Broken MBR/Boot/System Partition

You woud create a primary as you tried to - normally. However, you can't do that in this situation - you need a 3rd party app.

The problem if 100mb System Reserved and Win7 partitions are within an Extended Logical Partition is that you must normally delete all but one of the Logical sub-partitions to get Partition Wizard bootable CD to Modify>convert to Primary.

Diskpart List shows a HD with 465gb size but also shows two partitions with 465gb size each. Something is wrong.

Please download and burn to CD free Partition Wizard from link SIW2 posted, then post back the accurate partition sizes and listings - a camera snap would be nice.

If you only have two partitions - 100mb and Win7 - then try to rightclick the extended Logical to Modify>Convert to Primary. If it won't allow this, then Delete the 100mb partition and try again. Next rightclick Win7 partition to Modify>Set Active. Then boot into Win7 DVD Repair console or Repair CD, accept any offered repair. If it doesn't start, boot back into DVD/CD Recovery Options to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots until it starts.

It is incorrect that deleting GRUB alone will safeguard against corruption of Win7 which we see here a lot. The HD must be wiped if this is what has happened.

I have plugged in the drive with a sata/usb cable, and I can see the contents. Using EASEUS Partition Master to "convert Logical to Primary" on the windows 7 drive

So, there will be one partition, Windows 7 as Primary. When this is done, how do I re-build the proper boot settings?

Edit: the pc threw an error...windows has a problem insert your boot CD to fix.
So I did and under repair your computer, it popped up saying it detected and can fix, do you want to restart?
so I did, and now it shows Windows 7 Home Premium and the 475819MB partition (C:) Seven-64 [name I gave it a while ago]

Now I go to startup repair.

Attempting repairs...
Repairing disk errors. This might take over an hour to complete.


I will have to check this after class and a meeting.

I'll keep you updated. Thanks for the help.

Did you mark Win7 partition Active?

It would be better if you would use free Partition Wizard bootable CD as it has helped fix hundreds of these issues here without fail. If three Startup Repairs with reboot on marked-Active Win7 partition do not work, then running Rebuild MBR from PW CD Disk tab sometimes does.

A camera snap of the drive map with listings of partition manager CD can also reveal other problems to be solved.

This is off my laptop and I have the drive plugged in with sata to usb cable.

While I have access to it like this it shouldn't be hard to perform things with it right?

Ubuntu 9.04 disc
-> Boot from first Hard Drive
-> Boots Windows 7 fine and everything works.


Now I'm going to remove the CD and restart. IF it doesn't boot, then obviously there is a minor error.
(I think boot might be unchecked on the partition, if so, do I just check it with gParted?)

Thanks everyone, I'll post in a minute

evidently my edit was eaten by flaky wifi.

making this post from my working Windows 7 pc now.

I don't need a 100mb partition. The drive is all one partition. It works and boots fine now. No GRUB. No Linux. No errors, fast boot. It's amazing.

I only had a problem because I was careless when I resized Windows 7 and accidentally ate the 100mb boot partition. Turns out you can circumvent that. It's kind of a silly idea in the first place.


I'm keeping my laptop with GRUB -> ubuntu/Win7 and I'll set up virtualization on my desktop.


Thanks for the help, everyone. I wasn't willing to give up or format.

Cheers~

pi`