Registered and posting because I found this thread useful.
I'd like to add that you do not have to reformat everything and start your windows installation over to fix this issue. I have so many movies and tv shows, and no space to backup all the data, that a complete reformat wasn't an option for me. Here's what I did...
1. Create a system repair disc under Control Panel -> Backup and Restore
2. Go into the BIOS and change the Hard Disk Boot Priority so that the HD with your OS is listed first (not having your BIOS set like this is likely what caused the problem in the first place). Now, if you try to boot into Windows you will probably get an error like "BOOTMGR is missing".
3. Boot from the repair disc (change the boot order in the BIOS to CD/DVD-ROM first if you need to). Click next a couple times, then run the Startup Repair utility. Reboot if asked, you may need to run this more than once. Once Startup Repair has done its work, you will be able to get back into Windows with the new BIOS settings. Your storage/backup drive is no longer responsible for any boot or system functions and will now be available to save to in Windows Backup.
4. [Optional] You will still have some hidden/protected system files and folders on your storage/backup drive (namely bootmgr.sys and a Boot folder), which will no longer in be use by your OS. Unfortunately these files are owned by "TrustedInstaller" which can make them difficult to remove without a reformat. You could leave them there if you don't mind, but I'm a neat freak and wanted them gone. I was successful in removing them by first changing the ownership from TrustedInstaller to Administrator, then giving Administrator full permissions, then deleting the files/folders. You can do this either through Windows Explorer (right click, properties, security) or the Command Prompt.
I'd like to add that you do not have to reformat everything and start your windows installation over to fix this issue. I have so many movies and tv shows, and no space to backup all the data, that a complete reformat wasn't an option for me. Here's what I did...
1. Create a system repair disc under Control Panel -> Backup and Restore
2. Go into the BIOS and change the Hard Disk Boot Priority so that the HD with your OS is listed first (not having your BIOS set like this is likely what caused the problem in the first place). Now, if you try to boot into Windows you will probably get an error like "BOOTMGR is missing".
3. Boot from the repair disc (change the boot order in the BIOS to CD/DVD-ROM first if you need to). Click next a couple times, then run the Startup Repair utility. Reboot if asked, you may need to run this more than once. Once Startup Repair has done its work, you will be able to get back into Windows with the new BIOS settings. Your storage/backup drive is no longer responsible for any boot or system functions and will now be available to save to in Windows Backup.
4. [Optional] You will still have some hidden/protected system files and folders on your storage/backup drive (namely bootmgr.sys and a Boot folder), which will no longer in be use by your OS. Unfortunately these files are owned by "TrustedInstaller" which can make them difficult to remove without a reformat. You could leave them there if you don't mind, but I'm a neat freak and wanted them gone. I was successful in removing them by first changing the ownership from TrustedInstaller to Administrator, then giving Administrator full permissions, then deleting the files/folders. You can do this either through Windows Explorer (right click, properties, security) or the Command Prompt.
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Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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- Windows 7 Home Premium x64
