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Reformatted C:, now missing Windows 7 OS
I just joined and I'm writing this because this problem has awakened me in the middle of the night. Sorry for the incomplete details but I hope I am giving enough to get some guidance. Synopsis first followed by my main question.
I'm working on a friends computer. I installed a WD Passport external hard drive, did a backup (not an image that day) and the next day she received a BAD DISK message. (I will post better details on this). I ran chkdsk and no errors were reported. I made an recovery image to the WD Passport just to have something and I created a Repair disk.
She is operational but the message to backup and replace the hard drive continuously pops up. Certainly can't continue like this.
I ran the system repair tool and it reported a problem (better details to come) supporting the disk problem messages and on restart it still showed the BAD DISK message and i had to hit F1 to continue.
I wondered if I reformat the C: drive if it would 'mark' bad segments and maybe make the drive usable again so i reformated C:
I also thought the recovery image and the repair disk I created CONTAINED the Windows 7 OS. I was worried because these things don't always work but she can't continue to work like this either.
Now I do not have the Windows 7 OS and I just now realize I don't have the product key anywhere. She has a desktop, I checked the sticker and it's not on there. I checked the CDs she has from purchase and I don't find anything that has the key on it.
She has a recovery CD from ASUS that I'm going to try next but in reading the brief manual it sounds like its going to take me into the recovery partition and I think I've wiped that partition out.
Now I just want to recover the Windows 7 OS so I can do a clean install, reload programs and drivers and recover my data.
1) It seems like this hard drive has to be replaced but I was still wondering if it was some registry setting related to the install of the WD Passport device that could be fixed
2) No matter if this hard drive can be saved or if a new one is required I have to have Windows 7 install disk or USB
When I ran the recover from image it is operational again. However, if I restart the OS is not found again and I have to boot from the Repair disk and do the recover from image again.
3) Is there a way to create Windows OS install disk from the Repair disk?