Lost bootsector of Windows7, installed ubuntu, can't find W7 either!!! Now what??????

hector3rd · 12-19-2010, 03:13 PM

In other words, I somehow deleted the first partition of Windows7, the windows reserved system partition.

WHat is the quickest way I can rescue this system?
Client has been waiting for her machine a long time already, I have to delived today, no time to re-install windows7.

Thanks for your quick help and correct, short solution.

Hector

John VV · 12-19-2010, 03:25 PM

would that be the small back up partition and not the MBR

reinstall win 7 . but that might be very hard seeing as MS and the OEM no longer send out a MS install disk ( you use that back up partition to reinstall) .

you need to contact MS and have them send you a dvd in the "snail mail"

hector3rd · 12-19-2010, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John VV

would that be the small back up partition and not the MBR

reinstall win 7 . but that might be very hard seeing as MS and the OEM no longer send out a MS install disk ( you use that back up partition to reinstall) .
>>
I have my own install disk for W7 64 and 32 bit, no need to get them from MS or OEM!!!!

No time to reinstall W7, did a lot of work to have it ready, I was restoring backups of the clients data, last part of the upgrade from WinXp, then I did something and overwrote the small Windows 7 system reserved partition, where the information is located to boot W7.

This is the same place Grub and Ubuntu will look for to boot.
<<<
you need to contact MS and have them send you a dvd in the "snail mail"

>> No time to use snail mail...

I just need to find the funky number where windows 7 starts, so I can boot it.
W7 is on sda2, over 200GB, system reserved partion for W7, was one sda1
<<<

Need to find the sector where W7 starts, and let Grub do the rest.

Thanks!!

impert · 12-19-2010, 03:57 PM

this may be what you are looking for:
Task B7 in this link

thorkelljarl · 12-19-2010, 04:05 PM

I'll guess...

I think that you might be able to use TestDisk and/or PhotoRec to restore the original partition table and enough of the first partition to give you the information you need.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

The reason that I suggest restoring the partition table and perhaps the partition contents is that I have used a HP laptop on which the first partition was a small Windows boot partition, the second a recovery, the third the Windows "C", and the fourth a non-necessary set of HP tools. Changing the first partition would result in Windows not booting.

There is a Windows 7 MBR restore disk that might help after you have restored the first partition, if you need to use the Windows boot manager to boot.

http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/window...-repair-discs/

Good Luck