deleted my MBR(error) reinstalled windows. can i return to my previous

[SSGT]

A few days ago i set up a virtual pc with my primary win7 and ubuntu as the other. After a few days i decided to remove ubuntu. Unknowingly i deleted my mbr which im sure you all know i couldnt run windows. I got my hands on my Win7 disk to reinstall thinking it would give me all of my information back but instead i basically got a whole new computer with all of my my old settings in a file called windows.old. Is there anyway i can restore my old settings i.e old user name and all of my documents? I want to bring cybertron (My old windows set up) to Earth (the brand new installed settings)<---for allmy transformers darkside of the moon fans lol. Thank you for any advice.

 

[SIW2]

Yes, you can boot into another os (preferably winpe) and make another folder windows.new. Move your new windows folders into that.

Then open windows.old and move all the folders out of there back onto the root of the drive.

Like the link below- note, you don't need to do steps 5 and 6 as you are going from win7 to win7.

How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder

 

[MilesAhead]

Unless you made a system backup image, such as created by software similar to Macrium Reflect, you may be out of luck. In the future it's a good idea to make such an image and store it on an external drive. Once you had removed Ubuntu and put the partiton back the way it was, you should have been able to boot the Windows disk in repair mode and copied the MBR onto your HD.

Also some Linux distros have an uninstall procedure to copy back the original MBR it save during the install. It's just one disk sector. You can probably find MBR savers on the web for free.

edit: I see SIW has the procedure. So you may be ok. But next time keep in mine an image restore may take less than an hour is is likely to go without a glitch. Wheras move of system files and registry around almost always involves headaches.

So I would recommend getting Macrium Reflect Free or a similar product such as Easus ToDo Backup etc..

 

[SSGT]

Yes, you can boot into another os (preferably winpe) and make another folder windows.new. Move your new windows folders into that.

Then open windows.old and move all the folders out of there back onto the root of the drive.

Like the link below- note, you don't need to do steps 5 and 6 as you are going from win7 to win7.

How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder

Thank you Sir.

 

[SSGT]

Unless you made a system backup image, such as created by software similar to Macrium Reflect, you may be out of luck. In the future it's a good idea to make such an image and store it on an external drive. Once you had removed Ubuntu and put the partiton back the way it was, you should have been able to boot the Windows disk in repair mode and copied the MBR onto your HD.

Also some Linux distros have an uninstall procedure to copy back the original MBR it save during the install. It's just one disk sector. You can probably find MBR savers on the web for free.

i guess the back up would be the windows.old file

 

[SSGT]

Yes, you can boot into another os (preferably winpe) and make another folder windows.new. Move your new windows folders into that.

Then open windows.old and move all the folders out of there back onto the root of the drive.

Like the link below- note, you don't need to do steps 5 and 6 as you are going from win7 to win7.

How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder

im going to try that right now hopfully it works but again thank you that makes a lot of sense.

 

[SSGT]

Yes, you can boot into another os (preferably winpe) and make another folder windows.new. Move your new windows folders into that.

Then open windows.old and move all the folders out of there back onto the root of the drive.

Like the link below- note, you don't need to do steps 5 and 6 as you are going from win7 to win7.

How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder

do i need to download winpe before i go to the link because i tried everything it told me to do. i kept getting system could not find file after each prompt and i know that there is a windows.old file there.

 

[MilesAhead]

Unless you made a system backup image, such as created by software similar to Macrium Reflect, you may be out of luck. In the future it's a good idea to make such an image and store it on an external drive. Once you had removed Ubuntu and put the partiton back the way it was, you should have been able to boot the Windows disk in repair mode and copied the MBR onto your HD.

Also some Linux distros have an uninstall procedure to copy back the original MBR it save during the install. It's just one disk sector. You can probably find MBR savers on the web for free.

i guess the back up would be the windows.old file

I doubt Windows.old backs up the MBR. The easiest most direct way is a USB bootable utility that just saves and writes the MBR.

 

[glennc]

Did you make a Windows 7 Repair Disc? I am in the process of getting mine running with it. Used it to rewrite the MBR.
Good luck!
Glenn

 

[SIW2]

You can acces winpe (winre) from your win7 installation disc. Boot it up. When you see the "Install Now" screen, press shift+F10 to get the command prompt. Or select "Repair My Computer" at bottom left of Install Now screen. Then just follow the instructions on the link.

How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder


An easier way may be to d/l and boot up Paragon free rescue cd. Select Normal mode >File transfer Wizard. That way, you can see what you are doing. Rescue Kit Free Edition - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com

 

[PeaB4YouGo]

BTW....for future reference, there's always FixMBR

 

[MilesAhead]

BTW....for future reference, there's always FixMBR

Be aware that the fixmbr command does not overwrite the partition table. It just copies the generic MBR that would be installed on a clean install, over the one currently on the HD without overwriting the partition table section of the MBR. That's ok in many cases. But if you accidentally munge the partition table or had other OS on the same drive and wanted to quickly go back to the old setup, it doesn't have that information. The quicky way to get back to where you were is to save the old MBR someplace and copy it back. That's what many Linux boot loaders do during install. Copy the MBR as it is before resizing/changing partitions into the /boot area someplace to save it.

 

[glennc]

You can acces winpe (winre) from your win7 installation disc. Boot it up. When you see the "Install Now" screen, press shift+F10 to get the command prompt. Or select "Repair My Computer" at bottom left of Install Now screen. Then just follow the instructions on the link.

How to restore a Windows 7-based computer to a previous Windows installation by using the Windows.old folder


An easier way may be to d/l and boot up Paragon free rescue cd. Select Normal mode >File transfer Wizard. That way, you can see what you are doing. Rescue Kit Free Edition - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com

Hello SIW2,
Sorry for the late response. I have been having issues with my machine and have finally, I hope, got it up to speed. I used the Startup Repair with the Rescue disk and the command prompt. It appears to be functioning correctly. I will look into that Paragaon Rescue kit, I use the backup.
Thanks
Glenn

 

[glennc]

BTW....for future reference, there's always Fixer

Thank you for the time and assistance! She's running and booting consistently now!
Glenn

 

[SIW2]

Glad to hear it.