Reset W7 install

[Lloyd Parsons]

In article <Sqgbn.244215$N07.150771@en-nntp-05.dc1.easynews.com>,
Roy Smith <rasmith1959@live.com> wrote:

> On 2/5/2010 7:28 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
> > In article ffpm59d4vopnknac98c5n763fa4r2c6fq@4ax.com>,
> > Joel <joelcrump@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Lloyd Parsons <lloydparsons@mac.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Blast!! It didn't go well. Ubuntu puts grub (a boot manager) some damn
> >>> where on the HD and I can't get it off. I think it is a system reserved
> >>> area or boot sector. Unfortunately you can't write a boot sector from a
> >>> msdos disk's fdisk, cause there's no damn MSDOS around anymore.
> >>
> >>
> >> I was afraid of that. Restore disks are such a pain.
> >>
> >>
> >>> So, I started the Ubuntu install again. I'll set it for a 50G
> >>> partition, which will leave plenty for W7 and good enough to play around
> >>> in Ubuntu. The grub will allow the booting of either one or the other.
> >>> Not ideal, but OK.
> >>
> >>
> >> You could even just use GRUB to load 7 (without Linux installed), I
> >> think, although as you say it's not ideal. Might as well have Linux
> >> on there, if you're gonna have that loader, I suppose.
> >
> > I'm a bit hardheaded, so I kept digging. Here's how to do an mbr reset
> > without windows at all :
> >
> > http://www.thecoderanger.com/rewrite-a-windows-hard-disk-mbr-with-an-ubun
> > tu-9-04-live-cd/
>
> There's just one problem, starting with Vista Windows doesn't use the
> MBR to boot anymore. Instead it uses BCDedit to boot from. The easy
> fix is to download the Windows 7 System Repair disk from
> http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/windows-7-system-repair-discs/. Once
> burned to a CD, this bootable disk will find your Windows 7 install and
> fix any boot problems it finds. This is the same CD that's created when
> you go to Control Panel - System and Security - Backup and Restore and
> clicking on the line "Create a system repair disc" on the left pane.

I just created that boot DVD. Told it to fix the booting problem. It
went off for a short time and said OK, things are fine.

But when I tried to boot the HD again, it boots into grub for OS
selection. So all is not as it seems...

 

[MICHAEL]

"Lloyd Parsons" <lloydparsons@mac.com> wrote in message
news:lloydparsons-D5A8FE.10221206022010@port80.individual.net...
> In article <Sqgbn.244215$N07.150771@en-nntp-05.dc1.easynews.com>,
> Roy Smith <rasmith1959@live.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2/5/2010 7:28 PM, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
>> > In article ffpm59d4vopnknac98c5n763fa4r2c6fq@4ax.com>,
>> > Joel <joelcrump@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Lloyd Parsons <lloydparsons@mac.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Blast!! It didn't go well. Ubuntu puts grub (a boot manager) some damn
>> >>> where on the HD and I can't get it off. I think it is a system reserved
>> >>> area or boot sector. Unfortunately you can't write a boot sector from a
>> >>> msdos disk's fdisk, cause there's no damn MSDOS around anymore.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I was afraid of that. Restore disks are such a pain.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>> So, I started the Ubuntu install again. I'll set it for a 50G
>> >>> partition, which will leave plenty for W7 and good enough to play around
>> >>> in Ubuntu. The grub will allow the booting of either one or the other.
>> >>> Not ideal, but OK.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> You could even just use GRUB to load 7 (without Linux installed), I
>> >> think, although as you say it's not ideal. Might as well have Linux
>> >> on there, if you're gonna have that loader, I suppose.
>> >
>> > I'm a bit hardheaded, so I kept digging. Here's how to do an mbr reset
>> > without windows at all :
>> >
>> > http://www.thecoderanger.com/rewrite-a-windows-hard-disk-mbr-with-an-ubun
>> > tu-9-04-live-cd/
>>
>> There's just one problem, starting with Vista Windows doesn't use the
>> MBR to boot anymore. Instead it uses BCDedit to boot from. The easy
>> fix is to download the Windows 7 System Repair disk from
>> http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/windows-7-system-repair-discs/. Once
>> burned to a CD, this bootable disk will find your Windows 7 install and
>> fix any boot problems it finds. This is the same CD that's created when
>> you go to Control Panel - System and Security - Backup and Restore and
>> clicking on the line "Create a system repair disc" on the left pane.
>
> I just created that boot DVD. Told it to fix the booting problem. It
> went off for a short time and said OK, things are fine.
>
> But when I tried to boot the HD again, it boots into grub for OS
> selection. So all is not as it seems...

This works just fine for Windows 7. In "Manage Bootloader" of EasyBCD,
you'll see "Reinstall the Vista/7 Bootloader", then under it, click "Write MBR".

I haven't had any problems with EasyBCD, and it's been around and trusted
since Vista was in beta.

http://www.intowindows.com/download-easybcd-for-windows-7/
EasyBCD is a free utility using which one can edit and play with Windows 7 boot settings in a
few seconds. This easy-to-use tool lets you view bootloader settings, change boot settings,
add/remove OS entries in bootloader, reinstall or uninstall bootloader, backup/restore boot
settings and more.

Diagnostics section of EasyBCD helps you find your Windows 7 boot problems either by recreating
missing/deleted boot files or by resetting BCD storage. It can also check your boot drive for
corruption, and copy debug info to clipboard.

(latest Beta with full Windows 7 support with added features, requires free registration
to neosmart.net)


-Michael

 

[Sunny Bard]

Roy Smith wrote:

> Any computer operating system cannot alter a mounted partition, it has
> to be unmounted first before any changes can be made.

I hate to sound like one of the Windows haters that infest this group,
but Linux *can* do just that.

> It would be like trying to change your car tires
> while you are still driving.

That would be handy too ...

 

[Roy Smith]

On 2/6/2010 11:48 AM, Sunny Bard wrote:
> Roy Smith wrote:
>
>> Any computer operating system cannot alter a mounted partition, it has
>> to be unmounted first before any changes can be made.
>
> I hate to sound like one of the Windows haters that infest this group,
> but Linux *can* do just that.

I doubt that... try booting up any flavor of Linux you like and then try
using gparted to resize the root partition. All the different versions
of Linux I've played with haven't been able to do it.

>
>> It would be like trying to change your car tires
>> while you are still driving.
>
> That would be handy too ...

Yes it would.

--

Roy Smith
Windows 7 Home Premium

Timestamp: Saturday, February 06, 2010 8:45:56 PM

 

[Sunny Bard]

Roy Smith wrote:

> On 2/6/2010 11:48 AM, Sunny Bard wrote:
>> Roy Smith wrote:
>>
>>> Any computer operating system cannot alter a mounted partition, it has
>>> to be unmounted first before any changes can be made.
>>
>> I hate to sound like one of the Windows haters that infest this group,
>> but Linux *can* do just that.
>
> I doubt that... try booting up any flavor of Linux you like and then try
> using gparted to resize the root partition. All the different versions
> of Linux I've played with haven't been able to do it.

I'm not really asking if you believe or doubt it, I'm stating that I
have done it. With a 2.6 kernel, increase partition size with fdisk then
grow filesystem with extend2fs (or shrink filesystem with extendfs2 then
reduce partition size) all while the partition is mounted and being
actively used.

Windows can do it provided it's not the system disk, using diskpart.exe.

 

[Joel]

Roy Smith <rasmith1959@live.com> wrote:
>On 2/5/2010 10:02 PM, Joel wrote:
>> Lloyd Parsons <lloydparsons@mac.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I was able to all but the last. I tried the disk management program and
>>> it would not allow 'expanding' the boot drive.
>>
>> Hmm, I didn't realize that 7's partition resizer didn't do that (I've
>> never actually used it, since I didn't realize it existed till after
>> the last time I did such a thing).
>
>Any computer operating system cannot alter a mounted partition, it has
>to be unmounted first before any changes can be made. It would be like
>trying to change your car tires while you are still driving.


I just meant that it surprised me that it didn't have the ability to
reboot into a utility mode that resized it, before the OS fully
started.

--
Joel Crump