[jaysquared]

I will attempt to describe my frustrating predicament through a series of points.

-My computer will not boot to Windows 7.
-Refuses to boot 500GB SATA HDD w/ Windows 7 OS on it (stays on blank screen with flashing underscore)
-Windows 7 Install CD cannot see any OS to repair
-Ubuntu Disk Utility showed my 500GB SATA HDD was not bootable (???)
-Attempts to make it so were futile

If you need any other info please ask and I will provide what I can.

 

[W4LNUT5]

Did you just perform an install on win 7, and now you have these problems?

It might have been a corrupted install. You should try installing it again, but be sure to reformat the HD again just to be safe.

But if this was an existing install you have been running fine until now, then something else is at work here.

 

[jaysquared]

I have had this install running smoothly and correctly for weeks.

 

[W4LNUT5]

I'm doing some research for you on this. I think it has to do with the 100mb partition that 7 creates at the beginning of your Hard Disk when you install it. I'm looking for the MBR (master boot record) repair for 7 (I haven't done it with 7 yet and just want to be sure if its the same or not)

Edit: While using that ubuntu live cd, can you see the files on the disk from within linux?

 

[jaysquared]

I can see the entire hard drive from Ubuntu

 

[Cyberbot]

Hm.. Can't be the RAM since you can boot into Ubuntu, however it could be the RAM that has started to screw up and are writing corrupted data to your OS. But it is most likely a corrupt mbr or a boot virus, did you try fixing it with mbr repair like w4lnut5 said? Have you tried a clean install? Delete your partition before install it again, maybe it'll fix it.

 

[sexybastard]

do you have any other hard drives installed? if so just trying unplugging them and leaving only the main drive in.

 

[jaysquared]

I have already tried isolating the drive I wish to boot. I want to avoid a clean install because there is a lot of data I would be forced to back up. There should be no reason for a clean install as it was working perfectly fine a few days ago.

 

[Wishmaker]

What are your BIOS settings? From what you describe it seems to me that it freezes before it actually loads the W7 bootloader. Check to see if you have the correct boot order. Next we have to force a repair on that system because it seems to have a problem. This repair will allow you to back up your data. You won't like using a patched OS because the performance will be horrid. So, back to our apples. You need to perform a start-up repair. Please make sure that your first boot device is the DVD unit. After this, follow the following steps :

PART 1

The Startup Repair tool in Windows 7 replaces important operating system files that might be damaged or missing. Startup Repair is an easy diagnostic and repair tool to use when Windows 7 fails to start properly.
To begin the Windows 7 Startup Repair process, you will need to boot from the Windows 7 DVD.

1. Watch for a Press any key to boot from CD or DVD... message similar to the one shown in the screenshot above.
2. Press a key to force the computer to boot from the Windows 7 DVD. If you do not press a key, your PC will try to boot to the operating system that's currently installed on your hard drive. If this happens, just restart your computer and try to boot to the Windows 7 DVD again.

No user intervention is required here. Just wait for the Windows 7 setup process to load files in preparation for whatever task you might want to complete. In our case it's a Startup Repair but there are a lot of tasks that could be completed with the Windows 7 DVD.
Note: No changes are being made to your computer during this step. Windows 7 is only temporarily "loading files."

Choose the Language to install, Time and currency format, and Keyboard or input method that you'd like to use in Windows 7.
Click Next.

 

[Wishmaker]

PART 2

Click on the Repair your computer link on the bottom-left of the Install Windows window.
This link will begin the Windows 7 System Recovery Options which contains several useful diagnostic and repair tools, one of which is Startup Repair.
Note: Do not click on Install now. If you already have Windows 7 installed, this option is used to perform a Clean Install of Windows 7 or a Parallel Install of Windows 7.

System Recovery Options, the set of tools that contains Startup Repair, will now search your hard drive(s) for any Windows 7 installations.
You don't need to do anything here but wait. This Windows installation search shouldn't take more than a few minutes at most.

Choose the Windows 7 installation that you'd like to perform the Startup Repair on.
Click the Next button.
Note: Don't worry if the drive letter in the Location column does not match the drive letter that you know Windows 7 is installed on in your PC. Drive letters are somewhat dynamic, especially when using diagnostic tools like System Recovery Options.
For example, as you can see above, my Windows 7 installation is listed as being on drive D: when I know that it's actually the C: drive when Windows 7 is running.

 

[Wishmaker]

PART 3

Click on the Startup Repair link from list of recovery tools in System Recovery Options.
As you can see, several other diagnostic and recovery tools are available in the Windows 7 System Recovery Options including System Restore, System Image Recovery, Windows Memory Diagnostic, and Command Prompt.
In this guide, however, we're only repairing operating system files using the Startup Repair tool.

The Startup Repair tool will now search for problems with important Windows 7 files.
If Startup Repair finds a problem with an important operating system file, the tool may suggest a solution of some kind that you have to confirm or may solve the problem automatically.
Whatever happens, follow the prompts as necessary and accept any changes suggested by Startup Repair.

Startup Repair will now attempt to repair whatever problems it found with Windows 7 files. No user intervention is required during this step.
Important: Your computer may or may not restart several times during this repair process. Do not boot from the Windows 7 DVD on any restart. If you do, you'll need to restart immediately so the Startup Repair process can continue normally.
Note: If Startup Repair did not find any problem with Windows 7, you won't see this step.

Click the Finish button once you see the Restart your computer to complete the repairs window to restart your PC and start Windows 7 normally.
Important: It's possible that Startup Repair didn't fix whatever problem you were having. If the Startup Repair tool determines this itself, it may automatically run again after your computer restarts. If it does not automatically run but you're still seeing problems with Windows 7, repeat these steps to run Startup Repair again manually.
If it becomes apparent that Startup Repair is not going to solve your Windows 7 problem, you do have some additional recovery options including a System Restore or a System Image Recovery, assuming you have previously backed up your entire computer.
You could also try a Parallel Install of Windows 7 or a Clean Install of Windows 7.
However, if you've tried a Startup Repair of Windows 7 as part of another troubleshooting guide, you're probably best served by continuing with whatever specific advice that guide is giving as your next step.

(c) and credit goes to Tim Fisher, the author of this extensive guide.

 

[jaysquared]

Thank you for the response. I have already attempted this. The setup does not detect any windows installations. However, I attempted to repair the startup again using the setup and it went through a process which resulted in my computer telling me BOOTMGR is missing which wasn't there before.

 

[jaysquared]

Thanks to all who responded. I was able to repair the system using the installation which mysteriously decided to detect the operating system. Thanks again

 

[Wishmaker]

Sorry if my post was boring you but sometimes it is good to review the steps once again. I often forget something. Glad you fixed it but make sure to back up your stuff. You need a fresh install