Windows 7 - Help! Disk read error

Hi,

I seem to have made a mess here.
I had Vista 64x and Windows 7 build 7057 set up in a dual boot with Windows 7 on a 30Gb partition.
Acting on advice in another thread I decide to shrink my Vista partition and expand my Windows 7 partition using GParted.
That seemed to go ok and I shrank Vista partition to about 400GB and expanded the Windows 7 partition to about a 100GB.

However, I now cannot boot at all. When I try I get "A disk read error occurred. press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart".

When I try this nothing happens and I have to do a power shutdown.

I have attempted repairs using my Vista disk and that tells me nothing is wrong. Likewise I tried repair with my Windows 7 disk with the same result. Both tell me that the system booted succesfully.

I then tried reinstalling both Vista and Windows 7 to their respective partitions and I still get no boot and a Disk read error message.

I have been in the BIOS and tried every boot device option but still nowhere.

I'm writing this from the Asus Splashtop OS that came with my mobo. I thought it was a bit of a gimmick but it might just save me now!

Can anybody help, John

Hi,if you reinstall Win 7 ,and when you come to part where it gives you a choice to do an upgrade,or a new install choose a new install, and it will make a folder called Windows Old, so you wont loose everything ,so at least you are back in and you can go from there,I hope this helps.

Thanks Jfar,

I already did that. I have a new install on both partitions so I have an "old windows" folder on both partitions.

But I cannot boot into anything except this minilinux OS that Asus provide with the P5Q Pro.

Whatever I try I get the disk read error message and pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del does not restart the system.

I don't think I can download anything with this Expressgate OS either.

I've been trying to fix this for about 5 hours and I'm stuck.

Thanks, John

You've mentioned trying various 'Boot device options' in your first post but have you looked through all options in the BIOS? There is normally an option relating the OS (advanced settings usualy). I could be wrong but i've noticed similar options on a lot of PC's i've repaired.

When it shows you at the begining which OS is going to start,pick Windows 7 and immediatly press F8, and that should give you repair options.

Thanks for the replies guys,

Orbital Shark- I just checked everything in my BIOS. There is nothing relating to OS in anywhere not even advanced options.

jfar.- I don't get a boot choice at all. The system starts and I get the Asus page then I get a blinking cursor and, after a few seconds, the disk read error message.

By booting from my Vista disk and then clicking repair I get a box with the following in:

Windows 7 112172MB (e New volume
Microsoft Windows Vista 364764MB (d Local disk
Microsoft Windows Vista 364764MB (d Local disk
Windows 7 112172MB (e New volume

I have tried the repair option with both disks (vista and Windows 7) and it tells me there is nothing wrong.

Wish I'd left it alone but I wanted to have more room for Windows 7 so I could install more programmes and use it as my main OS.
I'm completely lost, John

Just noticed these smilies. They are supposed to be colons. Must be some foible of this Asus expressgate emergancy os

Ok when it is booting up, keep pressing F8 it should get you to where I said ,keep trying it a few times,because sometimes you miss it if your a second late pressing the F8 key.Also this might be a stupid question but did you try Safe Mode.

Ok jfar. I'll try that. Do you mean with my Windows 7 or Vista Disk in the drive or just as is?

I can't get to boot let alone boot into Safe Mode. As I say I get nowhere near a boot or boot choice just straight to the error message, John

Dont put any discs in the drive and let it try to start that way, and see what happens.

Ok Tried that. Shut down and then restarted. no disks in the drive. Pressed F8 and got a boot device box. Chose Samsung HDD pressed enter and got Disk read error, Tried pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart and nothing happened.
I'm truly buggered. john