I've nackered my bootloader

SlyReaper

SlyReaper

SlyReaper

Soldato
Joined
26 Apr 2008
Posts
6,653
Location
Bristol, Old Blighty
Okay, so last night, I decided to get rid of the Windows XP partition because I don't use it any more, and expand my Windows 7 partition over it. So I used EasyBCD to remove the XP entry, then used a GParted CD to delete the XP partition and expand the 7 partition over it. Easy peasy, right?

I think the boot loader might have been in the XP partition though. Because now I get the message "NTLDR not found" when trying to boot up. By my understanding, NTLDR is specific to XP and below, and Vista and 7 use something else. So how do I create a new bootloader for Win7?

The thing is, I've moved house recently so I've lost my Windows 7 RC install disk. I've tried to repair using the beta disk, but no joy. My current plan is to install XP in a small partition and use EasyBCD again to recreate a boot loader, but that'll take ages. I'd also be too scared to remove XP again unless I was sure the new bootloader wasn't stored in it. Is there a more elegant solution?
 
Is there a particular reason a repair would work from an RC disk when it didn't on the beta disk though? When I tried to repair, it told me to choose which operating system to repair from a list. It then presented me with an empty list.
 
bootrec.exe doesn't work. It can scan the hard drives and find an OS not in the boot manager, but when I try to "/FixBoot" on it, it just says "Element not found".
 
I give up. I'm reinstalling. I found the RC disk, so I'm just installing it over the top of the existing W7 partition in the hope that it'll keep programs and settings and stuff.

Off topic: why does it take so long?!? It spends a good few minutes idle before spinning up the disk to start installing.
 
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