Windows 7: can't recover the MBR after starting factory restore and erasing linux

Hello there

I have a net book accer with Windows 7 starter which I bought in Italy while I was there.
Since I'm not a windows user, I instaled ubuntu on it but kept windows because this netbook isn't stay with me.

So once I came back I start the recovery proccess. But, surprisingly for me, the recovery didn't rewrote the MBR and now I'm unable to continue it.



Since it is a netbook, it doesn't had a opctical drive neither I had any instalation disk.
I've tried to recovery it with a pen drive with recover console for win xp, to no results.
fixmbr and fixboot didn't work. It say the proccess was successful but at the restart the grub recover continue to show.

So, I'm without option but to try and put a Lilo just to make it boot to windows, but I don't want such 'by-pass' solution.

Any clues?

Did you make the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Disks?

Nops, never did any recovery disk. Besides, the only media I had was a 1gb pen drive I used to install linux later. So even if I had it would be erased.

All Linux code must be deleted using the CLEAN ALL command.As you have had linux on the HD you need do a Clean all & full format.

Type in command line
DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK # (win HD)
CLEAN ALL
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT fs=NTFS
ASSIGN
EXIT
EXIT
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

First try tapping F8 key at boot to see if you have System Recovery Options on the Advanced Boot Options menu. If so boot into Command Prompt to mark Windows 7 partition Active using Diskpart: Partition - Mark as Active (Method Two)

Next run Startup Repair repeatedly up to 3 separate times to write the System Boot files to Windows 7.

If no Repair console on F8 menu, you'll need to find a Windows 7 Repair CD ISO to try writing to flash stick using WinToFlash, order your Acer Recovery Disks from Tech Support with help to write to flash stick, or locate Windows 7 starter version ISO to write to 4gb flash stick to use for Repairs or possible reinstall using Universal USB Installer .

Before booting Recovery or Installation stick to reinstall, use Theog's link to wipe the HD of GRUB corruption as this may block all repair attempts anyway.

After contacting (without any good) Acer support I finally managed to solve the problem, using RescaTux (here if anyone would need it in the future Rescatux - Super Grub Disk) plus TestDisk (sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install testdisk).

But this problem was really awkward. I had a notebook with Windows Vista which once had dual boot with Ubuntu, when I did factory restore on it, it resized the partitions and rewrote the MBR) but with Windows 7 was different. It remove two logical partition, kept the extended and swap and did not rewrote the MBR.

Anyway, the problem was solved. So thank you everybody for your support.