New
#1
Start-up Repair failure, Problems Keep Piling Up
So I'll lay down the back story first. Months ago, randomly after a routine shutoff (no new programs installed, no power outages or crashes, just turned it off myself) Windows 7 would not boot, saying "Reboot and select proper boot device, or insert boot media in selected boot device and press any key." Happened for a day or two, I made a Windows 7 installation flash drive to boot to and do a Start-up repair, but on turning on the computer with the flash drive plugged in the issue vanished and Windows booted up successfully.
Fast forward to the present, where I decided to alter the Windows startup noise and login screen for an Avengers theme (using the instructions here Startup sound). On rebooting to see the effects, the "Reboot and select proper..." error occurred again. Made Windows 7 install flashdrive again, insert, problem persists. Followed these instructions to solve the issue (Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times) and on reboot the error changes to "Bootmgr is missing. Hit Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart." So I follow these instructions (Recovering the Windows Bootloader from the DVD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki) with no luck. Also, on and off throughout the repair process (and now permanently) the Repair center on the Windows 7 install flash drive has failed, saying ""This Version of System Recovery Options is not compatible with the version of Windows you are trying to repair. Try Using a Recovery disc that is compatible with this version of Windows." Therefore, I cannot complete a Start-up repair now. I am literally out of visible options at this point, and have never experienced such a complicated computer issue. If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it!