HELP: dual-booting W7/8, now Win7 will not load

[J4rrod]

SIW2 - I'm currently using the partition recovery software you suggested. However, all it's giving me the option to do is recover files from the partition. I do not need this. I need to use Windows 8 again, on that partition.

What's more interesting, is that under both file recovery softwares I've used, both say the Win7 partition is NFTS, but Windows 8 tells me the partition is RAW.

I'm under the assumption that there is a way to convert the RAW to NFTS, then restart my PC, and boot back into Windows 7, just like I always have (then I will immediately delete Win8 lol).

 

[J4rrod]

chkdsk = not working

 

[fdegrove]

Hi,

SIW2 - I'm currently using the partition recovery software you suggested. However, all it's giving me the option to do is recover files from the partition. I do not need this. I need to use Windows 8 again, on that partition.

What's more interesting, is that under both file recovery softwares I've used, both say the Win7 partition is NFTS, but Windows 8 tells me the partition is RAW.

I'm under the assumption that there is a way to convert the RAW to NFTS, then restart my PC, and boot back into Windows 7, just like I always have (then I will immediately delete Win8 lol).

While I have not as yet needed such recovery tools I suppose what it suggests to do for you when it asks to recover the files is that it will in essence try to repair the pointers (the metadata) so the files can be read again.
This is what needs to be done for any Windows system to be able to access that partition again.
A RAW file system is actually a "raw" unformatted disk so yes, the utilities are correct in recognizing the NTFS filesystem as it is still there but for all intents and purposes it is useless to Windows since the key to that filesystem is damaged. Hence it designates it as being a raw, unformatted partition and suggests you to format it when you try to access it.

Either way I suggest you wait for SIW2 to acknowledge or not what I suppose is the right action to undertake.

chkdsk can't acces the system so no surprise there. The message as to why it can't however is as per usual.....

Cheers,

 

[SIW2]

Command window is telling you run chkdsk as adminstrator.

There is a slight possibilty chkdsk might fix it - always worth a go.

It seems the filesystem itself if ok - just that widows isn't recognising it.

Mini tool partition recovery does not recover data - it only recovers partitions - you might have downloaded the wrong program.

( I think you may have misread it - the program might have said IF you are unable to find the partitions you want with this software - then try our data recovery software instead ).

I would expect that if you run the partition recovery, it will show you a whole list of partitions - including the one that is raw in windows - the difference being , the partition recovery will probably offer to recover it as an ntfs partition.

After running MT partition recovery Quick scan on the disk - tick ALL partitions you want to keep. ok apply.

It is likely MT partition recovery will find the bootsector backup and restore the partitions exactly as they were.

If it doesn't, you could try another partition recovery app . - Testdisk is good but might be difficult for you to understand.

If you are unable to recover the partition - then you will just have to make do with the files you were able to recover.

 

[J4rrod]

I did download the wrong program SIW2, but look what it's saying when I try to recover it -_-

Could this be a hardware problem? Because Windows 8 isn't running good either.

 

[fdegrove]

Hi,

It seems as if only the MBR is still damaged. Does W8 still see the partition as RAW in diskmanagement?

I also notice the W7 partition carries no label. Not that it has to but was it like that prior to when the troubles started?

Cheers,

 

[chev65]

Lets face it folks, dual booting with Windows 8 just absolutely sucks, it's freaking terrible. It ruins the Windows 7 installation consistently by taking over the MBR which ruins any chance you had to delete Windows 8 and use Windows 7 again. The MBR requires a full repair every time from what I'm seeing.

I figured this out during the first build and now just clean install to my SSD with no partitions.

So before anyone attempts a dual boot it's best to create system images on a separate drive before hand. Windows 8 or 7 file recovery works well for this.