Windows 7 wont boot - HD issue I think

Jano · 13 Dec 2012 at 10:07

So my storage drive has pooped, and I went and got a replacement yesterday, which I got set up, copied everything over to, and thought all was ok. I then restarted the comp and got the Bootmgr is missing message. Tried the windows startup recovery and it was no help.

I then got a copy of Hiren's boot CD, I can get into the mini xp so should be able to get everything off the OS SSD and reinstall windows if needed, but I'm hoping there is a way around that and I can just fix the boot issue.

It seems that the 100mb system partition on my OS SSD has been removed, and placed on the storage HD, which I think may be causing the boot problems. I'm now not getting a bootmgr message, but I am getting a no OS found on this drive message when attempting to boot to the OS SSD.

Any ideas how to fix or is it going to be a case of reinstalling windows, and if that is the case, whats the best way of copying and putting everything back to how it was?

zakblood · 13 Dec 2012 at 10:11

when you said copied, you mean cloned?
what software did you use it to get the image off the old drive, version number and make would be good info.

if the sdd was really badly damaged then it may have corrupted too much for a cloned image to work, but should have told you this when it finished?

so if you can get at your data then maybe that would be quicker, i reformat every few months so im idle anyway

can't see how you can put back on a 100mb system partition without a install, im sure a repair doesn't do this, but not sure about windows 8 disk, not that helps you as your on 7

will wait and see your reply and answer back

Eddie · 13 Dec 2012 at 10:13

Not sure if I've read that correctly but it sounds like the system is trying to boot to the new drive?

Unplug the new drive and see what happens.

Jano · 13 Dec 2012 at 10:18

Won't boot to the new drive, Windows isn't on there, just the 100mb system partition Windows creates, and I have no idea why it's there, and I can't see any way of putting it back on the OS SSD.

If I have to reinstall windows, I just want to be able to be able to put everything currently on the SSD straight back on, as if nothing's changed.

Jano · 13 Dec 2012 at 10:26

Also the SSD is fine, theres no issues whatsoever with it. The borked HD was a storage drive that only had games and music on it, nothing else. Literally all I've done is format the new drive through disk management so that it appears in my computer, then copy the data over through the WD copy program.

I have no idea why Windows decided to copy over the boot/system partition from the SSD to the new drive.

Jano · 13 Dec 2012 at 13:57

So from what I can tell salvaging windows seems pretty much impossible which is rather annoying. What is the best way of copying what's on the SSD and getting everything back to how it was after a reinstall?

zakblood · 13 Dec 2012 at 14:03

no quick and easy answer to that sorry, with xp you could re install over the top and leave the first install intact so most programs still worked, was a pain but most of the time worked

7 is almost the same,

h88p://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/is-it-possible-to-reinstall-windows-7-and-keep-all/ec996477-3e26-4960-aaba-aa1b71e58476

doesn't repair all errors, yours being im guessing one it wont fix, but as you have nothing to loose, if you have a spare drive then image it first so you can at least get back o your data if it doesn't work

Jano · 13 Dec 2012 at 14:09

Again, there are no errors on the SSD, everything is fine except that Windows has moved the boot segment and I can't get it back to the correct place.

zakblood · 13 Dec 2012 at 14:17

One of the things Win 7 does is create a backup Partition for its use to restore automatically, corrupted system files if it has trouble booting. If it finds that Partition missing when it tries to boot, it cannot boot.

One small detail to watch for. In many cloning packages when you have more than one Partition on the Source HDD, the default option is to create the Partitions on the new Destination HDD using what is called Proportional sizing of the new Partitions. So, assuming your new HDD is larger that the old one, its Partitions will ALL be larger than those on the old Source. For example, if you old one is 500 GB and the new one is 2TB, that 100 MB backup Partition would become a 400 MB one on the new HDD. You don't need that - the data in it is still only under 100 MB. So, using the cloning software menus, you can intervene and set the sizes of the new Partitions on the Destination drive to whatever you want. In this case, make that one backup Partition still 100 MB on the new drive, and all the rest of it as the other Partition.

seems you have a 100Mb boot partition on both before and now only one, on a fresh clean install of windows with both drives attached, windows makes a 100Mb boot partition on both, or has on mine as i forgot to also remove the second drive while i installed windows, seem if one goes down can still recover from the other, but no idea how to more one back without reinstalling in repair function doesn't work

that above it copy paste, doesn't seem to apply to you but cant find a answer that will move one to another tbh, it should work off second one, no idea why it doesn't either as everything points to it should repair

h88p://superuser.com/questions/330178/why-does-windows7-create-two-partitions

Jano · 13 Dec 2012 at 14:22

Laymans terms here.

SSD - 128GB - OS and a few programs on, about 50gb in use.
Borked HDD - 500gb - Nothing except games and music on.

New HDD - 2TB - Games and Music all cloned from borked HDD, installed in Windows - NO OS AT ALL.

Somehow Windows has moved the 100mb backup partition from the SDD and nothing else to an exact same 100mb partition on the HDD. I do not want it there. It should be on the SSD. I am unable to move it back. It was only ever on the SSD, and was most certainly not on both, ever.

There is nothing wrong with either drive at all.

All I want to know is the best way to salvage what data I have on the SSD before a fresh Windows 7 installation.

zakblood · 13 Dec 2012 at 14:45

copy it straight off the drive, in any pc, but no solution to move it back with working programs, sorry again, no idea how to move it back apart from fresh install and no idea how it got moved over either, only windows makes these type of partitions, you can make it yourself but that wont help you as no recovery data will be in it.

hopefully someone else will have an idea, as im not sure it can be done if you have tried my links above.

data and windows installation is still there, only the boot partition/ recovery partition has been removed, reinstalling over the top will recreate those and keep your data intact, but if it didn't work, then no idea again, nothing else im blank.....