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

J4rrod

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Ok, so I've had W8 RP installed since it's second day of availability, and so far I've had zero problems; until now.

Upon restarting my VAIO, it shows the Windows screen that it shows after you install the RP, it's the loading screen before you choose which OS you want to boot. This screen is now last for probably 5 minutes, and then my screen turns completely off, and then it turns on, but is still completely black, and then it says something like "Automatic repair of drive (D:) (which is my current W7 drive) and then it, after about 8 total minutes, goes to where you can choose which OS to boot. If I choose 8, everything is fine; if I choose 7, different story. I choose 7, then it gives me the option of Launch automatic repair (recommended) and Start Windows normally. If I choose repair, it shows the background of the auto repair screen, and the mouse appears, but nothing else happens. If I choose Start Windows normally, it shows the W7 loading screen for about 10 seconds, then it goes back to the loading screen before you choose an OS.

Oh, and what makes it better, is if I'm in 8, and I try to explore, view properties of, or basically anything else dealing with the W7 drive, Windows Explorer (and eventually the Desktop) becomes completely unresponsive, resulting in me having to sign out and back into my PC.

Please, please, PLEASE HELP.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Release Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony VAIO
    CPU
    Intel Core i3
    Memory
    4GB
UPDATE: after waiting forever after trying to view the properties and contents of the W7 drive, it eventually says something like "D: is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect."

PLEASE tell me my Win7 isn't completely gone. Seriously. I need those files!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Release Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony VAIO
    CPU
    Intel Core i3
    Memory
    4GB
Try replacing the cable and plugging the HD into a different port. I've had a drive disappear from Windows, and the reason was a bad SATA port on an Asus motherboard. If this doesn't help, try WinPE or maybe an Ubuntu thumb drive installation to get a view of your drives and files.

Multiple booting is for the birds. I used to be into it heavily, ultimately becoming very familiar with Terabyte's products, but I'll never do it again. Part of the reason is that I now Truecrypt everything, which isn't compatible with it, but if I want to test something, I'll just use a VM. If I really need a real computer running a different OS, I'll use a different computer. And :facepalm: for apparently not having a backup when multiple booting a beta OS.

Aside: Since you are using multiple drives, it's worth mentioning that installing Windows has been dangerous in the presence of multiple drives ever since Vista with integrated SP1 came out, and I don't know if Microsoft has fixed this in Windows HE. I reported the bug using the channels available to me at the time and also early in the Windows 7 beta. Many months after Windows 7 was released, and a couple of years after I reported the bug, Microsoft finally documented things in this KB article:

The disk drive numbers may not correspond as expected to the SATA channel numbers when you set up Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows 7 on a computer that has multiple SATA or RAID disks
When you set up Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows 7 on a computer that has multiple hard disks, you may experience this problem. Because you expect the disk assignment numbers to match the corresponding SATA or RAID channel numbers, you may set up Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows 7 on the wrong drive, or you may even try to format the incorrect drive partition. Therefore, you may lose important data.

Of course, Microsoft's "resolution" is crap. To be safe, you should disconnect all but the target drive when you install Windows. I thought that was beyond ridiculous. Microsoft did not. They said it would require a "design change" to fix, and so would not be fixed. The funny thing is, the same computer using the same drives connected in the same way had no problems with the original Vista or Windows XP before it, so clearly Microsoft broke something.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
D:\ is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect. (Error)

in 8,
Win+X > Computer Management > Storage > Disk Management(Local)

Check the status of your drives
Is the W7 drive listed and healthy

If yes, you could right-click on the drive,
select Change Drive Letter and Paths
Change Drive Letter
reboot
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
Ok, so my VAIO is a laptop, and I'm definitely not comfortable taking it apart (desktop I wouldn't mind). So, can you tell me how to view my files with PE or thumb drive? Also, this is not two separate HDs, it's one with two different partitions.

Mdmd - I'll try that and let you know the status.

Thanks to both of you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Release Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony VAIO
    CPU
    Intel Core i3
    Memory
    4GB
I've attached a picture of my disk management. Win7 = D:. Why is the file type changed from NTFS to RAW and why does it say it's 100% free? Please tell me it's not all gone. Please.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Release Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony VAIO
    CPU
    Intel Core i3
    Memory
    4GB
Why it changed is very technical > "the OS has found inconsistencies"
Your data may still all be there.

Do not convert to NTFS before using recovery software.

You will need to search online for a data recovery program.
I have recovered data from deleted and formatted partitions with special software.
If you can, search for "recover data from RAW file system"

raw file system - Bing
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
First and simplest thing to try is to run chkdsk on the drive showing as raw.

Try it from within windows 8 to start with.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
chkdsk is a good idea. (with the right switches)
It can diagnose and fix stuff.
good.

Unfortunately,
This is a more difficult problem because the drive has been converted
and is inaccessible.

D: is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect

raw file system - Bing
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
If chkdsk does not do the job ( win8 chkdsk might not but it is worth a try), try file recovery freeware Recuva - Undelete, Unerase, File and Disk Recovery - Free Download.


Minitool partition recovery will almost certainly do it - after quick scan, tick ALL partitions you want to keep, ok, apply

Free Partition Recovery Software, Deleted Partition Recovery, Hard Disk Recovery, Free Disk Partition Recovery, Active Partition Recovery Software, NTFS Partition Recovery, Recovery Partition, Drive Partition Recovery, Hard Drive Partition Recovery T
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
All good options.

For this case,
the partition has not been lost yet as far as I know.

The partition has been converted to raw.
See previous attached image.
The partition files need to be recovered first,
then when all is safe, the partition can be converted to NTFS.


D: is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect

raw file system - Bing

Good Luck J4rrod.
done here.
going to work.
thanks.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
Hi fafhrd - glad you are watching.

This isn't the first time I have come across with win8 multiboot.

Beginning to think it is a win8 feature.

Hopefully telemetry will pick it up.

Haven't got my hands on a machine with the issue so can't be certain, but it seems to be damage to the boot record.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Hi SIW2 - I am afraid that Windows 8 so far is not a comfortable system to multiboot with. It has instabilities - even when booting other Windows 8 of the same edition/version. Not least hiding the system volume, and then changing the system to a different volume when it decides a repair is required.

I do a few odd things - At present I am multibooting between a USB stick and a USB external Hard disk, completely bypassing the internal hard disk - which seems safe for my Windows 7/XP/Mint system - but the windows 8 can't decide which of the Windows 8 boot volumes is master, so it's F9, F9 every time, and then I get the wonderfully informative dual boot screen:win8mb.png

I know I railed on about the meaninglessness of the "C:\ drive", when the current system always calls its own drive "C", but this use of "volume n" is even worse. Diskpart lists volumes up to 8 on this system, But the Windows 8 boot manager finds volumes 9 and 10 - it's not as though I don't label my formatted volumes.Screenshot (4).png

So I am giving the Windows 8 boot manager a fail for this - it is slow, clunky and downright dangerous compared to the Windows 7 version, which mostly worked, and when asked to do a repair, repaired not fubared.

I've edited the BCD so that I know which is which now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
Crayfish yes the target drive is the real solution before there was ever a white paper lol and I love how you think yeah after years of dual booting and never having serious mbr backups and raid backups of a raid setup fron a networked comp that was a striped setup yeah its friggen crazy. You need to use a backup program that is native to each system as well I used to use acronis and there was a good one I used on win pe but I can't remember it now the best way tto dual boot is to use a linux boot loader it will solve all your problems buddy seriously don't depend on windows alone if you venture out into the woods
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    android
Hi,

Try replacing the cable and plugging the HD into a different port. I've had a drive disappear from Windows, and the reason was a bad SATA port on an Asus motherboard.

Indeed, quite often the cause of this happening is a bad connection somewhere along the line making Windows assign the partition as being RAW where in reality it quite likely is not.
Examples of this are: too long data cables, EMI disturbance on the cable (insufficient shielding), bad connection(s) inc;uding power connections, you name it.
This is when we're considering two or more physical HDs.
In this case however, as the partition sits on the same drive, it seems as if the MFT/FAT and/or MBR is damaged or it least looks that way to the OS you're trying to look at it from.
Not sure how this can happen other than the technical causes described above but it does.
In case chkdsk can't solve it (I doubt it can) you'll probably need to resort to data recovery software or, if you're lucky, a partition analysis and repair tool.

Let us know how you tackled this and should you find out what caused it we'd like to know as well.

Good luck, ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W2K8S R2 STD, W7 ULTIMATE X64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DELL OPTIPLEX 745
    CPU
    INTEL Q6600
    Motherboard
    DELL
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    INTEL INTEGRATED CHIPSET Q965
Ok so I've recovered all the necessary files. Now, my question is, is Windows 7 still there, or am I going to have to buy a whole new Windows 7 disc/license? I understand I'll lose the files I didn't recover. Now I need instructions on converting RAW to NTFS. Thanks guys.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Release Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony VAIO
    CPU
    Intel Core i3
    Memory
    4GB
Hi,

The files should all still be there unless some were accidentally deleted. What happened is that the FAT table containing all the meta data (the pointers to where the files actually reside on the disk) is somehow damaged.
Did you run: cmd (enter) chkdsk X: ( replace x with drive letter) /f /r ?

If that does not work then you'll need to resort to some third party utility that will fix the FAT table, after that the partition should become accesible again and W7 should run again fron the bootmanager.

By no means format that partition or it will make it even harder to recover anything from it.

Cheers,;)
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W2K8S R2 STD, W7 ULTIMATE X64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DELL OPTIPLEX 745
    CPU
    INTEL Q6600
    Motherboard
    DELL
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    INTEL INTEGRATED CHIPSET Q965
I'll run the check disk when I get home. Any recommendations for 3rd party FAT correctors? And if I do that, it will automatically convert the RAW to NTFS?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Release Preview
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony VAIO
    CPU
    Intel Core i3
    Memory
    4GB
Chkdsk will not operate on RAW file systems - it needs that very same metadata that is damaged or missing to decide what is data and what is garbage.

There are utilities available - SIW2 has already given links - google "recover raw file system" to get more suggestions. I cannot recommend any of these - I have never used them.

The best advice is keep cool about it - the data, including the OS is still there, unless the disk is written to - unlikely under the current circumstances unless a clean, repartition and reformat is attempted.

try one recovery method at a time and hope that you find the appropriate method to get Windows 7 booting again.

Then run chkdsk and sfc/scannow
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
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