Windows repair doesn't detect unbootable Windows as installed

Destroy666 · 08 May 2016

Hi,

I'm not sure if it's the correct section, but I have a big problem I need to fix ASAP. I'll describe it from the beginning:
1. PC with Windows 7 x64 worked completely fine one day, I used the sleep functionality.
2. The next day I woke it up. At the first sight everything was ok, logging in worked fine, so did Google Chrome, Filezilla and some other applications. But then I noticed that the sound doesn't work (including the volume button on the bottom bar), also an application that required access to drivers/etc/hosts threw an error. I tried to manually access it to no avail, Windows said it's inaccessible. I tried to restart my PC to see if it helps, but it wasn't the best solution because...
3. ... system didn't boot anymore. It went straight into the repair/recovery mode, I couldn't even safe boot it. The mouse didn't work in that mode and it was hard to do anything (I managed to run it but it did nothing, couldn't even see the error message due to no scroll possibility), so...
4. ... I used a YUMI pendrive with Windows 7 installer .iso. Mouse worked and I managed to run repair on disc E:, where the tool reported to see Windows. I ran it - this time it at least reported MissingOSLoader. I Googled it and followed this: System will not boot to Windows 7 Professional [Solved] - Windows 7 - Windows 7 1. and 2. didn't do anything - /bootrec scanos returned 0 systems. 3. seemed to worked fine until I restarted PC to see a NoOSInstalled error this time. I couldn't fix it so I tried to run /chkdsk [driveletter]: /f and it fixed some errors, I guess I should have done it in the first place which would save me at the beginning. I also recovered a SYSTEM/SOFTWARE/etc. hives (?) backup which was recommended somewhere, I'm not sure if I should revert that now, but both the old (~15 days) and new files seemed ok when it comes to size.
5. Then I realized the new error showed up because I accidentally marked 2 partitions as active in DISKPART... I unmarked one to go back to the MissingOSLoader state, no matter how many repairs and /bootrec commands I try to run (scanos option stll show 0 installs...).

Additional disk info:
- I have 2 disks, one with system and second with files, the second one is encrypted with Bitlocker and Windows asks me for key on my pendrive, not sure if it matters whether I provide it or not
- on the system disk I have 2 partitions - one with system/app files and the other (~300MB) with boot info, I guess. If I mark the 1st as active I get NoOSInstalled, on the 2nd I get MissingOSLoader, so I assume the 2nd should be marked, right?

Could you answer the boldened questions and provide a step-by-step instruction of what I should do now to avoid reinstall?

AddRAM · 08 May 2016

Using Bitlocker is a bad idea.

Reading that gave me a headache

But, mark your OS partition Active, then run startup repair until windows boots.

Destroy666 · 08 May 2016

Could you be slightly more detailed? As you can see in the post you presumably read, I did that many times and I'm not sure which of 2 Windows partitions should I mark as active.

Destroy666 · 09 May 2016

More info:
- I also ran sfc /scannow /offbootdir=d:\ /offwindir=e:\Windows multiple times and it says some files are corrupted and can't be repaired. I tried to check the CBS.log, but it isn't generated in the first place. I didn't do it earlier (if someone's wondering) because it said that a repair is pending, found out you needed to remove pending.xml in WinSxS folder for it to disappear.
- after 234964 runs of the startup repair I also noticed that one time it said that ACPI.sys is corrupt. After that I ran it again few times but it didn't say it anymore... How to repair it if it's even corrupt?

Destroy666 · 22 May 2016

And bump. Noone?

torchwood · 22 May 2016

Why D & E, W7 should be on C, system repair runs on X.

If you dual booted at any point W7 must be installed first.

Roy

Destroy666 · 25 May 2016

I never dual-booted on that PC. On C: there's the encrypted file disk I mentioned, but it never had a bootable system. Even if I enter the key to unlock it it's still listed as C. Does the letter matter?

RolandJS · 25 May 2016

Regardless of the drive letters assigned by any external disk management utility to your partitions on your hard-drives -- one of the two hard-drives contains the OS partition, be it System Reserved partition or the partition in which your currently broken Windows resides. One of those two need to be marked Active. Both of those partitions can be marked Primary [of course, if there is no System Reserved -- mark the OS partition Active]. I think any other partitions are already marked Logical.

[AddRAM, did I get the above correct? Or, am I missing some stuff?]

Destroy666 · 25 May 2016

I have already mentioned twice that I have 2 Windows partitions - one on volume D: (299MB boot partition) and E: (111GB with system files). D: is the only partition marked as active. I have also asked twice whether I should mark E: instead, with no answer.

If I mark the 1st as active I get NoOSInstalled, on the 2nd I get MissingOSLoader, so I assume the 2nd should be marked, right?

What about SFC reporting missing unfixable files and the repair utility broken ACP.sys one time? Why is noone talking about them? Are they false leads? Couldn't this/those file(s) be messed up by some kind of a virus or whatever? What could be the reason for SFC saying it/they can't be repaired?

RolandJS · 25 May 2016

Sorry I missed your earlier crystal clear partition info! Leave the 299MB Active. If still nogo, try marking the system files partition as Active. I'm avoiding using the drive letters 'cause disk management plays "shuffle-poker" with the drive letters, once Windows becomes "self-aware," i.e. booting and working -- the normal drive letters are back. [Normally, 299MB would not have a drive letter assigned, and the system files partition would have drive letter C assigned.]