Windows 7 won't boot

[QIII]

Please get to another computer. The more you use that one, the less likely it is for you to recover your files -- if that can be done.

Please let me know when you are at another computer. Please do not use the one you installed Mint on for now!

[sixsamuraisoldier]

ok, im on another computer
PLEASE help im distressed and DESPERATE

[QIII]

OK. First thing is not to panic and not to give up hope. You are not the first who has run into this and won't be the last.

Let me tell you what you did, if you haven't guessed already: When you installed Mint, you installed it over the top of your Windows. Windows is gone. Depending on whether or not you chose to format the partitions you created when you installed, many of your files may be recoverable. If you formatted, you would probably have to get professional help. That runs into the thousands of dollars sometimes. Probably not an option.

The best way to recover Windows files, if they are still recoverable, is with Windows tools. I cannot vouch for any of these, I don't know if they contain malicious code and I don't know if any of them runs "live" (that is, without booting from the hard drive), but the following website references a number of free data recovery tools:

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filere...rograms.01.htm

You may not be able to use them. The most popular data recovery tool for Linux is probably this:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Livecd

The beauty of that web site is that there is a forum. I have used TestDisk/PhotoRec a number of times with great success. The one thing that is probably gone, in any case, is any music you may have in Apple's music app, whatever that's called. The database format is proprietary and the files are a hodgepodge of bits and pieces that are impossible to put back together.

Try to recover your important files before you do anything else.

As for whether you can get Windows up and running again, I don't know. The "recovery" disks most OEMs depend on an image present on the hard driver (usually called D:\Recovery or some such) that your recovery disk invokes to reinstall the system. So I can't really tell you if you can get going again from that.

Most important thing: recover your files!

[sixsamuraisoldier]

i need to get to WINDOWS, i dont care about the files...
PLEASE help, i NEED my programs soon im dead

[QIII]

If you want to blow away your files and don't care, then try to use your recovery disk. The programs will be gone. You'll have to reinstall everything.

[kiyop]

Thanks QIII for explaining that the OP made the mint installer overwrite the Windows system partition.


I hope that nobody do such a bad and wrong thing in future.

[sixsamuraisoldier]

If you want to blow away your files and don't care, then try to use your recovery disk. The programs will be gone. You'll have to reinstall everything.

i said i have a REPAIR disk, NOT windows 7, i cant reinstallit is there any way to recover windows?

[Sef]

is there any way to recover windows?

Read about test disk in post 13.

[kiyop]

i said i have a REPAIR disk, NOT windows 7, i cant reinstallit is there any way to recover windows?

What is the REPAIR disk? Is there any manual about the REPAIR disk? If there is, have you read the manual?
If the REPAIR disk can recover Windows by using itself (and only /dev/sda4), it may work, although I am not sure (because I do not have its manual )

I think you had better ask at Windows 7 forums (such as http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/S...question=False ) rather than here.

[oldfred]

Some manufacturers will let you order a replacement Windows 7 install/recovery disk. Some charge a lot, others just shipping, so you may want to contact your vendor and see what they offer.

Users are supposed to make their own recovery DVD set as hard drive will eventually fail and you will have to reinstall. But backup may be better.

The vendor recovery DVDs are just an image of your drive as purchased. If you have housecleaned a lot of cruft normally included, run many updates with many reboots, and added software you may want a full back up.
Backup windows before install - post by Mark Phelps
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...0#post12611710
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp
Another suggestion by srs5694
http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm