Member Avatar for Member #579261

Hello guys.

I decided to update my Bios but it turned out that wasn't a good idea.

Everything went well until the program itself restarted the Computer, then windows refused to boot :(
I tried booting in safe mode but nothing.
Right now am using Ubuntu 11.04 to access my Windows files because I was Dual-Booting (thank heaven) But I want my Windows back, and I wouldn't want to clean install again, I have way too much stuff and it would take me months to be back to where I was if I clean-installed it.

Am using an Acer Extensa 4230 that has Window 7 32-bit Version and, as I said, am Dual-Booting with Ubuntu 11.04.

any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys :)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Member #758415

Dani AI

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A BIOS flash that leaves Linux bootable but prevents Windows from starting most often points at a Windows-side boot/driver problem rather than a completely dead BIOS. As observed, the firmware is still functional because Ubuntu boots. A quick clarification: Windows 7 does not use a Boot.ini file (that was for XP) — its boot data lives in the BCD store, so inspecting Boot.ini (as suggested by ) will not help on Win7.

Safe, non-destructive checks to run from Ubuntu (image the disk first)

  • Make a full image of the drive or the Windows partition to an external disk before making changes (this preserves the current state if something goes wrong):
    sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=/media/usb/windows-disk.img bs=4M conv=sync,noerror status=progress
  • Mount the Windows partition read-only and confirm key files exist:
    sudo mkdir -p /mnt/win
sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda2 /mnt/win -o ro
ls -l /mnt/win/Boot /mnt/win/Boot/BCD /mnt/win/bootmgr /mnt/win/Windows/System32/winload.exe
  • Check partition flags and table with sudo fdisk -l or sudo parted -l.

Quick repairs and focused diagnostics

  • Run sudo ntfsfix /dev/sda2 to clear simple NTFS flags (this is not a full chkdsk replacement but can force Windows to run chkdsk on next start).
  • If the BCD or boot files are missing/corrupt, use Ubuntu’s Boot-Repair utility (it can fix GRUB and many Windows boot problems without immediately wiping GRUB):
    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair
boot-repair

Driver/BIOS-mode mismatch (common after BIOS changes)

  • A BIOS update can change SATA/IDE/AHCI/RAID settings; if Windows lacks the matching driver it will fail with INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. Before aggressive repairs, try switching the BIOS SATA mode back to the previous value (if known). If unknown, image first, then either try both modes or enable the msahci/iaStor driver in the offline SYSTEM hive using chntpw — only attempt that after imaging, because registry edits can break the install.

If these steps do not restore booting, the usual next move is a Windows startup repair from installation media (this repairs BCD/boot files but typically requires re-restoring GRUB afterward). The thread contains useful pointers from and about repair and OEM activation; focus first on imaging + file/BCD checks from Ubuntu to avoid losing data.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

so it still boots to linux so it must still be a functioning bios ,can you enter the bios and set to defaults,save settings ,then boot to it again and set the boot order to your liking

Member Avatar for Member #579261

My Windows is fine, I tried to set the Bios to defaults but still nothing. I may have to clean install it now.
I didn't make a backup of my files or programs :(

Member Avatar for flagstar

Maybe the boot.ini file got affected.
Go to partition where your windows OS are installed (within ubuntu) and you should see a file with name 'Boot.ini'. Open it and post it's content here.

Member Avatar for boyans

1. You can repair your Windows 7 boot using a Windows 7 Repair CD (or the the installation DVD) but then the Ubuntu booting will be gone and you will have to repair it later.
So run Windows 7 Repair up to three consecutives times until no errors are reported - this will fix your Windows 7 booting. If there are problems fixing Windows startup use this link http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Startup-Repair-frequently-asked-questions

Then you can add an entry for Ubuntu in Windows BCD for dual-booting.

To add an entry for Ubuntu proceed like this: (when in Windows 7)
1. Install "ext3fsd" v0.50 or later run it and map the Ubuntu partition. Copy the file boot.img from /boot/grub folder to c:\. This file contains the needed boot code for Ubuntu.
2. Create an entry for Ubuntu in Windows BCD:
Install the tool "Visual BCD Editor" from http://boyans.my3gb.com. Start it and create a "Boot-Sector loader" using shortcut F8(or right click -> new BootSector Loader). Adjust drive and path to point to c:\boot.img. That's it.

Now you will have a dual-boot choice Windows 7 and Ubuntu on startup.

Member Avatar for LaxLoafer

Nyamoga,

Did you apply a BIOS update from Acer or some other source?

This is important if your installation of Windows came preinstalled...

Acer use System Lock Preinstallation (SLP), like all major OEMs. This basically ties your installation of Windows to only those motherboards configured by Acer. The manufacturer is identified by a string in the BIOS.

If you've overwritten the manufacturer's string, I would expect Windows to become deactivated. However, from past experience, it seems to prevent some installations from booting. Isn't that cool!

If this is the case, here are a couple of simple things you could try:
* Patch your BIOS again with an update from Acer
* Installing a retail version of Windows

Good luck.

Edited by LaxLoafer because: Minor changes.
Member Avatar for Member #758415

Do you see any error messages? If so post them here please, we need to clarify exactly what is happening.

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