Still unable to Start PC After Various Utilities

[Bob3677]

Hi All,

Hope you can help with my W7 Dell 531 not booting.

What I have tried:
1. Backed up to restore points, each unsuccessful;
2. W7 Repair Disk, takes me to restart repair and no success;
3. sfc /scannow, no errors found;
4. Hires UT Disk, unsuccessful; and
5. Boot Report Disk, Ubuntu lets me look around and boot repair unsuccessful but provides output file at:
Ubuntu Pastebin
6. Have looked at Ubuntu file and not sure how to use it to fix my startup issue;
7. In the Ubuntu text file lines 624-627 it provides suggested repair but don't know what/how to use info:
=================== Suggested repair
The default repair of the Boot-Repair utility would restore the [(generic mbr)] MBR in sda, and make it boot on sda3.
Additional repair would be performed: unhide-bootmenu-10s fix-windows-boot

BTW, my system information is up to date so you can see my desktop configuration. And if this issue if repairable I would like to boot directly from first partition of the 500GB HDD. This PC's OS was upgraded from VISTA-64 on the 2 partition of the 80GB HDD to W7-64 on first partition of 500GB HDD. The boot files are still on the VISTA partition.

So if anyone has serious advice I would appreciate your help.

 

[johnhoh]

some ideas here

Fix the MBR Guide for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10

 

[YaMoonSun]

Well, you can try to setup grub2, or you can boot to your windows installation disk, hit f10 to bring up the command prompt, and enter the following.

bootrec.exe /fixmbr

 

[Bob3677]

Can't get to Command Prompt

Thanks, to you both (johnhoh & YaMoonSun) for your input but still unable to access command prompt for system via every way I know how to. Without getting to command prompt, as you know, I can't run the utilities you have suggested.

I have been trying what I know for last two days and now ask for your help again. I get the Blue Screen of Death a lot...

 

[YaMoonSun]

Thanks, to you both (johnhoh & YaMoonSun) for your input but still unable to access command prompt for system via every way I know how to. Without getting to command prompt, as you know, I can't run the utilities you have suggested.

I have been trying what I know for last two days and now ask for your help again. I get the Blue Screen of Death a lot...

Without the operating system disc, it's unlikely that you would be able to run bootrec.exe at all. Have to tried to install grub2 from the Ubuntu disc?

 

[johnhoh]

when you say command prompt, I assume you mean command prompt when booting off your boot drive. But posts #2 and #3 are suggesting you get to the command prompt when booting off the win7 install disk or usb drive, not your boot drive.

Fix the MBR Guide for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10

 

[Bob3677]

I have tried w7 restore CD and w7 upgrade CDs with no success. I keep getting blue screen of death on all CDs every time.

Last night I downloaded utilities to burn recovery CDs but all these CDs boot to special drives with ram drives and can't get to old :c VISTA or newer :j w7 drive.

I don't know how to access Grub2 or use it. Don't mind learning but are you sure it will help me?

Thanks again for your input.

 

[johnhoh]

In your initial post it sounded like your system had no hardware problems, and the only problem was that it could not boot from your boot drive, which is a software problem solvable from the command prompt.

But you are now referencing BSOD problems. If you disconnect your hard drives completely, and boot from any of DVDs, for instance Hiren's, is your system completely stable? I am trying to figure out if you have a hardware problem beyond your hard drive booting issue. Because if you have any issues with the hard drives disconnected, you have hardware problems, which take precedence.

Maybe you can describe in step by step detail what is happening when you get a BSOD when booting from the win7 disk

 

[Bob3677]

BSOD Details

OK JohnHOH,

First thank you for your continued support...

I have attached 7 images, labeled BSOD 1st - BSOD 7th showing how I get to the BSOD.

The Win7-64 Home CD is the 2nd of two I got from Dell to upgrade from VISTA 64 -> W7 64 and all worked well and have used desktop for years. I also get the same exact BSOD procedure using the 1st CD which is used to verify the W7 update is for the proper PC and then it requests using the second CD for actual w7 64 upgrade.

FYI: For past two days I have been trying other Utility CDs to fix or restore my important files/folders.
Using Hiren's Boot CD I then loaded XP-Pro and was able to view all files on both Hard drives and data partitions; and was able to copy my many folders/files to a 2TB usb hard drive. This may say that the hardware is OK - maybe?

 

[johnhoh]

To summarize, you are saying that hiren's boot cd boots fine and is stable, but when you boot from the win7 install cd you get a bsod. You've been trying to rebuild your mbr but with no success because the win7 cd is failing.

I'd try using a different bootable tool than your win7 CD to rebuild your mbr. There is one in the link I posted back in #6, and here is another. FREE Rebuild MBR, repair MBR, fix MBR or MBR recovery with free EaseUS Partition Master, so give that/them a try

I just noticed you said earlier "This PC's OS was upgraded from VISTA-64 on the 2 partition of the 80GB HDD to W7-64 on first partition of 500GB HDD. The boot files are still on the VISTA partition." I am not sure what are the implications of that.

 

[Bob3677]

Again Thanks, johnhoh,

- Your "To summarize" is correct. Just to be clear(er), BSOD happens for the W7 Repair and both W7 upgrade disks.
- The PC has worked well for years after the W7 upgrade.
- I will give your suggestions a try and report back findings after couple of days.
- Just a thought, since I have been able to recover most of my old personal files, would it be easier to format both Hard Drives and use the the W7 upgrade disk(s) to reload Win7 ? Not sure if W7 upgrade disk would work without seeing Vista.

 

[Bob3677]

EasyUS & EasyRE Win7 Didn't Help Either

Johnhoh,

Tried your link below and wasn't able to fix my boot issue.

FREE Rebuild MBR, repair MBR, fix MBR or MBR recovery with free EaseUS Partition Master


I was able to download iso's for both easyUS Partition master and Easy Recovery Essentials and burn boot disks with following results:
- EasyUS would not load properly goes BSOD
- EasyRE loads well but doesn't allow me to see the three partitions of larger (500gm) HDD.

With my experience of last two weeks on this issue, Hiren's V15.2 works best since I can look at all three Part's/Big/HDD using Mini XP boot from Hiren's disk. I have copied the data partitions to an external USB 2TB HDD so If no one else has suggestions I will place this thread in "limbo," if that can be done. Maybe down the road my problem can be fixed.

If you don't respond, I thank you for all the advice you have provided; I've learned things and have new UT disks for future.

PS: What's you opinion (or anyone else) on my thought to reformat both or one HDD and try to reinstall W7?


http://www.partition-tool.com/easeus-partition-manager/rebuild-mbr.htm