Deleted OEM Partition and now cannot boot

chuckie · 13 Jul 2010

I used EASEUS Partition Master to delete an OEM partition which was a system recovery partition from the original Windows XP install.

I then expanded C to fill the complete drive as it is only 80GB. Those two actions ran as 1 job.

Now the system will not boot.

I tried some tips from this forum, including using the Recovery menu from the Win 7 disk, but it has not helped at all.

The disk is now listed as Disk 0 Partition 1. It has no drive letter.

If I let the Win 7 install disk run up to the part where you select the install disk it says, "Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. The partition was reserved by the computer's Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)".

I do not understand why it says that is the OEM partition, as I told EASEUS to delete the OEM partition and then expand C to fill the disk. Surely it should be the C drive now.

Have I totally screwed it up?

Is there any way I can recover my C drive and my Windows 7 install?

richc46 · 13 Jul 2010

If you can boot in safe mode and get to system restore, that will probably work.

If not this should work, too

System Repair Disc - Create

Bare Foot Kid · 13 Jul 2010

Hello chuckie, welcome to Seven Forums!

Have a look at the tutorial at the link below, it's a disk that'll boot the PC and you'll be able to mark the Windows partition as "Active" that'll make it possible to do the "startup repairs" mentioned in the Note in Option One, Step One in the tutorial so you can get Windows booting again, to mark as "Active" have a look at Option Three, Step Two in the tutorial.
Be sure to post back to keep us informed or if you have any questions.

Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD

chuckie · 13 Jul 2010

Thanks for the quick replies!

I tried using Partition Wizard to change the partition to active, but it does not help. It also seems to want to remain hidden. It changes back if I change it.

In Diskpart the partition is now Type OEM.

I tried the Windows 7 System Repair several times, but that has no effect.

Any other ideas?

richc46 · 13 Jul 2010

Not too familar with this tutorial, but seems like it may help

MBR - Restore Windows 7 Master Boot Record

chuckie · 13 Jul 2010

Doesn't work.

"The system partition was not found"

I get the feeling I need a way to change the partition from Type OEM otherwise nothing will work.

Bare Foot Kid · 13 Jul 2010

Hello again.

I thought you said you made one partition/volume of the entire HDD, my advice was to mark the Windows 7 partition (not the OEM partition) as active and do the repairs to that; then you can finish removing the OEM partition after you have Windows booting again.

myzr7 · 13 Jul 2010

Welcome to SevenForums,Did you say you can boot into safe mode? Use the f-8 key at startup. If you can then go to disk managment and try to set your partition to active by selecting then right click, make active. Then you mentioned you had install disc you boot from it and repair computer with start up repair. Good luck to you.

chuckie · 13 Jul 2010

No, as per my original post, there is ONLY one partition now. There is no windows 7 partition. The only partition on the drive is Type OEM and it is the full 80GB (containing my win7 install).

And I have tried the setting the partition to active and using Win 7 disk Repair feature several times.

Any other ideas?

Bare Foot Kid · 13 Jul 2010

OK try this boot the Install disk and after the first "black/press any key ..." screen press shift + F10 keys to get to a DOS command window to see if assigning the partition a drive letter helps, have a look at the snip below to see how, I suggest the letter C:

click to enlarge