Windows repair doesn't detect unbootable Windows as installed

[Destroy666]

Hi,

I'm not sure if it's the correct section, but I have a big problem I need to fix ASAP. I'll describe it from the beginning:
1. PC with Windows 7 x64 worked completely fine one day, I used the sleep functionality.
2. The next day I woke it up. At the first sight everything was ok, logging in worked fine, so did Google Chrome, Filezilla and some other applications. But then I noticed that the sound doesn't work (including the volume button on the bottom bar), also an application that required access to drivers/etc/hosts threw an error. I tried to manually access it to no avail, Windows said it's inaccessible. I tried to restart my PC to see if it helps, but it wasn't the best solution because...
3. ... system didn't boot anymore. It went straight into the repair/recovery mode, I couldn't even safe boot it. The mouse didn't work in that mode and it was hard to do anything (I managed to run it but it did nothing, couldn't even see the error message due to no scroll possibility), so...
4. ... I used a YUMI pendrive with Windows 7 installer .iso. Mouse worked and I managed to run repair on disc E:, where the tool reported to see Windows. I ran it - this time it at least reported MissingOSLoader. I Googled it and followed this: System will not boot to Windows 7 Professional [Solved] - Windows 7 - Windows 7 1. and 2. didn't do anything - /bootrec scanos returned 0 systems. 3. seemed to worked fine until I restarted PC to see a NoOSInstalled error this time. I couldn't fix it so I tried to run /chkdsk [driveletter]: /f and it fixed some errors, I guess I should have done it in the first place which would save me at the beginning. I also recovered a SYSTEM/SOFTWARE/etc. hives (?) backup which was recommended somewhere, I'm not sure if I should revert that now, but both the old (~15 days) and new files seemed ok when it comes to size.
5. Then I realized the new error showed up because I accidentally marked 2 partitions as active in DISKPART... I unmarked one to go back to the MissingOSLoader state, no matter how many repairs and /bootrec commands I try to run (scanos option stll show 0 installs...).

Additional disk info:
- I have 2 disks, one with system and second with files, the second one is encrypted with Bitlocker and Windows asks me for key on my pendrive, not sure if it matters whether I provide it or not
- on the system disk I have 2 partitions - one with system/app files and the other (~300MB) with boot info, I guess. If I mark the 1st as active I get NoOSInstalled, on the 2nd I get MissingOSLoader, so I assume the 2nd should be marked, right?

Could you answer the boldened questions and provide a step-by-step instruction of what I should do now to avoid reinstall?

 

[AddRAM]

Using Bitlocker is a bad idea.

Reading that gave me a headache

But, mark your OS partition Active, then run startup repair until windows boots.

 

[Destroy666]

Could you be slightly more detailed? As you can see in the post you presumably read, I did that many times and I'm not sure which of 2 Windows partitions should I mark as active.

 

[Destroy666]

More info:
- I also ran sfc /scannow /offbootdir=d:\ /offwindir=e:\Windows multiple times and it says some files are corrupted and can't be repaired. I tried to check the CBS.log, but it isn't generated in the first place. I didn't do it earlier (if someone's wondering) because it said that a repair is pending, found out you needed to remove pending.xml in WinSxS folder for it to disappear.
- after 234964 runs of the startup repair I also noticed that one time it said that ACPI.sys is corrupt. After that I ran it again few times but it didn't say it anymore... How to repair it if it's even corrupt?

 

[Destroy666]

And bump. Noone?

 

[torchwood]

Why D & E, W7 should be on C, system repair runs on X.

If you dual booted at any point W7 must be installed first.

Roy

 

[Destroy666]

I never dual-booted on that PC. On C: there's the encrypted file disk I mentioned, but it never had a bootable system. Even if I enter the key to unlock it it's still listed as C. Does the letter matter?

 

[RolandJS]

Regardless of the drive letters assigned by any external disk management utility to your partitions on your hard-drives -- one of the two hard-drives contains the OS partition, be it System Reserved partition or the partition in which your currently broken Windows resides. One of those two need to be marked Active. Both of those partitions can be marked Primary [of course, if there is no System Reserved -- mark the OS partition Active]. I think any other partitions are already marked Logical.

[AddRAM, did I get the above correct? Or, am I missing some stuff?]

 

[Destroy666]

I have already mentioned twice that I have 2 Windows partitions - one on volume D: (299MB boot partition) and E: (111GB with system files). D: is the only partition marked as active. I have also asked twice whether I should mark E: instead, with no answer.

If I mark the 1st as active I get NoOSInstalled, on the 2nd I get MissingOSLoader, so I assume the 2nd should be marked, right?

What about SFC reporting missing unfixable files and the repair utility broken ACP.sys one time? Why is noone talking about them? Are they false leads? Couldn't this/those file(s) be messed up by some kind of a virus or whatever? What could be the reason for SFC saying it/they can't be repaired?

 

[RolandJS]

Sorry I missed your earlier crystal clear partition info! Leave the 299MB Active. If still nogo, try marking the system files partition as Active. I'm avoiding using the drive letters 'cause disk management plays "shuffle-poker" with the drive letters, once Windows becomes "self-aware," i.e. booting and working -- the normal drive letters are back. [Normally, 299MB would not have a drive letter assigned, and the system files partition would have drive letter C assigned.]

 

[Destroy666]

Leave the 299MB Active. If still nogo, try marking the system files partition as Active.

I already tried both several times x 3 restarts.

 

[RolandJS]

Leave the 299MB Active. If still nogo, try marking the system files partition as Active.

I already tried both several times x 3 restarts.

Ok, I'm going to listen in and learn alongside with you from the wisdom & solutions of others

 

[Destroy666]

Bump

What about SFC reporting missing unfixable files and the repair utility broken ACP.sys one time? Why is noone talking about them? Are they false leads? Couldn't this/those file(s) be messed up by some kind of a virus or whatever? What could be the reason for SFC saying it/they can't be repaired?

 

[cflusflwfl]

Is it possible that your hard drive is failing and that is why you are getting messages about unfixable files and the like? Can you hook the drive into something like a drive enclosure and browse your files or is that not an option because of the bitlocker?

 

[Destroy666]

As I mentioned, my system driver is not encrypted, only an additional data driver. I also wrote about chkdsk result and that it possibly was root of the problem, but files seem to be readable. Which files exactly should I check?

 

[Destroy666]

Bump. Can I transfer acpi.sys from another 7 x64 system or is it machine-specific? Or is there other software for fixing corrupt Windows file(s)?

 

[Destroy666]

Bump.

 

[Destroy666]

Is there any other alternative forum with repair specialists where I could try asking? I feel so helpless.

 

[Megahertz07]

What happened to your system so it didn't work? You wrote that it began with no sound and then it didn't boot any more. I suspect that it could be a disk failure.
What kind of disk format you have: UEFI GPT or Legacy MBR?
Do you have saved the Bitlocker key on a Pendrive or paper?
My suggestion is:
- Disconnect all drives.
- Connect a clean disk and install your Win7 on it. No need to update or activate.
- Connect your data disk with Bitlocker and with the key try to have access to it. If you do, make a unlock backup of all.
- Disconnect your data disk.
- Connect your system disk, right click properties, tools and run error checking. Depending of what kind of error an how many it finds, I'll suggest to reinstall Windows (clean install, reformatting the disk).

 

[Destroy666]

Sorry for late reply, but I felt so angry and helpless that I completely avoided that PC and I only used laptop in the meanwhile. I found motivation to come back to this topic though.

It's MBR, I've already fixed errors with chkdsk /f /r and I took Bitlocker disk out. I still don't know what can I do next:
1. /sfc /scannow with /offboot from disc reports files that can't be fixed for some reason, they're in CBS.log which I have no idea how to view
2. One of these files is probably ACPI.sys (because an error said that once), since it's a driver I assume I can't just copy it from another machine. How can I fix it then?

Is there really nothing I can do?