Win7 installation boots into recovery partition?!

[Lazume]

Hi everyone, I will make this as clear as possible, thanks for helping/reading.

My boot menu originally consists of Vista (C:\) and recovery partition (D:\). To install Win7, I shrank C and made a separate partition (W:\)

Now I have 3 partitions: Vista (C:\), New Simple Volume (W:\), Recovery (D:\).

I installed Windows 7 to the (W:\), and it reboots a few times during installation. My situation goes as follows:

Initial installation---Reboot (1 of 3)---bypasses the boot menu and continues installation---Reboot (2 of 3)---boot menu shows up and I can choose to continue the installation of W7, or go to Vista. When I choose W7, it finishes installation---Reboot (3 of 3)---No boot menu is shown. Computer boots into recovery partition.

Why is this happening? Repairing W7 or Vista using recovery partition doesn't help either. It basically just forms a loop by booting to the recovery every time.

Interestingly, the only way I can start Vista again is by reinstalling Windows 7 and wait until the boot menu screen show up after the reboot (2 of 3).

Thanks for your time everyone!

 

[Jonathan_King]

Did you try a Startup Repair?

 

[SIW2]

1. Check and see if the Recovery partition is marked Active.

2. If so - mark Vista partition Active instead.



3. Then install 7. (if 7 is already installed - run startup repair from 7 dvd 3 times)

 

[Lazume]

1. Check and see if the Recovery partition is marked Active.

2. If so - mark Vista partition Active instead.



3. Then install 7. (if 7 is already installed - run startup repair from 7 dvd 3 times)

Thank you, as you can see, the recovery partition (D:\) is inactive.



For some reason, I was unable to continue to the final reboot during Windows 7 installation. It just booted me to a recovery screen listing several options.

Did you try a Startup Repair?

Yes, instead of continuing the final installation step, that is actually where the reboot brought me to.

These screenies show what I encountered.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html

 

[SIW2]

Interesting.

You can get into Vista ok now.

What does bcdedit show - and does 7 installation look as is if it's all there?

Open an elevated cmd and type

bcdedit

then press enter.

post the output.

 

[Lazume]

I got into Vista by reinstalling win 7 and took advantage of the second reboot which shows the boot menu.

Because if I let win7 continue its installation, it will reboot to the recovery partition.

Having that said, the win7 installation is not completed as we speak. I guess it is a 'good' thing right now.


Bcdedit:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6002]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
device                  partition=C:
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {current}
resumeobject            {6471a94f-c788-11de-9c45-fa43cb12239b}
displayorder            {6471a950-c788-11de-9c45-fa43cb12239b}
                        {current}
                        {ntldr}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 30
resume                  No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {6471a950-c788-11de-9c45-fa43cb12239b}
device                  partition=W:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             Windows 7
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
osdevice                partition=W:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {6471a94f-c788-11de-9c45-fa43cb12239b}
nx                      OptIn

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {current}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             Microsoft Windows Vista
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
osdevice                partition=C:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {15139707-1361-11dd-83e1-a6dfc407a4eb}
nx                      OptIn

Windows Legacy OS Loader
------------------------
identifier              {ntldr}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \ntldr
description             Earlier Version of Windows

C:\Windows\system32>

 

[SIW2]

You could try adding an entry for 7 manually - see if that will boot in

bcdedit /copy {current} /d "7"

You will get a {GUID} returned - use that, including brackets in the commands below

Code:

bcdedit /set {GUID} device partition=W:

bcdedit /set {GUID} osdevice partition=W:

You coud also get rid of ntldr - you don't use XP.

bcdedit /delete {ntldr} /f

I assume you have made a backup image of your existing Vista partition.

 

[Lazume]

Edited: Nevermind

 

[BSkiLLs]

Why did you do it this way ?? to actually kinda make your own win7 recovery partition ??

plus was this a fresh FULL clean install or an upgrade ??

Just wondering as im dealing with something like this at the moment and trying to come up with some idea's for something to work for what i need / trying to do.

 

[Lazume]

Why did you do it this way ?? to actually kinda make your own win7 recovery partition ??

plus was this a fresh FULL clean install or an upgrade ??

Just wondering as im dealing with something like this at the moment and trying to come up with some idea's for something to work for what i need / trying to do.

Originally I had 2 partitions, one for Vista, and one recovery.

Then I shrank C so that I can have a new partition to install Win 7.

Then after the Win 7 installation it boots into the recovery partition resulting in a loop that I can't break...

 

[BSkiLLs]

Why did you do it this way ?? to actually kinda make your own win7 recovery partition ??

plus was this a fresh FULL clean install or an upgrade ??

Just wondering as im dealing with something like this at the moment and trying to come up with some idea's for something to work for what i need / trying to do.

Originally I had 2 partitions, one for Vista, and one recovery.

Then I shrank C so that I can have a new partition to install Win 7.

Then after the Win 7 installation it boots into the recovery partition resulting in a loop that I can break...

You happen to be using an HP or compaq im guessing as well ??

im trying to figure a few things and idea's / ways out to get a recovery for win7 upgrade after fresh upgrade install. that's why im asking. Plus trying to maybe help you as well if i can.

Sorry not trying to jack your topic. Just wondering and trying to come up with some idea's.

See this is what im doing:

http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/36783-create-system-image-problem-errors.html

you also might be interested as well doing something like this. or using this program im looking at here to do maybe your partition for you with the win7 on it and then already had it with a back up for it as well maybe. That way you can also always fall back on it as well.

Plus would probably stop it from going and booting in the wrong drive and only the one you want it to boot from.

 

[Lazume]

I think the OEM recovery partition is the culprit. Ideally should I have the partition deleted prior to installing Windows 7?

If so, can someone tell me how to delete pre-installed OEM recovery partition without causing boot-up problems?

 

[gregrocker]

Any recovery partition should be deleted prior to installing Windows 7, as they become disabled with the new OS anyway. Make your Vista recovery disks first, or wait til you would need them again and order from manufacturer.

Now, you need to download and burn to disk Partition Wizard: http://www.partitionwizard.com/

Boot into PW, right click on the recov partition and delete it. Then right click on the Vista partition and Move/Resize it by dragging the left wall slider over to encompass all of the deleted 1st partition space. Complete these operations.

Now boot into Win7 installer Repair console and run Startup Repair three times as there are multiple issues.

And when you are ready to get rid of Vista, just do these same steps to delete Vista while marking Win7 active and moving it over onto deleted Vista, then having Startup Repair run 3 times to rebuild the boot.

 

[Lazume]

Boot into PW, right click on the recov partition and delete it. Then right click on the Vista partition and Move/Resize it by dragging the left wall slider over to encompass all of the deleted 1st partition space. Complete these operations.

I can't complete the operations because PW says it's in use. I followed PW's suggestion to reboot but it still can't delete the partition. I think I need to disable protection but don't know how. Thanks!

 

[BSkiLLs]

Any recovery partition should be deleted prior to installing Windows 7, as they become disabled with the new OS anyway. \.

No they do not. You can still use them just fine.

Done it before this on other OS's like xp and systems and just did it again now with 4 of my HP's. Upgraded to win7 and everything works fine. recovery partition is still there and works. i just reformatted back to vista using both of them and then back to win7 upgrade as well.

 

[Jonathan_King]

Any recovery partition should be deleted prior to installing Windows 7, as they become disabled with the new OS anyway. \.

No they do not. You can still use them just fine.

Done it before this on other OS's like xp and systems and just did it again now with 4 of my HP's. Upgraded to win7 and everything works fine. recovery partition is still there and works. i just reformatted back to vista using both of them and then back to win7 upgrade as well.

Is that true?
http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/36516-not-able-install-windows-7-64-bit.html

 

[Lazume]

Is that true?
http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/36516-not-able-install-windows-7-64-bit.html

This sounds exactly like my problem because I have a gateway also. Is there another way besides wiping the hard drive? A previous poster suggested deleting the recovery partition using Partition Wizard, but I couldn't get the operations completed because the recovery partition is protected.

Plus, I would like to keep the vista partition for now... thanks.

 

[Jonathan_King]

Use Diskpart: http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/34853-common-installation-problems.html

 

[gregrocker]

Any recovery partition should be deleted prior to installing Windows 7, as they become disabled with the new OS anyway. \.

No they do not. You can still use them just fine.

Done it before this on other OS's like xp and systems and just did it again now with 4 of my HP's. Upgraded to win7 and everything works fine. recovery partition is still there and works. i just reformatted back to vista using both of them and then back to win7 upgrade as well.

Is that true?
http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/36516-not-able-install-windows-7-64-bit.html

First I've heard of it. Maybe a reason to keep recov partition for awhile for quicker rollback to Vista just in case. But making recov disks accomplishes the same thing. And Vista doesn't need to be on it to do a reinstall of Win7 upgrade.

The problem with OP here is that the Recov partition is sitting on his HDD's boot sector and acting like a system drive, even booting into the recov. Solution seems to be to force delete it using Diskpart or EISA locked partition override commands given, then use PW to extend Vista into that space, run Win7 Startup repair 3 times to rewrite MBR.

 

[gregrocker]

This sounds exactly like my problem because I have a gateway also. Is there another way besides wiping the hard drive? A previous poster suggested deleting the recovery partition using Partition Wizard, but I couldn't get the operations completed because the recovery partition is protected.

Plus, I would like to keep the vista partition for now... thanks.

You are correct that the problem is that your Recov partition is sitting on the HDD boot sector and needs to be force deleted to extend Vista onto that space. You can use the Diskpart commands given above by Jonathan, and if this fails use special override Diskpart commands given here:

Delete and Remove to Unlock EISA Hidden Recovery or Diagnostic Partition in Vista My Digital Life