Solved Any progress in Windows versions for doing a repair install like XP

[loninappleton]

I may have asked this a different way over the years. During that time there have been new Windows versions. I know skilled video editors that still use XP because that's where their tools are.

But I've moved to Win7 for x64 program specialties.

That aside, in my years of using Win7 there is no repair option for the operating system
where a read from the system disk simply reinstalls it. Please don't mention the process in Win7.
That has never worked and is frustrating because of it.

I recently did a system file check /scannow where the bad sector or whatever that developed could not be repaired as the error message told me.

Have any of the Win10 versions etc provided a complete repair install that leaves my files and folders alone?

 

[Megahertz07]

If you run check disk and it finds bad blocks or bad clusters, replace your disk ASAP. Your disk is dying.

Repair install can be done from running windows. It will keep your programs and data and reinstall win7. Repair Install - Windows 7 Help Forums
If you cant get into windows to do a repair install the only option is a clean install. Clean Install Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[samuria]

Windows 10 offers a few variationon a repair install and keeping data. If your disk has bad block you cant clone it or you will get bad sectors on the new disk, some cloning software has a special way of cloning and missing bad block but you must set it correct but as you dont know what data might be corrupt a clean install is best option

 

[loninappleton]

If you run check disk and it finds bad blocks or bad clusters, replace your disk ASAP. Your disk is dying.

Repair install can be done from running windows. It will keep your programs and data and reinstall win7. Repair Install - Windows 7 Help Forums
If you cant get into windows to do a repair install the only option is a clean install. Clean Install Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

Yes, thanks for answering. I run chkdsk all the time before a clone backup.

Has the repair process changed from Win7 to Win10 in any positive way? And for rebuilding the Master Boot Record and so on? Any new tools for that since the routines which are ancient public domain progs found on disk suites?

 

[Megahertz07]

On Win XP you can do a repair install by booting the installation disk and install over the old one.
Win 7, Win 8 and win 10 you can only do a repair install from running windows (that doesn't help if you can't boot windows)

For the MBR repair
MBR - Restore Windows 7 Master Boot Record - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[loninappleton]

On Win XP you can do a repair install by booting the installation disk and install over the old one.
Win 7, Win 8 and win 10 you can only do a repair install from running windows (that doesn't help if you can't boot windows)

For the MBR repair
MBR - Restore Windows 7 Master Boot Record - Windows 7 Help Forums

Thanks you've clarified that Win7, 8 and 10 behave the same.

I will save that routine you refer to on the other part of my question.

Just going through this I recalled the terms fixboot and fixmbr as commands but a quick look
at the link did not show these. I will go over it again since the XP style repair is gone.

 

[Snick]

Hi loninapleton,

Fix the MBR in Windows 7

You need your original Windows 7 installation DVD to boot into System Recovery Options and run Command Prompt.
The instructions are:
Boot from the Windows 7 installation DVD
At the “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD…”, press any key to boot from the DVD
Select a language
Select a keyboard layout
Click Next
Select the operating system and click Next. The “Use recovery tools that can help fix problems starting Windows” must be checked when you select the operating system.
At the System Recovery Options screen, click on Command Prompt
Windows 7 System Recovery Options Screen
When Command Prompt successfully loads, type this command:
[FONT=&quot]bootrec /rebuildbcd[/FONT]
Press [FONT=&quot]Enter[/FONT]
Type the next command:
[FONT=&quot]bootrec /fixmbr[/FONT]
Press [FONT=&quot]Enter[/FONT]
Type the next command:
[FONT=&quot]bootrec /fixboot[/FONT]
Press [FONT=&quot]Enter[/FONT]
Remove the installation DVD from the disk tray and restart your computer

If [FONT=&quot]bootrec /fixmbr[/FONT] and [FONT=&quot]bootrec /fixboot[/FONT] doesn’t work, try restoring the boot sector code of your Windows 7:
Determine the drive letter of your Windows installation CD/DVD by typing these commands in the Command Prompt:
[FONT=&quot]diskpart[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]select disk 0[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]list volume[/FONT]
Look for the “CD-ROM” word in a “Type” column. This item is your CD/DVD installation drive letter.
If the drive letter is [FONT=&quot]D:\[/FONT], type these commands:
[FONT=&quot]exit[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]D:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]cd boot[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]dir[/FONT]
If the drive letter is different than D:\, replace the second command with the drive letter you have noted from the previous list volume command.
Type this command:
[FONT=&quot]bootsect /nt60 SYS /mbr[/FONT]
Press [FONT=&quot]Enter[/FONT]
Remove the CD/DVD from the disk tray
Type [FONT=&quot]exit[/FONT]
Press [FONT=&quot]Enter[/FONT] to restart your computer


Hope this resolves your issue!

 

[datarecovery915]

Bitwar Data Recovery gratis de barrido preliminar, el documento de avance, es decir, puede recuperar intacto.Perdido datos?Borrado accidental de los documentos?Bitwar Data Restore con UN rápido avance.

 

[loninappleton]

Bitwar Data Recovery gratis de barrido preliminar, el documento de avance, es decir, puede recuperar intacto.Perdido datos?Borrado accidental de los documentos?Bitwar Data Restore con UN rápido avance.

Ok I'll take a look. Will mark solved since I've asked this not as an immediate repair need
but I wanted whatever was out there for the tool box.

For those interested. HDD Guru is another good place to get advice on data recovery. And they
have free tools for disk operations.

Index page

I can recommend their low level format tool.

 

[Megahertz07]

One of the best disk tool is Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

 

[loninappleton]

One of the best disk tool is Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

that has been mentioned before and I got it but have not used.
Anything with partition in the title gives me fits. I never learned how to configure or
make them. But in my experiments with Linux etc I always felt it was a way to lose things.

I'll something like this: Does the program you mentioned have a button that says Refresh "MBR now"?

Anyway I have marked this thread solved since my question was answered.