theovermage
New Member
Okay,
So three weeks ago I installed Windows 7 RC, and I was happy with it. So happy with it, in fact, that I proceeded to install quite lot of applications on it.
Anyway, last night I was installing the Dreamweaver CS4 trial, downloaded officially from their website. All of a sudden my PC froze, task manager wouldn't open, so I hit the reset button.
After that, windows would normally take an hour to boot. It would stay at the windows loading screen for an hour, then boot into windows, and the first time it did that, I realized that it was no longer detecting my 160GB E:\.
My partition configuration before this problem was this:
FIRST PHYSICAL DRIVE : 80GB IDE
C:\ 15GB
D:\ 50GB
Remaining drive space lost due to partitioning
SECOND PHYSICAL DRIVE : 160GB SATA
E:\ 149GB (which is the standard available space on a 160GB sata)
When my PC finally booted into Windows, I checked msconfig, and under BOOT it said "Windows 7(recovered); defaultOS; current OS".
Every time before showing the Windows loading screen, I also got a message saying some startup entry was preventing my computer from booting properly, and I should start the windows Startup Recovery from the disk.
I checked online, and on a few forums it said my MBR was corrupt. So I put in the Windows 7 installation disk, went in to Repair My Computer, waited, clicked on Startup Recovery, it ran for a few seconds, rebooted, and my problem was still there. I tried safe mode, and even safe mode took hours to boot. I tried Last Known Good Configuration, same problem.
Another solution told me to boot to DOS using the Windows setup CD and run the following command:
bootsect /nt60 /$something$
I dont remember the exact command, but I know it was right, cause it's an official Windows 7 command, like fixmbr in Windows XP.
Anyway, that didn't work either.
I finally found a utility called MBRFix:
Link Removed due to 404 Error
I ran it's default command:
mbrfix /drive 0 fixmbr /yes
But that didn't work.
I also tried mbrfix /drive 0 fixmbr /vista, but that didn't work either.
As another forum suggested, I told MBRFix to CLEAN my MBR and then fix it, so that it would right a new one...
And tragedy struck...
As of now, Windows won't recognize any of my drives.
When I insert the Windows 7 setup CD in the drive, in the place where you're supposed to select a drive to install windows to, it shows C:\ 74GB UNCALLOCATED. It's showing my first physical drive as unallocated, its partitions are not showing up. And its not showing my second physical drive at all.
All linux live cds wont boot. Ubuntu and Knoppix drop me to a VERY LIMITED SHELL.
By default, if I dont insert any media and let the PC run, it comes to a NO BOOT DEVICE FOUND screen.
And now I have no idea what to do.
I obviously want all my data back.
BIOS is detecting all my drives properly.
I currently have access to a friends laptop, but I dont know for how long, so here's hoping you can get back to me ASAP.
I am sufficiently tech savvy, so I won't have a problem resorting to any amount of complicated instructions, I can only hope my data remains untouched.
I friend of mine suggested that installing Windows 7 to a USB drive and through it QUICK FORMATTING the original C: would restore it to normal usage without touching the data, but I don't know it this method would work with a drive hiding TWO partitions within it.
ANY amount of help would be appreciated,
Standing by for instructions,
theovermage.
CURRENT SYSTEM CONFIG:
Intel Core2Duo E4500 2.2 GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM
80GB IDE (two partitions) + 160GB SATA (no partition) HDDs
RJ45 Ethernet jack (LAN card unknown)
So three weeks ago I installed Windows 7 RC, and I was happy with it. So happy with it, in fact, that I proceeded to install quite lot of applications on it.
Anyway, last night I was installing the Dreamweaver CS4 trial, downloaded officially from their website. All of a sudden my PC froze, task manager wouldn't open, so I hit the reset button.
After that, windows would normally take an hour to boot. It would stay at the windows loading screen for an hour, then boot into windows, and the first time it did that, I realized that it was no longer detecting my 160GB E:\.
My partition configuration before this problem was this:
FIRST PHYSICAL DRIVE : 80GB IDE
C:\ 15GB
D:\ 50GB
Remaining drive space lost due to partitioning
SECOND PHYSICAL DRIVE : 160GB SATA
E:\ 149GB (which is the standard available space on a 160GB sata)
When my PC finally booted into Windows, I checked msconfig, and under BOOT it said "Windows 7(recovered); defaultOS; current OS".
Every time before showing the Windows loading screen, I also got a message saying some startup entry was preventing my computer from booting properly, and I should start the windows Startup Recovery from the disk.
I checked online, and on a few forums it said my MBR was corrupt. So I put in the Windows 7 installation disk, went in to Repair My Computer, waited, clicked on Startup Recovery, it ran for a few seconds, rebooted, and my problem was still there. I tried safe mode, and even safe mode took hours to boot. I tried Last Known Good Configuration, same problem.
Another solution told me to boot to DOS using the Windows setup CD and run the following command:
bootsect /nt60 /$something$
I dont remember the exact command, but I know it was right, cause it's an official Windows 7 command, like fixmbr in Windows XP.
Anyway, that didn't work either.
I finally found a utility called MBRFix:
Link Removed due to 404 Error
I ran it's default command:
mbrfix /drive 0 fixmbr /yes
But that didn't work.
I also tried mbrfix /drive 0 fixmbr /vista, but that didn't work either.
As another forum suggested, I told MBRFix to CLEAN my MBR and then fix it, so that it would right a new one...
And tragedy struck...
As of now, Windows won't recognize any of my drives.
When I insert the Windows 7 setup CD in the drive, in the place where you're supposed to select a drive to install windows to, it shows C:\ 74GB UNCALLOCATED. It's showing my first physical drive as unallocated, its partitions are not showing up. And its not showing my second physical drive at all.
All linux live cds wont boot. Ubuntu and Knoppix drop me to a VERY LIMITED SHELL.
By default, if I dont insert any media and let the PC run, it comes to a NO BOOT DEVICE FOUND screen.
And now I have no idea what to do.
I obviously want all my data back.
BIOS is detecting all my drives properly.
I currently have access to a friends laptop, but I dont know for how long, so here's hoping you can get back to me ASAP.
I am sufficiently tech savvy, so I won't have a problem resorting to any amount of complicated instructions, I can only hope my data remains untouched.
I friend of mine suggested that installing Windows 7 to a USB drive and through it QUICK FORMATTING the original C: would restore it to normal usage without touching the data, but I don't know it this method would work with a drive hiding TWO partitions within it.
ANY amount of help would be appreciated,
Standing by for instructions,
theovermage.
CURRENT SYSTEM CONFIG:
Intel Core2Duo E4500 2.2 GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM
80GB IDE (two partitions) + 160GB SATA (no partition) HDDs
RJ45 Ethernet jack (LAN card unknown)