Is there a way to avoid having to reinstall windows? - removed linux/grub boot disk

[Red Squirrel]

I had a dual boot setup with Linux and Windows 7, and I removed the Linux disk (which was primary and had the grub boot loader) and now if I try to boot Windows 7 I just get a grub error and drops me to a console that literally has no commands. ? does not work, help does not work, basic commands like dir don't work... it may as well be a blue screen of death.

I tried to put my Windows CD in to do a repair, but with my luck of course it can't be that easy, it errors out saying that the CD is incompatible, which is BS, because it's the exact same CD I used to install, it's a legit copy and everything.

Is there anything else I can try before I reinstall? I don't have much on that system but I just don't feel like reinstalling all my games if there's something else I can try.

 

[postmortemIA]

The easiest thing is do automatic repair, it should automatically detect missing bootloader.
You really need working DVD, or if you have an ISO file you can create USB bootable disk from ISO image.
you can also manually fix bootloader, again with the DVD.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's the problem it wont let me do repair, it boots off the CD but then tells me it's incompatible and refuses. This is the exact same CD I used to install it - not a burnt copy. It's a legit copy and I store it in the motherboard box with everything else that goes with that system.

Oh and if it matters I still have the Linux SSD as I did not overwrite anything just in case I needed to get my old setup back again. So I should be able to boot into my old Linux install if I put the drive back in. Anything I can do from there? Worse case scenario I guess I can always keep the drive in that machine and just change the default boot option... kinda dirty though.

Or is there a way I can restore the MBR through a Linux boot disk?

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I'm removing five geek points from your geek card for dual-booting on the same disk.

Sorry I couldn't have been helpful. I'm lost on this one. I know I had it happen to me once, but it was too long ago and before I adopted the separate but equal lifestyle when it came to operating systems and SSDs.

 

[mikeymikec]

Perhaps get this moved to the *nix forum? I'm sure there must be some grub jockeys there who can point you in the right direction, it seems like the most direct route to fixing this problem. Alternatively I would use the command prompt (is it 'editbcd', can't remember) to restore Windows boot management, then after that I would boot from a Linux CD and work with grub to restore its boot management over the top.

 

[Dahak]

You could try the step in the following link to manually rebuild it. You many need to make some adjustments, mainly if its C: or d:

http://windowsitpro.com/systems-management/build-bootable-bcd-scratch-bcdedit

 

[silicon]

I had a dual boot setup with Linux and Windows 7, and I removed the Linux disk (which was primary and had the grub boot loader) and now if I try to boot Windows 7 I just get a grub error and drops me to a console that literally has no commands. ? does not work, help does not work, basic commands like dir don't work... it may as well be a blue screen of death.

I tried to put my Windows CD in to do a repair, but with my luck of course it can't be that easy, it errors out saying that the CD is incompatible, which is BS, because it's the exact same CD I used to install, it's a legit copy and everything.

Is there anything else I can try before I reinstall? I don't have much on that system but I just don't feel like reinstalling all my games if there's something else I can try.

you need to restore the bootloader by using the original disk and a few commands. Been there and have done it. If you google it then there is usually a step by step.

 

[Ketchup]

Yes, as silicon mentioned, you can fix it, you just have to tell Windows what to do.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/32523/how-to-manually-repair-windows-7-boot-loader-problems/

 

[Dahak]

Yes, as silicon mentioned, you can fix it, you just have to tell Windows what to do.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/32523/how-to-manually-repair-windows-7-boot-loader-problems/

I was looking for that link when I posted mine, the one thing that it does not say which could work as well is the

bootrec /scanos

should also find it too and it will ask to add it

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm removing five geek points from your geek card for dual-booting on the same disk.

Sorry I couldn't have been helpful. I'm lost on this one. I know I had it happen to me once, but it was too long ago and before I adopted the separate but equal lifestyle when it came to operating systems and SSDs.

No the Linux disk is the one I removed. I could never get it to work with just one disk because 7 has these weird system partitions that break if you try to resize or move anything. It's just the windows disk in it now, but I guess grub adds some kind of header to all disks involved and not just the main one.

you need to restore the bootloader by using the original disk and a few commands. Been there and have done it. If you google it then there is usually a step by step.

Like I said, it wont let me. I get a message that the disc is not compatible. But it's the SAME disc used to Install. It still wont let me. Every thing I google keeps telling me to use that disc. That wont work for me because it refuses to let me.

I cannot get to any place where it lets me type a command because the CD refuses to load the rescue mode.


I found this, I'll have to try it: http://robert.penz.name/221/mini-howto-restore-windows-mbrbootloader-with-linux/

 

[ArisVer]

Windows
Control Panel > Backup and Restore > Create a system repair disk. Is this disk universal across Windows 7 editions?
Try all editions of Windows installation disks?

Linux dirty fix
HDD space needed, a few GBs. Since you have empty space on your hard disk, install Debian in text mode only from the netinstall.iso (this could be done in the previous Debian version 6). When it's time to install the bootloader, grub will detect the Windows OS and add a corresponding entry. Reboot into Windows. If it did not, boot into Debian and

os-prober&&update-grub

 

[Ketchup]

...Like I said, it wont let me. I get a message that the disc is not compatible. But it's the SAME disc used to Install. It still wont let me. Every thing I google keeps telling me to use that disc. That wont work for me because it refuses to let me...

Eplain please. Where does it tell you this? At the command line? What are you keying-in/clicking/etc to get this message.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Eplain please. Where does it tell you this? At the command line? What are you keying-in/clicking/etc to get this message.

I boot off the Windows CD, and get the the dialog where there's the "install now" button in the centre of the screen. At the bottom there's an option to do a repair. I click that, and then get this error:



I tried the following but it did not work:

http://robert.penz.name/221/mini-howto-restore-windows-mbrbootloader-with-linux/

(tried both solutions)

It did change the startup error from a grub error to a Windows error though:




Basically this is the scenario:

Before:

System1: Has two SSDs, primary SSD is Linux, secondary is Windows. Linux one has grub menu to boot Linux or Windows.

Now:

System 2 (newly built) : Has 1 SSD: New installation of Linux (just moving the drive would not boot). Still have old Linux install SSD as backup but it's not plugged in anywhere.

System 1: Has Windows SSD only as the Linux SSD was pulled out, it has been moved up to the first sata port so that it's primary (I originally did not do this but just did now to test, nothing). Wont boot anymore as it's depending on the Linux SSD to boot.


edit: Oh was also messing around with video cards. Wanted to take video card of system1 and put it in system2 but that failed miserably so I just put it back in system1 (one I'm trying to get windows to work on, system 2 is ok now). Not sure if that switching around may have caused an issue.

 

[lxskllr]

Did the system start life as a single disk Windows system?

 

[Ketchup]

OK, got it. So, you version has changed somehow. Did you change it since you installed (upgraded to a different version with anytime upgrade, etc)?

In any event, you can use a computer with the same version of Windows to burn a system repair disc. That will encourage system restore but it also has the other options available on the OS disc, most notably the command prompt.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Did the system start life as a single disk Windows system?

I'm pretty sure it did. From what I recall this is more or less how it started:


1: 1 disk with windows 7.

2: Attempted to dual boot Linux, it broke Windows... this is around the time I wanted to switch to Linux anyway so I ended up just getting Linux going and figure out Windows later. Every time I'd try to reinstall it would fail.

3: Got a new SSD, installed windows on it, goal was to just dual boot with the BIOS, but Linux actuallypicked it up and it was an option in Grub, so I used that way to dual boot from that point on. Now I took the Linux disk out.

I don't have another physical computer with Windows or a spare that I could install Windows on. I don't imagine it's possible to create a rescue disk from a VM. Is the rescue disk different than the install disk? If I can get something that just drops me to a command prompt then I can at least try the commands shown in tutorials.

What ever happen to safe mode and all that? Did they take that out? In XP I'm pretty sure there's an option to either go safe mode or command prompt.

 

[Ketchup]

If you have the same version of Windows 7 on a VM, the recovery disc creation would be exactly the same.

 

[lxskllr]

You could try this...

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/category/download/supergrub2diskdownload/super-grub2-disk-beta/

If it works, maybe you can repair Windows once you're in, or just keep using a flash drive.

 

[Red Squirrel]

You could try this...

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/category/download/supergrub2diskdownload/super-grub2-disk-beta/

If it works, maybe you can repair Windows once you're in, or just keep using a flash drive.

That looks interesting. I think I may have fubared the windows boot by trying to add the MBR through Linux though but I'll see what this does. I bought like 10 8 gig USB sticks on Black Friday for these sorts of situations, so I might just go ahead and leave it in the system if this makes it work.

As for a VM, how do I burn a disk in a VM (as in, burn to ISO, not to physical disk). I don't think the cdrom drives in VMs are actually burners. Or I guess I can load some software that creates a virtual cdrom drive that can make ISOs. What's a good one to use? I have Alcohol 120% in my head but think that's actually to mount ISOs.

 

[ArisVer]

Control Panel > Backup and Restore > Create a system repair disk, only allows you to make a DVD, it has no ISO options etc. Best is to make a DVD and rip it to ISO then burn ISO to USB stick.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Control Panel > Backup and Restore > Create a system repair disk, only allows you to make a DVD, it has no ISO options etc. Best is to make a DVD and rip it to ISO then burn ISO to USB stick.

Don't have a physical machine with Windows though. Unless there's a place I can download that ISO?

 

[ArisVer]

I got this email RSS feed about this recovery disk. Give it a try and let us know.

Easy Recovery Essentials® for Windows, for those that haven’t tried it before, is a one-click disaster recovery CD for Windows that features 100% automated diagnostics and repair for Windows PCs. It’ll automatically go through an extensive battery of tests and solve all problems as it finds them (very quickly, too!) – all you have to do is boot from an EasyRE CD or USB stick, and select the OS you want to repair.

EasyRE can be made into a bootable CD or a bootable USB, and is compatible with just about every computer (32- and 64-bit) from all manufacturers, and supports Windows XP through Windows 10, in all languages and SKUs. EasyRE is also available for servers and for computer repair technicians.

Edit. Not free.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

If it were me I think I might try an out of a box solution. Install Windows onto a USB connected thumb drive and then access the Windows SSD as a data drive and remove any content that cannot be afforded to be lost. Then nuke and pave the Windows SSD accordingly.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I have zero patience for problems like this and take a hard hand to these kinds of situations. And yes, I have run Windows off of a USB bootable thumb drive attached to a USB3 port. I was stunned at how well it worked for Windows 7.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't have anything I need to recover, I just don't feel like having to reinstall and reconfigure everything. Game hot keys, etc... But think I'll just do that, probably faster than trying to save it, at this point. Was just hoping there was an easy way.