I know this is LQ, but I have several Ubuntu computers already, and I've "inherited" a Windows 7 computer that went blotto. It's a Optiplex GX520, and having Windows on it would help me do a few things. I've tried to run the repair feature. No luck. The computer says there are no system restore points. In the 'advanced options' I was able to start 'last good configuration.' It started and took hours. It got all the way to 92% completion and froze.

Any other thoughts on how I could get the Windows 7 back?

Thanks.

My go to thread for Windows repair on a linux forum is

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=58305

Have fun reading 11 paqes. You will find something. I know I did.

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Hi Gregg...

Is there a restore partition on the hard drive? If so, you can probably just reinstall the OS...but it may not be Windows 7.

Regards...

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Open the PC. Remove and reseat the memory and drive cables. Consider replacing the CMOS battery. With the case back together, run a hard drive diagnostics (perhaps using the UBCD). A memory check wouldn't hurt either.

Windows recovery or Dell Utilities? If the PC still has the Dell utilities pressing F12 at boot should give you access to them. You are supposed to be able to check the hard drive using the utilities.

Check the partition layout with a live CD. That should show if there is a Dell partition or a Windows recovery partition you may be able to use.

Apparently the OS boots but doesn't run properly?

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One other thing in addition to above: I presume you've tried booting/restoring in safe mode/command prompt. If you look at the messages, see if you can find the last one it freezes on. Sometimes searching google by that particular message can help pinpoint the problem.

And if you're seriously wanting to fix it, you might want to image the drive with dd prior to making any other modifications.

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I'd run chkdsk command on system and boot partitions. Sometime it helps, but not to say it guarantee the system will be restored. Apart from chkdsk you could try fix it by "bootrec.exe /fixboot" and "bootrec.exe /fixmbr" commands.
All these commands presented on Win 7 installation media.
Another one thing worth to try is booting into safe mode. Just boot and if you'll be lucky on next reboot you will get your Windows back

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Smells like a physically damaged hard disk. Replace disk, install from scratch.

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https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...nload/windows7

If the computer case has a Windows 7 License sticker on it with a alpa-numeric code on it, then go the link above and put your code in and verify. Then you should be able to download it and burn to a cd, so you can boot to it and reinstall Windows 7. If it doesn't have the sticker, then try (like others said above) try the recovery partition, if it has one. Usually you get to the recovery by hitting an F key during bootup, it may tell you which F-Key it is on the on of the screens while its booting.

May I ask what you still need Windows for? Maybe there is a linux alternative software we might can recommend.

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OMG! There are so many links in those pages! Thanks. Hey, I was looking at the links you have for free books. Do you happen to know if any of them are .epub or .mobi files? (Everybody calls .pdfs ebooks and they're not. Ebooks get read on ereaders (eg. Kindle) and .pdfs don't.)

Thanks ardvark. That would be perfect, but if I have it, how would I find it?

Thanks a lot, 2damncommon. Being pretty new (and the computer is new to me too) I've avoided at all costs opening the computer up. Anyway, the Dell Utilities isn't there. And on start up the computer runs the MS colors but leads to choosing either a system restore or I believe (I don't have the computer on now) something similar. Choosing the system restore just runs and runs but comes to the conclusion that it can't help.

Thanks mostlyharmless. I have no opportunity to boot in the safe mode. By gerrymandering around I was able to get to the command line, though.

How could I image the drive, though, if I can't get to it?

Thanks Teufel. I'll see if I can get back into the terminal and then I'll run those commands. And I wasn't able to boot to the safe mode.

Thanks Vamos. I don't know. The computer was my sister's and she just said it froze and she did ctrl-alt-del a few times and then yanked the power plug from the wall outlet, so I'm thinking (hoping?) the disk isn't physically damaged.

Thanks erik. Yes, it has the sticker. I will try that. That would be great if it works.

And yeah, I don't really need the Windows, but there are a few things it would make easier. I could see what my website looks like on IE. I could get the later versions of Adobe Digital Editions (than I can on Wine). Just stuff like that. And since I already have several linux computers I figure, why not.