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#11
Have you tried to boot to Safe Mode? Does it work?
Thanks for the suggestion. I get no boot up menu on the half-completed repair install booting on C. I do get the boot menu when I boot from a repair CD or DVD, but that doesn't let me fix the half-finished install on C.
Access Safe Modes by tapping F8 to try to boot into Advanced Boot options at reboot. Try this several times as it requires a certain rhythm.
HDMI is fine. The point is to try an external monitor. Did you ?
If the Repair Install will not roll back then you'll need to abandon it, do a Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.
Read the Special Note for Dell Owners at the end as the only partition worth keeping is the Utility partition IF the diagnostics will still boot. Delete all others to create a new one in the space for the install.
Yes sorry I did try HDMI. I've tried F2, F5, F8 and F12 repeatedly and get no boot options. Suspect you're right there's no way to fix this. Seems pretty poor that a 'repair' install has destroyed my Windows install due to some tiny driver error. Repair installs just don't seem to be particularly supported these days - no install media with computers, you can burn an OEM bloated image but not installer, never had one crash like this before, etc. I bought a new laptop so I could work while this calamity was going on and am installing as much as possible portable - sick of building OSs and would use VBoxes more if they didn't also cause issues.
Where on the filesystem is the registry stored? As one last attempt I might just copy the old registry over it.
I provided you with the pristine install media. Why not invest the same amount of time in doing a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which can be preserved in perpetuity with an image, instead of trying to salvage the worst possible install of Win7 one can have which now won't even boot. Have you even experienced perfect native Win7, and wouldn't you want to?
You obviously had compound corruption to have it fail like that. Now do the perfect reinstall like should have been done to begin with.
You can try copying in the registry backup using the same procedure as for Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery
Last edited by gregrocker; 28 Sep 2014 at 09:12.
I'm extremely grateful to you for trying to help me repair my bloatware
install, I am very sorry for any offense caused. The last thing I'd wish
to do is offend someone who has so patiently and generously helped as
you have.
I want to rescue the bloatware install because it runs many virtual
servers that will not run on my new PC due to VBox hardware
sensitivities. These servers that took months of my life to create and
cost a small fortune in bandwidth (downloading Android and Cyanogen
source) which I thought I had safely backed up (as I have multiple
copies in multiple locations of the disk images).
I'm moaning about Dell providing only an image, rather than proper Windows media. In
the past I'd get a Windows disk and a drivers disk, these days you get a
piece of software that will 'allow' you to burn one copy of the
bloatware image it comes with, which is a massive inconvenience given
the OS needs a reinstall every few years.
I hope that clarifies any ambiguity in my posts and motives, apologies.
Dell is the only brand I know which will provide a clean copy branded OS Reinstallation disk. A driver's disk is dated the minute it's pressed, so the better alternative for fresher drivers is to run all rounds of Window Updates and then any which are missing can be imported from the Dell Support Downloads webpage for your tag number.
You can try copying in the registry backup using the same procedure as for Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery.
But in the same amount of time you can have a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which offers the best possible install preserved in perpetuity by an image, instead of a lemon which now won't boot.
The infinite loop repair tutorial is exactly what I was hoping for. Huge thanks, that is fantastic! Hope I wasn't explaining myself unnecessarily, I am hugely grateful for your generous assistance.