Vista 64-bit Won't Boot - Help!

rozel · Jun 26, 2010

Hi

Up to today, I have been dual-booting Vista Ultimate 64-bit (C partition) and Windows 7 64-bit (D partition).

However Windows 7 has given up the ghost and refuses to boot going into an endless startup repair/reboot loop. I had not booted into Windows 7 for some time and basically decided today to get rid of it and enlarge the C partition with the space the D partition gives up.

I use Easy BCD within both OS's and first deleted the entry for Windows 7 in BCD within Vista and rebooted without difficulty - the option for Windows 7, within the boot manager, having disappeared. So far so good. Next I opened Paragon Disk Manager v 10 and made the Windows 7 partition (D) "Inactive", thinking the Boot Manager and/or the MBR or whatever it's called was located on C. Rebooting as you may have guessed then resulted in a "missing boot volume".

I suspect when I loaded Windows 7, after Vista, Windows 7created the boot manager and MBR files or what not on the D partition so when making it "inactive" has resulted in the position I now have. And yes I did not create bootable disks within Paragon in case of a difficulty like this!

I need desparately to rebuild the MBR or Boot files so as to boot into Vista as soon as possible, but do not know how. If we need to make the D partition "active" again, then I need instruction as without the ability to boot into either OS, I do not know what to do.

Eventually it is my requirement to delete the D partition and simply have one OS namely Vista 64-bit Ultimate.

With massive projects underway on other volumes I need to access these from Vista using the programs already installed on C. So a reformat and re-installation is simply not an option.

So I suppose what I am asking is how to rebuild the boot files and/or make the D partition "active" again.

I'm desparate for help

Thank you in anticipation of somebody's help

Paul

niemiro · Jun 26, 2010

Hello,

Here is how to repair the BootMGR: Fixing "BOOTMGR is missing" Error While Trying to Boot Windows Vista - How-To Geek

If you do not have a recovery disk, you may download one here: Windows Vista Recovery Disc Download — The NeoSmart Files

The download is a torrent file. If you have any problems, do not be afraid to ask, but there are instructions here: Download: Windows Vista x64 Recovery Disc — The NeoSmart Files

Once your BootMGR is fixed, your best bet is to format the Windows 7 partition, reboot and fix any problems with the method above (though there shouldn't be any) and then expand the C:\ onto the freshly formatted Windows 7 partition.

If you need any help with any of the stages, do not be afraid to ask.

Richard

rozel · Jun 26, 2010

Thank you Richard - amazingly quick - I'm indebted to you

Before going through those procedure(s), just a little more info......

First I have a dual RAID setup. The first hosts my two OS partitions, C and D, the other hosts two storage volumes E and F.

After POST the actual message I get is: -

"Reboot and select proper Boot Device or insert Boot Media in selected Boot Device and press a key"

Does this message relate to a "Missing MBR"?

I assume it does but want to be safe before going through the instructions

Cheers

Paul

niemiro · Jun 26, 2010

Hello Paul,

I would normally say that you should rebuild the bootMGR for this POST, however, I have no idea about RAID and what effect this will have, and so I have called in someone else to assist you better, and so I would recommend waiting for their advice first.

Sorry,

Richard

rozel · Jun 26, 2010

Nice one Richard - thank you once more

I have things to do now any way so shall wait as you recommend - I don't think my raid setup will affect anything, it didn't when I was dual booting - I originally started with XP, then added Vista and then with some help, deleted XP and and added Windows 7. I guess making D "inactive" has effectively removed the MBR altogether lol!

Cheers

Paul

niemiro · Jun 26, 2010

rozel said:
Nice one Richard - thank you once more

I have things to do now any way so shall wait as you recommend - I don't think my raid setup will affect anything, it didn't when I was dual booting - I originally started with XP, then added Vista and then with some help, deleted XP and and added Windows 7. I guess making D "inactive" has effectively removed the MBR altogether lol!

Cheers

Paul

The strange thing is that it has not removed the MBR entirely, but the device is not ready to boot. My guess would be to rebuild the MBR without the inactive drive, and everything would work, however, I want to find out first what is going to happen the the RAID configuration. I do not know if it is separate or not, or what effect it will have, and so I want to check with someone else first.

Richard

osholt · Jun 26, 2010

Hi, exactly what kind of raid setup do you have? RAID 0, 1, 5, JBOB etc?

Is the RAID config done using hardware or software?

When installing Windows 7/Vista/XP did you need to load a RAID driver for it to install correctly?

Depending on your setup, it may or may not make it more difficult to do, however it is likely that no special tricks are required to fix this.

Oh and Richard if you didn't already know RAID is designed to add redundancy and a fail safe to any data saved to a drive. JBOD (not officially part of RAID but widely considered to be a form of RAID) is just a way of linking together multiple small inexpensive disks to make, what a computer interprets as ,either through software or through hardware, just a single drive. As the computer treats it as a single drive it should behave like a single drive.

Oli

rozel · Jun 26, 2010

Hi guys - again thank you for taking a close interest.

My OS's are housed within 2 partitions as already mentioned within a 2-drive RAID 1 setup. The Storage volumes are housed within a 4-drive RAID 10 setup. Both RAID setups are controlled by an Integrated Controller housed within the mobo - an Intel ICH something or other, I forget what. And yes I had to do an F6 install when installing the OS's, re the drivers, for the first time, to get the Volumes to be seen.

Other than that the control panels are seen if you press Ctrl-I and or Ctrl-F, I think, during POST but these are solid RAIDS and have never given me a problem, so I rarely if at all, have had to invoke these.

I marked the D Volume "inactive" on the basis that if I had a problem booting, there might be a simple arrangement via a command prompt or a boot disk or something, to make it "active" once more which would then immediately make my Windows Boot Manager visible again and then voila.

I guessed wrongly, but I tend to think as XP was my first OS, then added Vista - then after much rimarole, got rid of XP and installed Windows 7, that the current Boot Manager may well be on D - but I will leave you guys to understand that better.

I await your further thoughts

Paul

osholt · Jun 26, 2010

If you have another PC available to you create a http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/141820-create-recovery-disc.html.

If you don't just use the install disk that came with seven/Vista and boot into that.

Go into recovery options and into the command prompt.

Now follow the second half of the tutorial at How to set active partition in Vista and XP.

I don't know if this will work or not but it's certainly worth a shot.

This should make the partition active again.

Oli

rozel · Jun 27, 2010

Hi Oli

Well by the time I read your reply, "Saturday Night" had set in - I watched some footy then the Glastonbury highlights. I had my laptop open and was taking in everything you said though

This morning worse for the wear (lovely bottle of wine or two doh!) I set about finding all my OS Installation disks. Found an Acronis boot disk too - I tried this first, but as soon as it had loaded, it reported it could not find any disks!

I seem to have mislaid my Vista Ultimate Installation disk but found the Windows 7 one. All you were advising to do was to get to a Command Prompt and use DISKPART, so I figured that this would do.

Loaded it into the "Repair" options, selected "Command Prompt" and followed the instructions as per that link.

It worked sweet as a nut! Brilliant !!!!!!!!!!!!

The only slight difficulty I had was trying to work out which partition was "D" and which was "C" - no problem selecting the correct disk though as I knew which one that was as my 2 RAID setups are different in size, whereas the two OS's are on equal sized partitions on the smaller sized RAID. I figured again though that the first one was the "D", given that the bootloader was on the first partition in the set and in any case if it didn't work I would restart and then make the other "active". I didn't need to as when I restarted, my PC loaded correctly, straight into Vista Ultimate 64-bit - voila!

Thank you so much for your help - didn't know DISKPART existed, so this has been a major learn for me - nice one

So from this you can assume that RAID setups don't throw any spanners into the preverbal works

The two RAID setups described earlier, simply show up as actual Disks, which can be treated as if there was only one Disk in each RAID.

Now I would like to know how to delete "D" and use the additional space for my "C" namely my Vista OS.

If the MBR is on "D" and from now I will say on the Windows 7 partition, as when you load either OS, each one is "C" isn't it? - Dual Booting creates this anomolly?

So I need the MBR or Windows Boot Manager transferring to the Windows Vista partition so I can then delete the Windows 7 partition.

This sounds easy but I haven't a clue where to start. Please remember I cannot load Windows 7, it has a Startup problem and I have deleted it's entry for booting, from the Windows Boot Manager, via Easy BCD.

I am going away for a few days so this request isn't urgent, it's just that I came up with my boot problem trying to delete Windows 7 altogether and I would now like to do this the correct way lol!

I will access my emails whilst away - should be back home Wednesday evening

Thank you once more - terrific help.

Paul

niemiro · Jun 27, 2010

Hello,

I am probably misunderstanding you, but if C:\ is formed of two RAIDed drives, D:\ is formed of two RAIDed drives, then would you not need another RAID configuration to merge them together?

Richard

rozel · Jun 27, 2010

Morning Richard!

You must have just read my post just now.

As far as I know and from experience in setting up RAID setups for many years (for reasons of disk access speed and/or redundancy) several disks set up in a RAID will actually just show up in Windows as a single disk and can be "manipulated" accordingly without worrying about the fact that there is more than one disk in the setup. I have slightly modified my above post regarding this, but before I read your post.

So take my C and D partitions....

These are housed both within a RAID 1 setup. This contains two drives. If one drive fails, then although the speed of access is greatly reduced, slipping in a new drive and rebuilding the array will mean no loss of data/programs etc etc. This gives security and a whole lot of piece of mind. Two disks of 75 Gb's in a RAID 1 will give 75 Gb's of actual data space - you loose one half, or the size of the larger of the two drives in the array. Windows actually sees C and D on one single Disk as two partitions.

My Storage volumes E and F are on a RAID 10 setup. This is for Redundancy and speed. A RAID 0 setup for example would join two disks say of 75Gb each creating a single volume of 150Gb but access times are much shorter and thus installing an OS on one of these, will create much less boot up times. However I elected for security on my boot RAID rather than speed as it incorporates 2 Western Digital drives turning at 10,000 rpm rather than the more usual 7,500 rpm - this for me compensates for the drop in speed.

My RAID 10 setup is built up of 4 identical drives, I forget the actual size of these but effectively they act again as one single Disk with two partitions E and F. RAID 10 combines the attributes of a RAID 0 and a RAID 1. If one drive fails, slip in a new one and nothing is lost. However the two "pairs" of disks pull together and create a fast access structure so access and/or transferring large amounts of data, as I do, results in much faster access and transfers.

Hope I've helped you in some slight way in understanding RAID. There is a lot of easy to understand information out there if you search "RAID". I wouldn't dream to build a pc which is important to me without a combination of RAID setups within it, so I am always searching for good RAID Motherboards. I tend to stick with ASUS, they seldom let me down.

Paul

niemiro · Jun 27, 2010

Hello Paul,

Thank you for the nice explanation. I have learned a lot about RAID in this thread. I think this is the tutorial you want: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/95418-disk-management-delete-extend.html

Richard

rozel · Jun 27, 2010

Hi Richard - glad to have been of some help

I did make a small mistake with my last post, which I've corrected regarding the actual useable size of a RAID 1 setup, afaik it's now correct.

Deleting, extending and creating larger partitions isn't a worry for me at all but thanks for sending me the link.

My problem now though is that the Boot Manager resides on the Windows 7 partition, which I want to delete. Dete it now will result in the same problem as making the Windows 7 partition inactive.

Somehow I need to get the Windows Boot Manager and/or the MBR residing on the Windows Vista partition.

Then and only then will I muck about with the Windows 7 partition.

Paul

niemiro · Jun 27, 2010

You can do that with EasyBCD (Manage Bootloader > Reinstall the Vista Bootloader > Write MBR) I think. However, if it was me, I would just do the operation, and repair it with the Windows DVD. So, make sure everything that you want is set to primary, and all settings are correct, use EasyBCD, and then use your Windows DVD if really necessary.

Richard

rozel · Jun 27, 2010

Ok Richard, thankyou

Just setting off for a few days in the Lakes and of course to watch England later hehe!

When I get home Wednesday night, or Thursday morning I will do what you suggest and report back.

In the mean time so I can get my head around this, presumably EasyBCD when it reinstalls the MBR, it will write it on the same partition as Vista?, given that I am in Vista at the time?

What will happen to the loader files and Windows Boot Manager etc which currently reside on the W7 partition? - will they be deleted somehow? etc etc.

Just asking

Paul

rozel · Jun 27, 2010

Ohhh

Just noticed that in Vista, administrative tools/computer management/disk management, that both C and D are marked as Primary but only D is "active".

Not really sure what this means in reality, I mean what would happen now for example, if I marked C as "active" and then D as "inactive"?

Paul

rozel · Jun 27, 2010

Just uploaded a screen shot of the Disk Management Windowfor your assistance

- see above post.

Paul

osholt · Jun 27, 2010

rozel said:
Hi Oli

Well by the time I read your reply, "Saturday Night" had set in - I watched some footy then the Glastonbury highlights. I had my laptop open and was taking in everything you said though

This morning worse for the wear (lovely bottle of wine or two doh!) I set about finding all my OS Installation disks. Found an Acronis boot disk too - I tried this first, but as soon as it had loaded, it reported it could not find any disks!

I seem to have mislaid my Vista Ultimate Installation disk but found the Windows 7 one. All you were advising to do was to get to a Command Prompt and use DISKPART, so I figured that this would do.

Loaded it into the "Repair" options, selected "Command Prompt" and followed the instructions as per that link.

It worked sweet as a nut! Brilliant !!!!!!!!!!!!

The only slight difficulty I had was trying to work out which partition was "D" and which was "C" - no problem selecting the correct disk though as I knew which one that was as my 2 RAID setups are different in size, whereas the two OS's are on equal sized partitions on the smaller sized RAID. I figured again though that the first one was the "D", given that the bootloader was on the first partition in the set and in any case if it didn't work I would restart and then make the other "active". I didn't need to as when I restarted, my PC loaded correctly, straight into Vista Ultimate 64-bit - voila!

Thank you so much for your help - didn't know DISKPART existed, so this has been a major learn for me - nice one

So from this you can assume that RAID setups don't throw any spanners into the preverbal works The two RAID setups described earlier, simply show up as actual Disks, which can be treated as if there was only one Disk in each RAID.

Now I would like to know how to delete "D" and use the additional space for my "C" namely my Vista OS.

If the MBR is on "D" and from now I will say on the Windows 7 partition, as when you load either OS, each one is "C" isn't it? - Dual Booting creates this anomolly?

So I need the MBR or Windows Boot Manager transferring to the Windows Vista partition so I can then delete the Windows 7 partition.

This sounds easy but I haven't a clue where to start. Please remember I cannot load Windows 7, it has a Startup problem and I have deleted it's entry for booting, from the Windows Boot Manager, via Easy BCD.

I am going away for a few days so this request isn't urgent, it's just that I came up with my boot problem trying to delete Windows 7 altogether and I would now like to do this the correct way lol!

I will access my emails whilst away - should be back home Wednesday evening

Thank you once more - terrific help.

Paul

Sorry for the late reply I always sleep in on Sundays

.

You're most welcome for the help and I believe Richard can/already has fixed your problem with extending the partition.

I hope it all works fine again soon.

Oli

rozel · Jun 28, 2010

osholt said:
Sorry for the late reply I always sleep in on Sundays .

You're most welcome for the help and I believe Richard can/already has fixed your problem with extending the partition.

I hope it all works fine again soon.

Oli

I'm sure things will be fine - but I hope Richard saw my last post as I need to know that by reinstalling & writing the MBR in EasyBCD, whilst in the Vista OS, that the MBR and/or Windows Boot Manager will effectively change over to the Vista partition

Paul

ps - an embarrasing England defeat

Vista 64-bit Won't Boot - Help!

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