Solved Computer won't boot to Windows 7 pro - have tried everything

[bags305]

i've used different windows discs, tried startup repair 10 times, sfc /scannow, chkdsk /r, and all sorts of other things. "system volume is corrupt" and whenever i try system restore it won't find the o/s. same thing when i first go into system recovery options - there's no o/s listed and it wants me to load drivers, which i don't know where to get.

this was an xp pro dell that was reinstalled with windows 7 pro from a master disk. i don't have the original disk and won't be able to get it, as i bought this used off someone.

any ideas? i have heard about rebuilding the master boot record, but don't really know how to do that. or maybe you know which drivers to load and where to get them?

 

[curtiswardwell]

First thing what exact type of computer do you have. Need to have more computer specs. Mother Board type, Ram, Hard Drive, Video Card or Adapter. As with any upgrade did you run the Microsoft Upgrade Advisor. Please check the following link. Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 - Help & How-to - Microsoft Windows.

You may have to re-install Win Xp Pro before you can do anything else. Another suggestion is to download Windows Ultimate Boot cd. UBCD for Windows
As with any upgrade from Win XP to Win 7 there are usually a multitiude of issues and some of items in Win 7 will not run on a Win Xp machine.

Again these are all suggestions as someone else may have a better answer than I.

Still Leaning, Learning Still

Curtis

 

[gregrocker]

You'll need a Win7 Installation DVD for your licensed version or a System Repair Disk. You can google the official Win7 ISO download for your version to burn to DVD using ImgBurn, to use for Repairs or Reinstall.

Boot into the DVD or Repair CD System Recovery Options to mark the Win7 partition Active: Partition - Mark as Active (Method Two)

Then also from DVD or Repair CD run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts on its own and holds the System Active flags.


Once you get to Win7 run Belarc Advisor to audit the Product Key for either or both OS's as you will need this for reinstalling or even some repairs. You can lose the value of the OS if you don't have these keys to back them up.

 

[bags305]

the partition trick seemed to have worked, but unfortunately i haven't been able to get past the startup repair step. any other methods?

 

[gregrocker]

Did you run Startup Repair at least 3 times with reboots from DVD or Repair CD as stated, while Win7 partition is marked Active?

You may need to check for infection. Download, burn to CD or write to flash stick, boot and run a full scan with Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper. Then run the Repairs again.

Boot free Partition Wizard bootable CD
to see if Win7 partition is marked Active and what flags it currently holds, then click on Disk number to highlight it, from Disk tab select Rebuild MBR which will sometimes preclude the need to run Repairs.

 

[bags305]

hey i'm playing with partition wizard right now and it says my partition doesn't have a boot.ini file and it always gives an option to "set windows boot partition". do you know if i'm safe to go ahead and "set" it?

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, should be the same as rightclicking on Win7 or it's 100mb System Reserved partition (if you have it) to Modify>Set to Active, then highlighting Disk number to run Rebuild MBR from Disk tab.

These are not tricks nor are we playing, as we've used Partition Wizard for thousands of repair and partitioning operations here successfully. I gave you the steps. If it is presenting unusual errors or prompts, please post them back verbatim and tell us exactly what you did.

 

[bags305]

it said "failed to find windows directory" when i tried to set it as the windows boot partition. also, it looks like it's already set to active, because that's greyed out and only "set inactive" is an option for the main drive....which is not lettered. it only has a *:

the boot.ini editor says the selected partition does not contain boot.ini file.

 

[gregrocker]

Please post back a camera snap of the Partition Wizard drive map with all listings, or type them out.

What boot.ini editor is on PW CD?

 

[bags305]

i don't seem to see a boot.ini editor. not quite sure what to look for, but nothing jumped out at me. there was a boot folder and then a couple files, then another folder inside that and five or six files.

 

[gregrocker]

Let me try again: What were you trying to do exactly with PW when it said it couldn't find Windows Directory? You said you were trying to set it as Windows Boot partition which is not a feature that I know about on PW CD. Were you trying to Rebuild MBR? If not, click on Disk1 now and attempt Rebuild MBR.

If this fails, your Win7 partition lacks the System flag which means that you need to run Startup Repair repeatedly until it writes or repairs the System boot files to/on the partition.

While you're at it you can rightclick C to Resize, drag left grey border to left to take up the 55mb which is sitting on the boot sector. It shouldn't matter, but might.

Can you contact the seller to find out the Product Key. Win7 is not supposed to be sold without a COA sticker showing it's geniune. With a Product Key we can help you find an installer to clean reinstall - otherwise if we can't get Win7 started to audit the Product key you may have to buy another, or install XP if it has a COA sticker on the machine with readable Product key.

 

[bags305]

when it said it failed to find the windows directory, i had right clicked the 148.96gb line and selected "set windows boot partition"

i ran the mbr rebuild, and it completed successfully, but i am still not able to boot into windows.

i tried to follow your instructions for the resize, but wasn't able to really get it.

is there a way to make a bootable belarc advisor cd? i could extract the serial key that way...

 

[gregrocker]

No the activation file is too heavily encrypted to extract it without booting Windows.

Again I ask you what you were doing when it said it failed to find Windows directory? Never heard of it.

What happens when you rightclicked on large partition to Resize, then drag the left grey border to the left to take up the unallocated space? Click OK and then Apply.

I've now asked you several times about Startup Repair without any assurance you did it three separate times with reboots while Win7 partition is marked Active. We need better feedback to help you.

 

[Kaktussoft]

i've used different windows discs, tried startup repair 10 times, sfc /scannow, chkdsk /r, and all sorts of other things. "system volume is corrupt" and whenever i try system restore it won't find the o/s. same thing when i first go into system recovery options - there's no o/s listed and it wants me to load drivers, which i don't know where to get.

this was an xp pro dell that was reinstalled with windows 7 pro from a master disk. i don't have the original disk and won't be able to get it, as i bought this used off someone.

any ideas? i have heard about rebuilding the master boot record, but don't really know how to do that. or maybe you know which drivers to load and where to get them?

"system volume is corrupt"
Boot into recovery environment and enter "command prompt"

DISKPART
LIST VOL
SELECT VOL #X (where #X is volume number of your windows partition)
DETAIL VOL

Please post output.
Is your windows partirion accessible?
DIR C:\
DIR D:\
Do you seee windows files?

 

[whs]

Try to fix the bootmgr with EasyBCD. Here is how Resetting the BCD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki

 

[bags305]

one thing at a time here. first off, the automatic repair worked once, but after i restarted it's just telling me that it can not automatically repair anything. the only other message instructs me to remove any kind of removable media like an mp3 player or some such thing. i've tried plenty more than 3 times.

i am working on the BCD now. i've made a bootable usb stick (possibly what that auto repair stopped at - the "mp3 player"), but i don't know how to run BCD once i'm in the windows recovery environment.

 

[bags305]

i've used different windows discs, tried startup repair 10 times, sfc /scannow, chkdsk /r, and all sorts of other things. "system volume is corrupt" and whenever i try system restore it won't find the o/s. same thing when i first go into system recovery options - there's no o/s listed and it wants me to load drivers, which i don't know where to get.

this was an xp pro dell that was reinstalled with windows 7 pro from a master disk. i don't have the original disk and won't be able to get it, as i bought this used off someone.

any ideas? i have heard about rebuilding the master boot record, but don't really know how to do that. or maybe you know which drivers to load and where to get them?

"system volume is corrupt"
Boot into recovery environment and enter "command prompt"

DISKPART
LIST VOL
SELECT VOL #X (where #X is volume number of your windows partition)
DETAIL VOL

Please post output.
Is your windows partirion accessible?
DIR C:\
DIR D:\
Do you seee windows files?

i had to stop at list vol, as only the cd-rom was showing up. i did detail vol on it anyway and it said "there are no disks attached to this volume."

i can access c: drive and whatever other drive is attached and see the files as well.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Try to fix the bootmgr with EasyBCD. Here is how Resetting the BCD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki

System doesn't boot at all!! so he cant't use EasyBCD

 

[bags305]

i tried making a bootable version, but i can't seem to get easyBCD to start up - i only get the windows RE

 

[gregrocker]

Boot back in to PW CD, rightclick on Win7 partition to Resize, grab the left grey border and drag it to the left to take up the Unallocated Space, click OK, then Apply.

Once it's a full partition including the boot sector, click on Disk1 to highlight it, from Disk tab select Rebuild MBR, Apply. Post back exactly what happens including any error messages verbatim.

Now boot into Win7 DVD to run Startup Repair 3 separate times with reboots no matter what it reports.

If this fails, boot into System Recovery Options
open a Command Line, type
bootrec.exe /fixboot
bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootsect.exe /nt60 ALL /force