During hardware problems with the W7 boot volume, I imaged the W7 installation, and fixed the hardware problem. Next, i restored the image, and found the restored installation unbootable.
1. Using the installation disc, I ran System File Checker from the Repair Option (the black window/screen with white command prompt letters). System File Checker Repair found "Windows source protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them".
2. At that point, I decided to check bootability for the W7 boot volume, and restarted. A black full screen with white letters appeared, indicating "winload.exe" was corrupt or missing. The message suggested running the installation disc repair option again.
File: \windows\system32\winload.exe
Status: 0xc000000e
Info: This application or operating sytem could not be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors.
3. I returned to the installation disc/repair/prompt option, and entered these commands, which executed properly--
Bootrec.exe /Fixmbr
Bootrec.exe /Fixboot
Bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd
4. Next, I reran the System File Checker. Unfortunately, the SFC command option /scannow does not detect a Wnidows installation anywhere.
The W7 boot volume is still unbootable.
Moderators
About the only option I see is a clean W7 install. You can use your system image to restore your files, but you will have to reinstall software.
Thanks, dandl-- I believe the issue is close to resolution, and (as mentioned above) appears to be hardware related. After SFC reported it could not find a Windows installation anywhere on the W7 boot HD, or on even other HDs in this system, it became almost obvious I have a very rapidly degrading boot HD recording surface.
This boot HD is well over 15 years old, but like most enterprise-origin SCSIs, is built like a tank and is capable of running for a long, long time in its assigned role. The HDs latest history, however, is one of requiring a chkdsk at least daily after various processing anomalies, usually a freeze or delay. On completion, chkdsk often finds and repairs a scrambled index and occasionally lost files. Chkdsk never has reported a bad sector, however.
What led me to pursue possible recovery is this old (pre SMART-era) Fujitsu SCSI U160 still runs and passes its own media validation test from its Adaptec controller. Whether that test corrects an error condition like this one while retaining viable data is impossible to determine, since it does not report findings and remedies. Safer to presume the HD-- at least, physically-- is no longer reliable.
Before the HD is discarded, I am screening the disk surface sector-by-sector with SpinRite 6.0 simply to re-record all marginal data, before finally imaging the volume.
* I noticed you also have discovered there is plenty of life in older computers, if the operator knows how to put that hardware to better use than running the latest Windows. Although I am not a Windows-basher (this problem, for example, no longer appears to originate in the Windows file(s) system), Linux gives surprising and completely acceptable new life to the majority of older equipment. And to the point Linux might be considered its natural environment.
Moderators
Thanks for the reply, hope everything works out for you. Yes, I have done several DCT forum articles on how to utilize Linux, either with Windows or as a standalone OS, for users whom may want to extend the life of older pc"s.
I have two desktop pc's running W10, one boots with Grub using Linux Mint and the other boots using Arch Linux.
Why, is because, their are days I just do not need Windows, and Linux will do everything I need.
I had this problem a few weeks back with my parents laptop, whatever brand you have, my parents laptop was a ASUS so I had to press and hold on the F2 button to access BIOS, but it can vary with any laptop. In BIOS I booted the windows 10 installation from my USB and accessed the Windows Recovery. I went in and clicked I believe it was "Rebuild MBR" and I was good from there. It was a corrupted boot sector
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