I've done that, as I've already said before. That was in my first post.
Let me elaborate:
I can't run startup repair anymore unless I modify the boot files, which i did when I copied them from D, because it won't let me. It stopped detecting problems after the second repair, and will not run repair again, because it doesn't think there's any problem. It still will not boot, and after multiple tries to see if startup repair would run again, I was forced to plug D back in.
Try it this way:
How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows
DO NOT PLUG BACK IN PANCAKES UNTIL WINDOWS IS BOOTING OK.
I've got that second part down. I'll try that method, thanks.
I'm assuming you didn't see the screenshot I posted in my first post in this thread. I had already marked "Waffles" as active before posting here.
You will find your other points addressed by my other posts as well. I can see by your profile that you're probably very helpful, but please, it's just frustrating to see things I've already tried and posted about posted again.
Then what were the results when you used Partition Wizard boot disk to Rebuild MBR on the Win7 disk, after making sure it was still marked Active?
I haven't done that yet, I've been helping my friend move. That's why I've left this thread as unsolved. I'll probably get to it tomorrow.
I took my post down because you complained it was inpertinent since you'd already tried everything in it, but I guess you hadn't then.
You also upbraided me for not noticing that C was marked Active in your screenshot. But I was going by the steps you said you made in the OP and what was obviously missing was marking C Active before running Startup Repair, which automates writing the System Boot Files (you'd unnecessarily shoveled in) only if the Win7 partition is already marked Active and none other are and interfere.
You also need to mark D Inactive and be certain that Win7 HD is set first to boot in BIOS Setup. Ignore what Startup Repair reports and run it 3 times anyway, or try the even more automated PW CD Rebuild MBR function after using Modify>Set Inactive on D.
Last edited by gregrocker; 27 Jun 2011 at 01:00.
I apologize if I came off as rude. I didn't mean to be, I'm just not one to let errors go uncorrected, and I'm sometimes unsure how to correct people without seeming rude.
Here is what I did before posting here, for clarity:
1. Marked Waffles as Active using DISKPART in an administrative command line (I'm refraining from referring to it as C, because the Win7 install DVD refers to it as D, while my Win7 installation refers to it as C, leaving things a bit ambiguous. For reference, it's the drive which I'm trying to boot from. "Pancakes" is the drive which currently contains the boot files and carries the "System" flag)
Edit: 1.5. Used an administrative command line to create boot files on C. Command may have been 'bcdboot C:\ /s C:', that's the best I can remember. This method was suggested on another forum.
2. Went into BIOS and set Waffles as the primary startup drive (It is interesting to note that running DISKPART within the Win7 install DVD environment still marks Pancakes as Disk 0, and Waffles as Disk 1, even with Waffles set as the primary boot drive)
Edit: 2.5. Attempted to boot. Failed.
3. Ran startup repair several times, each time letting it apply fixes until Startup Repair failed to detect errors in the boot files and would not let me run startup repair again
4. Attempted to boot the system with Waffles set as the primary boot drive, and Pancakes plugged in. System would not boot.
5. Ran the Win7 install DVD again, startup repair still failed to detect problems and would not run.
6. Gave up, set Pancakes as the primary boot drive. System booted, and I posted here.
Boot PW CD, rightclick on D to Modify>Set to Inactive, OK.
Making sure C is still set Active, click on it's HD to highlight it, from PW Disk tab select Rebuild MBR, Apply all steps. Restart.
If this fails, unplug D to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times or until Win7 starts, regardless of what it reports.
If repairs will not rewrite the System boot files then the config was likely messed up beyond repair in something else which was done outside these automated steps.
You can try with PW CD Resizing C from the left by 200mb, to create a Primary partition labeled System Reserved, mark it Active, no letter. Then with D unplugged run 3 Startup Repairs to see if it will create a boot partition for you which also places the Repair Console on F8.
Alright, so I download the ISO version of PW and burn it to a disc, then boot from that? Just want to make sure.
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