Windows 7 booting into Windows.old folder, black screen with cursor

[rrrrramos]

Can you start a command prompt with admin rights ?
If yes create a complete BCD dump:
bcdedit /enum all /v >bcd_full.txt

and attach to your next post.

Shifting W7 loader to boot from any directory is done over the path element of the loader. But let's see what is there in the BCD first.

I was able to get out of the screen shutting down by switching video inputs to VGA from HDMI. It now only loads to the recovery console, and says that it cannot repair it. Command prompt just hangs when I entered that in. I don't think I have any choice but to reinstall Windows :/ hopefully I can do an upgrade install so I don't lose all my files on the drive..

 

[gregrocker]

Let's try to get the System Reserved boot partition booting Windows 7 again as intended to see what happens.

Boot into System Recovery Options on the Win7 DVD or System Repair Disk.

First open a Command Line to Mark System Reserved Partition as Active (Method Two).

Then run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times with reboots in between until Win7 boots with the System flag on the System Reserved partition in Disk Mgmt. Make sure Win7 HD remains first to boot in BIOS.

If it will not start after three reboots then switch the Active flag back to the Win7 partition to run Startup Repair 3 separate times to see if it will repair the Win7 partition enough to start it as the boot partition. If not then changes you made have corrupted it beyond repair. You can try the few extra steps in Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Boot and/or copy out your files and clean reinstall.

 

[rrrrramos]

Let's try to get the System Reserved boot partition booting Windows 7 again as intended to see what happens.

Boot into System Recovery Options on the Win7 DVD or System Repair Disk.

First open a Command Line to Mark System Reserved Partition as Active (Method Two).

Then run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times with reboots in between until Win7 boots with the System flag on the System Reserved partition in Disk Mgmt. Make sure Win7 HD remains first to boot in BIOS.

If it will not start after three reboots then switch the Active flag back to the Win7 partition to run Startup Repair 3 separate times to see if it will repair the Win7 partition enough to start it as the boot partition. If not then changes you made have corrupted it beyond repair. You can try the few extra steps in Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Boot and/or copy out your files and clean reinstall.

Thanks, I'm trying all of these options, then heading to my friends to borrow his hdd enclosure to back up necessary files if this doesn't work. Clean install looks like it might be the only way to go, but that'll prob speed up the system some too so it's not all bad I suppose. I'll check back in if this works out though! Thanks again!

 

[gregrocker]

A Clean Reinstall is always a good thing, better than getting a new computer in most cases since new PC's are loaded down with crapware and useless utilties.

Follow these steps to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which are the same for retail.

 

[rrrrramos]

Any idea on how to gain access to the User & Program Files sections on this drive while using it as an external drive? I'm assuming they are hidden somehow for security purposes, and those are the only folders I really need. Pretty much only interested in saving all of My Documents, my game saves and my Downloads folder. Can't access any of them right now using it as an external.

Disregard, was looking in the wrong place. Apparently over the course of all this it tried creating a new Windows install somewhere, and everything I needed got moved to the Windows.old folder, and everything in the original one was moved to a Windows.old.000 folder... Clean install will be nice.

 

[karlsnooks]

Follow Greg's advice and make that clean install and all will go well.

 

[rrrrramos]

A Clean Reinstall is always a good thing, better than getting a new computer in most cases since new PC's are loaded down with crapware and useless utilties.

Follow these steps to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 which are the same for retail.

Follow Greg's advice and make that clean install and all will go well.

Thanks, will do. And thank all you guys, you've been more than helpful, just wish it was something I could have fixed. I'll know better now though than to screw around in the disk management program!