MBR Partition issue during CCE scan operation... how to recover MBR

UPDATE: Followed recommendation made by someone on another forum, and I have to agree wholeheartedly: Active Partition Recovery is an amazing program - if you ever have the misfortune of finding a partition is now showing as 'free space', or even 'unallocated' or 'raw', Run this program.

It quickly scanned (and found) a 50g partition full of data. I created a 44gig .dim (which I was able to explore, and recover individual files and folders from, before [just] deleting) and recovered all data (exploring the .DIM using Active Disk Image Freeware).
The 280 gig (problem) native VHD, that will no longer boot? I shrank and resized it, and copied to an external (the original and the re-sized copy both attach ok, just won't boot...)


So I'm ready to follow the clean steps! I have an MBR Backup tool!

Here's a before (clean HD) shot, and evidence that the VHD is still salvageable...





Into the breach...

I forgot to ask, re Win PE and bootsect,

"To restore the MBR's code portion, you can use Bootsect (bootsect.exe), a repair tool that Windows provides only in Windows PE and not in Windows 7/R2. Bootsect’s syntax looks like"

Does anyone know if the Recovery Console / installation media is the same as WinPE (with bootsect)?

I just checked (about to search, using Everything, for bootsect on local C, thought I'd check the win version)



(The experience index tells me this isn't a virtual install)

Did you say you are ready to do the Clean Reinstall?

After doing all the backup steps specified in Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 I would wipe the HD of all code first using Diskpart Clean Command from the booted Win7 installation media's System Recovery Options Command Line.

Then during the actual illustrated install steps at Clean Install Windows 7 create and format your new partition(s) as desired at Steps 7/8 using the Drive Options pictured there.

This should leave you with a very neat 100mb System REserved boot partition, your C install partition, and a storage partition if desired. To add any more than those you should wait til after install to create a Logical extended partition to which you can add as many contiguous sub-partitions as desired: Partition / Extended : Logical Drives - Windows 7 Forums

I didn't know you could change a primary (windows system) partition into a 'logical drive'. Crazy.

Thanks for the tips. I'm gonna try one more stab at less virtual before admitting defeat (and reinstalling a fresh virtual vhd).

(This shot makes me think, re native VHDs, that you don't need a 100mb system partition, and then primary partitions for each bootoption... Just a system partition, which happens to contain a vhd. Or several :)