Repair MBR without CD

[WTFsandwich]

I recently got rid of my Linux installation, which I previously had dual booting with Win7.

If possibly, I'd like to restore the MBR to it's original state, so I can just boot directly into Windows instead of still having to go through Grub with one OS on it.

However, all the help I could find requires having the Windows 7 disc to boot into recovery mode, but I don't have the disc.

Is there any other way I can fix the MBR?

 

[mjf]

Download
System Repair Disk

If you need further assistance post a screenshot from Diskmanagement.

Edit: the normal procedure would be to set your win 7 OS partition active and run Repair 3 separate times. Sending a screen shot would be safer.

 

[WTFsandwich]

Yeah I have no idea what I'd do after getting into recovery mode, come to think of it. Should I just post a screenshot and be directed from there?

 

[gregrocker]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71432-partition-mark-active.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105541-startup-repair-run-3-separate-times.html

 

[WTFsandwich]

When I run diskpart, I have two partitions, one which is 19 GB (which I assume is a recovery partition, but I'm not sure) and the other partition, which is the rest of my hard drive.

Which should I make active?

EDIT: With the larger partition, this did not work. It is still booting to the GRUB shell.

 

[SIW2]

Look for bootmgr on one of those partitions.

 

[WTFsandwich]

How do I search partitions for something? I have little knowledge about the inner workings of Windows, so a deeper explanation would be appreciated.

 

[gregrocker]

Bring each partition into focus with DISKPART then Detail Partition to see which is currently active.

The reason to do this is some manufacturers mark the Recovery Partition Active so it will run when selected from Windows or boot.

If it is, then run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times to see if Win7 will start.

If it won't then mark the Win7 partition Active and try Startup Repair again x3.

There is a very good chance that GRUB may have corrupted Win7 beyond Repair. So you might want to consider trying to run the Recovery partition from boot by tapping Asus F9 key to restore to Factory condition.

You can copy out your files if necessary using free Paragon Rescue CD.

 

[WTFsandwich]

I already tried it with the Windows 7 partition first, and it did nothing. Will the fact that I did them out of order cause issues when I attempt it with the recovery partition?

EDIT: When using startup repair on the Recovery Partition, after the first time restarting, when the CD boots again, before I can even select to go into WinRE mode, it asks if I should apply repairs and restart. Should I do this and then run start up repair more or should I just run startup repair again?

 

[mjf]

I got the impression earlier that you could still boot into windows???
If you can then go to disk management and send a screen shot like I suggested.

Edit: looks like you may not have the ability to do that now.

 

[WTFsandwich]

No, I can't boot anywhere except the GRUB shell or to the recovery CD.

EDIT: Am I going to need to change the BIOS boot order back to HDD first if I want to boot the recovery partition to restore Factory Condition?

 

[gregrocker]

You didn't need to mark Recov Partition Active to try Repairs if it wasn't already.

You need to run Startup Repair 3 full times with reboots between each to know if it will repair the Win7 MBR correctly when the Win7 partition is marked Active.

If you have done this on the Win7 partition, then try pressing F9 at boot to see if Recovery will run.

Confirm on the first BIOS screen or in your Manual that this the the key to run Recovery on your model Asus. You can read the Manual at the Asus Support Downloads webpage for your model.

If you don't know whether Recov partition was shipped marked Active and it will not boot into Recovery using F9 or the confirmed key combination for your model, then try marking Recov partition active to boot it using the correct key combination at boot.

Did you make your Recovery Disks from the Recov partition? If so, boot them to reinstall.

Or locate a Win7 installer for your version to clean reinstall: http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/125874-re-install-windows-7-a.html#post1086729

The fact that GRUB is on your HD is not good. It can corrupt Win7 if it is even on the same HD.

 

[WTFsandwich]

EDIT: Foolish mistake on my part. I hadn't been looking at partitions, I was looking at disks.

 

[mjf]

You could download "Partition Wizard Boot CD". That will give you a very simple picture of your disk and allow you to do some things maybe more simply.

 

[WTFsandwich]

I'm just going to reinstall, I think. There's nothing too important I have on here that I can't easily get back.

I appreciate all your help, everyone.