Windows 7 Unable to install and/or run my previous installation of WIndows 7 Please help

navienavnav

New Member
Okay i have been using Windows 7 for approximately 10 months and it never gave me any trouble...i have using it all along as the beta versions rolled in to the final 7600 build. None gave me problems. But just a few days ago i rebooted my computer and then my windows 7 got stuck at a black screen just before the desktop appears. The mouse pointer was the only thing visible, sometimes movable and sometimes not.

I installed XP on a different partition and then i tried installing Windows 7 and to my surprise when it restarts when "expanding files" and then when the setup should continue, it hangs at "setup is starting" screen with the little blue circle rotating indefinitely. This has NEVER happened before, not with upgrade or with clean install on the very same PC.

I tried installing it using a flash drive..using a dvd.... but nothing helped. I tried removing external devices but no avail.

ON XP i ran this command (G:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt52 ALL /force) to get rid of the nasty bootloader screen when i finally accepted that my previous installation of windows 7 cant be repaired. After getting rid of the bootloader screen, i manually deleted my Windows 7 files from XP.

The point of interest here is that when i again tried installing Windows 7, when it restarted to continue the setup, i got the bootloader screen again (which is obvious) BUT, apart from "Earlier Version of Windows" option and "windows setup" option, there was a third entry of "windows 7" as well. Is it the entry to the previous installation of windows 7 which i had deleted manually?

My point here is that could it be that the damaged bootloader is still on my computer and whenever I try reinstalling windows 7 (fresh copy) the old bootloader is initiated again which is causing problems with the fresh installation?

If it is so...I'd like to know where do these "bootloader files" sit on my computer so that i can manually delete them and make sure that they don't interfere with the fresh installation of windows?

Please help me..i have been using Windows 7 for a long time and now its difficult for me to work on XP lol. Thanks!
 
You can go to Msconfig, click the boot tab and remove the OS that you want to eliminate.

Then I'd suggest you use GParted to fix your partitioning scheme.

If your at all familiar with Linux, it's a breeze. You can shrink, expand and/or resize your partitions with this tool.

Download GParted here:
GParted -- Download
 
I fixed it! No i didnt need to do anything to my partition. And I was right it WAS something to do with the bootloader remains.

This is what i did.....

1. First I ran this command using the "run" box :
G:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt52 ALL /force

where "G:" was the DVD drive with windows 7 DVD in it. This Step deletes all other entries from the Bootloader and restores XP as the only operating system.


2. I booted my computer using the Windows XP CD and entered the recovery console when it gives you the option to install XP or use the recovery console.

3. Then i entered in the command prompt "2" to login into my Windows XP files (E:\windows).

4. I repaired the Master Boot Record by typing "fixmbr" into the command prompt.

5. Now i rebooted my PC into XP (it automatically does that as Step 1 deletes all other entries from the Bootloader and restores XP as the only operating system) and initiated the windows setup as i would normally do.

6. When the system restarts to continue with the setup, I could see three entries a) "earlier version of windows" b) "windows setup" c) Windows 7.
Note that the entry c) was the entry of the damaged version of windows 7 that no longer works. Dont panic. It doesnt matter. Let the setup continue.

7. This time the setup DID NOT hang and proceeded usually. After i successfully got to the desktop, i downloaded EASY BCD and removed the faulty entry of "windows 7" using it.

8. I felt really really happy and relieved. XD
 
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Thanks for posting back with the steps you took to fix it.

It may help others in the future.

Nice trouble-shooting on your part!!
 
Thank you Reghakr! Your support was very inspiring. Not many forums give your problems attention.
I hope this is going to be helpful to someone.
 
Thank you navienavnav,

Most people don't post back, they just go away.

Stop back anytime you need help.

By the sounds of you expertise, maybe you'd like to join and help others if you have the time.
 
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