Windows 7 Win 7 HP boot files missing or corrupt

[slowhand59]

I have an Advent Roma 2001 configured, in PC World style, with a "recovery partition" alongside the system partition and, after resolving a hard disk problem, I found that the machine would not start/boot Windows 7. clearly some necessary files are missing or corrupted, but the normal system recovery tools have not solved the problem(s). I'm familiar with the process for resurrecting XP, but not its counterpart for Windows 7...the files and steps for doing this are rather different. it would seem that pretty much everything else is in place on the hard disk, but certain recovery programs report "0" Windows installations when Win 7 is still in place where it was before the disk problem, e.g. it is available to be selected by the main recovery/startup program...this prog can "see" it, but can't access/boot it.


I'd really appreciate it if someone (or some folks) could map out the steps, files, command line statements, etc. so that I can breathe some life into this anaesthetised device sooner rather than later...I may as well work my way through the whole lot rather than using a trial and error method...that might take a long time. however, I'm also happy to be advised on the approach if and where this unnecessary or inadvisable.


thanks in anticipation,


DH

 

[Saltgrass]

Could you explain your Hard Drive Problem?

Most of the time running a Startup Repair 3 or 4 times will fix a problem. It has to be run several times because some problems have to be dealt with and a reboot needed before other problems can be fixed. This may be what you did, but just checking. I cannot remember right now, but if you ran a Startup Repair and it found no Windows installs, could you continue anyway?

Did you do anything you know of to change the active partition on the drive or remove a partition?

I have seen viruses that seem to corrupt some necessary system files used during the boot. If the Boot cannot find the system partition, you normally see a Bootmgr is missing type of message.

 

[kaos]

Place the windows disc into the pc

restart pc

when it says "press and key to boot from cd"

hit any key

when it loads it should say "INSTALL" in the middle of the screen

bottom left corner it should say "repair "

click repair then it will try and find the windows installation. click next untill you get a list of options such as system restore, command promt etc

click on "command prompt"

type these commands seperately

bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootrec.exe /fixboot
bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd

restart the pc

 

[slowhand59]

thanks for your response...'got rather distracted with the problem itself and chasing a copy install disk, so I must apologise for the "pregnant silence".


the solution to the problem proved to be a repair/replacement of the corrupted bcd file that screwed up the Boot Manager. I will be delving more deeply into the "details" of that file later...'had the commands/procedure slightly wrong first time round...once this was corrected, the Boot Manager fired up. the install disk was required to replace the spldr.sys that had also been corrupted, I suspect, when the fault developed with the bcd file.


thanks again,


DH