpart' to create a 30 GB .vhd file and install w7 (ULTIMATE only) into that. There's an excellent tutorial on "installing to a vhd" on this board.
This takes time to format the .vhd, install, etc. but I just might do it, just for grins.
This would leave you with still only 1 partition, but with 2 installations: the bad one in C:\Windows and another in a .vhd file.
Theoretically, the .vhd would be bootable as the first entry in Bootmgr with the bad install as the second entry.
OTOH, it might not work...
The only thing you could gain from this is to have a "real" functional bootable Win7 (vice .wim image file), I think, which might allow you to do troubleshooting on the misfit C:\Windows.
Sort of a "BartPE" on the same HDD, contained as a single .vhd file...
Kind of gutsy, and, wandering into the unknown... Also, there are some limitations on vhd installations.

There's still the option to 'squeeze' the one partition down, creating new space for a 2nd partition, and a 2nd installation put there, as you were pondering before.

Sorry Mike.