Windows 7 Repair Disc is garbage!

I have a dual-boot system--windows 7 and ubuntu 10--and recently an ubuntu update replaced the windows 7 boot loader with grub. And nobody asked it to! I never use Ubuntu anyway, I just peeked in to see if I was missing anything.

I was missing something when I tried to boot into Windows 7--Windows 7!

The trouble is, the Repair Disc is useless. All it does is "Load Files", then the hard drive light blinks for what seems like forever, then a mouse cursor on a black screen, and then... well, nothing. I've unplugged everything but the mouse, keyboard and monitor and still nothing. No matter what I do, nothing. Safe mode, recovery, last known good--all do the same thing.

The computer boots Ubuntu with no problem, and I can even see the Windows files. (Is that partition supposed to be 'bootable'? It isn't.) Ubuntu tells me there are errors with the $mft whatever that is.

I just don't get it. When I boot from a disc, I expect the machine to boot FROM THE DISC! What is the machine doing for an hour? Every operating system I've ever had could boot from a disk to text mode with a command prompt. All I want to do is fix the mbr or partition table or run chkdsk and see what the problem is. Why won't the repair disk do ANYTHING?

I had to replace my motherboard after it burned out, so the discs from the manufacturer are no use. I'll have to buy a new Windows 7 and reinstall (and goodbye, Ubuntu!). I am so frustrated!

sign me,
Mr. Pouty-Pants

RoyFeni, welcome to the Seven Forums.

Is this what you are using,

System Repair Disc - Create

or a disk that came with the computer?

Download the Gparted live CD and burn it to a disc (actually, you might already have it if you burned a Ubuntu CD).

I surmise you are desirous of ditching Ubuntu so just delete the partition it's on and allocate the space back to Win 7. Then make your Win 7 Partition active.

Read more here.

Then run Startup Repair.

Why would you have to buy another copy of Win7? You own the copy your have for life and can reisntall it as often as you want. If it came pre-isntalled from the factory then you'll need to run factory Recovery partition, the Recovery disks made when you first got the computer, or order them from Tech Support.

Or you can borrow a Win7 retail installer for your version (or unlock any other version) to reinstall with the Product Key on the COA sticker. Universal Installation Disc - Create

As for the System Repair CD, it may not work because it isn't burned correctly. Try burning another from the link given earlier, then boot it, mark Win7 partition active and run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times to repair or rewrite the System MBR to Win7.

Partition - Mark as Active
Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

Sometimes GRUB will corrupt Win7 and make it harder to repair. To correct this, download and burn to CD free Partition Wizard bootable CD to rightclick>Wipe the GRUbby partition. Then try the repairs. Check with PW CD that Win7 is marked Active first. Partition Wizard Use the Bootable CD

Failing that, you may need to find a Win7 installer to clean reinstall, run the factory Recovery partition by tapping key given on first boot screen or in Manual on your model's webpage.

You do not need to buy another copy of Win7. You own yours for life.

Hello there!

Seems like you need to re-enable the windows boot loader. It actually is quite simple. I'll help you through the process.

What your going to want to do is boot off of a Ubuntu CD. Once you are there go to applications and then Ubuntu Software center. You should download a program called disk utility(if it's not already there...) After its downloaded go to System>Administration>Disk Utility and go ahead and delete all the ubuntu partitions you created.

Once you are done with this shutdown your machine and reboot with the windows 7 repair disc. Once it loads select Repair this computer. Then open up a command prompt and type these two commands:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot

one right after another. after this you can shutdown your machine and when you restart you will be restored to a windows 7 only machine that boots correctly!!!

Hopefully this helps!

As a side note if you still are interested in trying out Ubuntu(Which I highly suggest) try this http://wubi-installer.org/. This installing Ubuntu as is it was simply another windows application. All you need to remove it is to go to add delete programs and delete it from there! No hassling with the command prompt!

Good Luck!

We use Win7 tools and applications here which are optimal for Win7 and not some other OS.

All of the bootrec and bootsect commands are automated in Win7 Startup Repair. Just burn correctly a Repair CD so that it works like the Repair CD has always worked without complaint that I can ever remember.

You are frustrated because of your own misinformation for configuration mistakes. First off, you don't need a new copy of Windows 7. The fact that you replaced a dead motherboard has nothing to do with the OS, as even an OEM license would be okay to reinstall.

Second, anytime you dual-boot *shudders* with Linux....Grub is always the preferred boot loader. Always been that way with Windows and *nix based multi-boot systems.

Third, if you rarely used Ubuntu, and just wanted to check it out, you should have used a LiveCD or vitualized it...leaving your host, primary system untouched.

So, in the spirit of being helpful, here's what I would do. I'd use something like BartPE or pull the drive from the system to connect to another one, and backup my important data. Then I'd wipe the drive clean, including the MBR, and do a clean, fresh install of my existing Windows 7.

You can boot a correctly-burned Repair CD to wipe the HDD of GRUB corruption before reinstalling: SSD - HDD Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

There is also a Repair console on the second screen of the Install DVD.

You might have the same trouble with an install disc.

Sounds like windows can't find the drive.

Try booting a non windows partition manager - Gparted, or similar, do a small partitioning operation of some kind - doesn't matter what, then boot the 7 repair cd again .