BOOT/BCD problem

[John 1]

Hi,
.
Please excuse my brief absence, had to work on my car.
It has passed its MOT now, i am pleased to say.
Here cars have to be checked annually, if they don't pass,
they aren't allowed to be driven on the roads.
.
Anyway, i went with 'Yes' but the machine couldn't find something or other.
It might be necessary to put exactly what, so i'm gonna do it again,
to see what it was that the machine couldn't do,
and quote it here.
.
Heres a pic,
Seems it wouldn't rebuild it, cos it was too broken.
Or too corrupt.
.
Actually i want the file re-built because its broke,
but i have looked at the contents of 'Boot',
and they're gone.
.
Yes, its empty.
So maybe thats why it wouldn't add it to boot list?
Maybe it has to be there to get added?
.
So how about if i put some rubbish in there?
Maybe then it will do it ?
.
The boot file isn't much i don't think,
some numbers, a few words, a few lines.
.
I think its a couple of hundred bytes, not even a cluster.
I reckon i could type some garbage in there.
.
Then maybe i can get the machine to FIX it,
and make it a proper boot file ?
.
What do you think ?
.
John

 

[DeanP]

I'd do a repair install - out of options for me

 

[John 1]

Hi,
Ah yes, a repair install.
I would certainly like to do that.
.
But the first bit
of the first instruction
is to start Windows 7.
(see below)
.
So as i am unable to start it, due to 'Boot innaccesible'
this rather makes that option slightly less available.
.
I am still tempted to write in there some made up words and numbers
that could pass for a corrupted boot file.
.
Unless i am mistaken, a boot file isn't actually very big.
Maybe i could copy one from another machine,
then see if the repair will fix it.
.
As it stands, the repair function complains that the boot file is unreadable.
I am hoping that if it is readable,
but clearly incorrect, then maybe it will get put right.
.
A long shot, but surely that is pretty much what the repair is supposed to do ?
.
Any suggestions considered at this point,
as i am sort of stuck.
.
John

 

[John 1]

I had begun to think that this problem was the result of an MBR virus,
as i was frustrated by repeated 0x7b errors even when attempting to install
known reliable operating systems.
.
After seemingly endless reading about how to deal with boot sector viruses,
i happened upon this page:
STOP 0x0000007B - STOP 0x7B INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE - Fix STOP Error 0x0000007B
.
Amongst other things it mentions, in its part eight, that changing the HDD mode
can sometimes fix 0x7b problems.
.
So, i had to ty it, right?
And i was able to install WinXP.
.
I still think that some sort of destructive virus was behind these extensive problems
as so many files, hundreds opon hundreds in the Windows folder were badly corrupted
yet some had their folder names intact, yet contained only garbage.
.
The change i made was in the BIOS.
I changed the HDD into compatibility, that was the only other setting.
Seems Ok so far.
Win 7 was wrecked.
There was barely enough of it left readable to tell it had ever been there.
.
I am glad that the HDD is actualy alright.
I had also thought it might have a damaged drive, but it seems Ok so far.
.
I would like to thank DeanP for his patience and encouragement through this
problem.
.
John