Lost Window 7, and can not boot from window

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Dear All:

I have an one-year old Mac Book Pro (MAC OS X 10.6.8, 8G RAM) which I installed Window 7 with the original MAC OS. I can press the “option” key when I start the computer to switch between different OS systems. The default is the Window 7. I have worked on it and saved some important data and software onto this Window system. It has no problem for a while until recently something wrong happened. The window began to close the applications and then shutdown the system automatically. I tried to restart the computer, yet it showed

“No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key”.

I tried several times, but the situations were the same.

So I press the “option” key again when I restart it. I used to see two HD icons (Macintosh & BootCamp), but this time I can only see the Macintosh HD. It seems to me that MAC has lost the window partition table. However, I can access BootCamp through the MAC OS (meaning I can see the BootCamp HD icon on the right upper corner of the desktop, and the files are still in this BootCamp HD which I can copy them to my NTFS USB flash drive). I have tried the following to try to recover my widow 7 back.

1>I used a software called “A Bootable USB” and load the window 7 OS to my flash drive, and the software has make the USB flash drive bootable. I then inserted the usb flash drive to my Mac, and then restart the system. But the “No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key” appeared again. I can not boot the window installed in my MAC from my NTFS flash drive.

2>I try to fix the lost window partition by “TestDisk”, but since the window system can not start, this approach failed.

3>I try to run “TestDisk for MAC” on MAC system, but it can not detect any hard drive information. So it fails again.

4>I use the “Disk Utility” in MAC to check the HD, there are Macintosh HD, BOOTCAMP and one strange partition named “DISKOS2” (209.70MB). I don’t recall where does this partition come from. Besides, all the functions provided by Disk Utility can not work when I select BOOTCAMP and DISKOS2.

5>I also try to use “Boot Camp Assistant”, thinking of my window 7 might fix the errors. But after the second step, it pops up “The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition”. And I can not go further.

Please help me to fix the window partition issue so that I can restart my window 7 (and retrieve the data).

Thank to any kind of suggestions.
 

chscag

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Did you follow the Microsoft instructions to repair Windows 7? See the following LINK

Note: You will need your original Windows 7 DVD so that you can boot your Mac from it. You need to be especially careful that you repair the correct partition. Obviously, you do not want to mess up your OS X partition.
 
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Did you follow the Microsoft instructions to repair Windows 7? See the following LINK

Note: You will need your original Windows 7 DVD so that you can boot your Mac from it. You need to be especially careful that you repair the correct partition. Obviously, you do not want to mess up your OS X partition.

I only have the original Window 7 ISO file, not a DVD. But as I pointed out in my first attemp to recover, I make a bootable Window 7 on my USB flash drive. I tested this flash drive on ACER nootbook, it does boot the system from this flash drive (even though it try to INSTALL window 7 instead of fixing). But it does not work on Mac book pro. Do you mean if I make a bootable window 7 DVD, when I power on the MacBook Pro, it WILL boot from the DVD (and not from USB flash drive) after the "No bootable device ..." message appear?
 

chscag

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Where did you get the Windows 7 iso from? If you downloaded it from the Microsoft store you were supposed to burn it to a DVD. You're going to need to use a bootable Windows 7 DVD in order to make the repair. You can't do it with a bootable USB flash drive as you found out.
 
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Where did you get the Windows 7 iso from? If you downloaded it from the Microsoft store you were supposed to burn it to a DVD. You're going to need to use a bootable Windows 7 DVD in order to make the repair. You can't do it with a bootable USB flash drive as you found out.

Thank for your reply.
The window 7 is downloaded from school, we have microsoft campus license agreement with Microsoft. It is a leagel software.
I surely can burn it to a DVD. I will try "Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool" to burn the iso to a DVD good for booting. Do you know why Mac Bootloader can boot the system from DVD only (can not from USB flash drive)?
Also, if I can boot from the DVD, what happen if it asks for installing Window 7? If I install the "NEW" window 7, all the software I installed before on my previous window 7 will be lost. Any other way to "fix" current lost Window 7?
Thank for your time and help.
 

chscag

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You need to go to the link I provided in my first reply and follow their instructions on how to do a repair of Windows 7 with the disk.
 
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You need to go to the link I provided in my first reply and follow their instructions on how to do a repair of Windows 7 with the disk.

Thank, I will follow the directions.

One thing I also like to ask -- when I installed the window 7 after I got this MacBook Pro, I installed the Window 7 through the "Boot Camp Assistants", not installed it directly. If I can boot the system from Window 7 DVD this time and fix the OS, will it damage the Apple OS?

In other notebook,, I can press F2 to set the "Boot Sequence" (from DVD, then HD, ...etc), do I need do anything so that Mac Book Pro know the boot sequence?

Thank a lot.
 

chscag

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One thing I also like to ask -- when I installed the window 7 after I got this MacBook Pro, I installed the Window 7 through the "Boot Camp Assistants", not installed it directly. If I can boot the system from Window 7 DVD this time and fix the OS, will it damage the Apple OS?

You need to be very careful as I mentioned above when booting from the Windows 7 disk. You don't want to mistakenly repair the wrong partition! Make sure that you're repairing the Boot Camp partition not your OS X partition.

In other notebook,, I can press F2 to set the "Boot Sequence" (from DVD, then HD, ...etc), do I need do anything so that Mac Book Pro know the boot sequence?

When booting from the Windows 7 disk, hold down your Option key as soon as you hear the Bong! sound and keeping holding it until the boot choice appears in the window. Then choose the Windows 7 disk to boot from.
 
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When booting from the Windows 7 disk, hold down your Option key as soon as you hear the Bong! sound and keeping holding it until the boot choice appears in the window. Then choose the Windows 7 disk to boot from.

Thank.
I finally make a window 7 DVD, and load it to MacBook Pro. I follow your direction to hold the option key when I restart the system. Then strange thing happens: I see 3 ICONS, one is the Apple HD, the other label as "window" (DVD ICON), and there is also a "EFI BOOT" (DVD Icon).

I chose the Window DVD Icon, and follow the directions provided by the link you gave me. I also pay attention to the "Important Note", and perform the entire steps (STEP 10), and restart the system.

But it does not fix the problem, Without press the Option Key, I still can not boot from my original Window.

Any Idea?
 
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You need to be very careful as I mentioned above when booting from the Windows 7 disk. You don't want to mistakenly repair the wrong partition! Make sure that you're repairing the Boot Camp partition not your OS X partition.

Since I can not use this approach to "Repair" the original window, I would like to know whether it is possible to "Install" new window 7 through this approach (Start the Mac and boot from Window 7 DVD, then choose "Install" option). I used the "Boot Camp Assistant" to install window 7 before, but I can not repeat this procedure any more.

Also, does anyone know where to Download the Mac Book Pro Drivers for window 7 (if I want install the Window)?

Thank for help.
 

chscag

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Yes you can. Just be very careful to do the reinstall to the correct partition. Choose the Boot Camp partition and make sure it shows up on the Windows 7 installer. Also, before you start to reinstall Windows 7, make a complete backup of your OS X partition. Use cloning software if you have it, if not, use Time Machine.
 
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Yes you can. Just be very careful to do the reinstall to the correct partition. Choose the Boot Camp partition and make sure it shows up on the Windows 7 installer. Also, before you start to reinstall Windows 7, make a complete backup of your OS X partition. Use cloning software if you have it, if not, use Time Machine.
Thank, I will reinstall Window 7 when the system is booted from Window 7 DVD.

You mentioned about "backup of your OS X partition. Use cloning software if you have it, if not, use Time Machine", how would I be able to do this? You do mean to backup my Apple system, right? I did not have this experience, please help me and provide me more information. Many thanks.

One other question -- I did not have the Original DVD came with my Mac, thus, I don't have the drivers for the Window 7. Would I be able to download the drivers from anywhere?

Thank.
 

chscag

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In order to do a clone backup of OS X you'll need special software and an external hard drive. I recommend using Carbon Copy Cloner (shareware, $20).

Don't worry about the drivers. You can download the drivers by running the Boot Camp assistant, but, not installing Windows 7. You'll receive a message to download the drivers from Apple. Once you download the drivers, escape out of Boot Camp, do not let it create a partition or start to install Windows.
 
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Don't worry about the drivers. You can download the drivers by running the Boot Camp assistant, but, not installing Windows 7. You'll receive a message to download the drivers from Apple. Once you download the drivers, escape out of Boot Camp, do not let it create a partition or start to install Windows.

Ok, This is my lst try. Please tell me whether waht I am going to do is correct or not.

I will boot the system from my window 7 DVD.
Then I will install the Window 7.
After I finish the installation, I will reboot the system.
Then I will boot to Apple. Run the "Boot Camp assistant", somehow it will ask me to download the drivers for my window 7 (?) Is this correct?

Currently, when I run Boot Camp Assistant, it says I have to use the Disk Unitily to make it a single partition. I try to "erase" my stange partition "Disk02", but fail. It says it can not modify the partition map.

So, am I correct? I believe I can install the Window 7, but I need connect to my campus internet to activate my Window 7. Thus, without the driver, I will not connect to internet from this window system.
 

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