Cannot boot windows after Ubuntu Removal!

[jackmac]

Hi,
Today I installed openSUSE and then it's boot interface took over my GRUB boot interface. It also did not give me the ability to boot Ubuntu and came up with an error when trying to boot windows 7. So I deleted the openSUSE partion through the Disk Utility tool in Ubuntu (I used a LiveCD to do this) and then decided that I didn't really need Ubuntu any more, so I deleted that the same way aswell.

Now when I start my computer, I am greeted with the following message: No Boot device available - Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility and F5 for Diagnostics. I am pretty sure this is a DELL error as I have a Dell Inspiron 1545. I then inserted my Windows 7 installation disk and followed the prompts, then clicked repair my computer. It came with two options, on asking me to select my operating system from the list and the other asking for a system restore file. From other threads people have been told to go into the first option. My operating system (Windows 7) was not detected but I proceded anyway. At the next screen I clicked command prompt and typed the following as per instructions in other threads
Code:

bootrec.exe/fixmbr

This Worked and displayed the message: Windows has completed the operation sucessfully
Next, As per instructions I typed
Code:

bootrec.exe/fixboot

And to my dismay this message showed up: Element Not Found

I explored the other commands in the bootrec.exe function and found the command
Code:

bootrec.exe/scanos

It searched for Windows installation files and actually found them in the D:/ drive. I discovered that when openSUSE was installed or Ubuntu or openSUSE was deleted, it changed my Windows and my Work Files, Games, Work etc. drive from C:/ to D:/

I then tried the command
Code:

bootrec.exe/rebuildbcd

It searched for the Windows Instillation Files and once again found them in D:/
It then asked if I wanted to add these files to the boot menu Yes (Y) No (N) or All (A)
I typed Y for Yes and it popped up with the error element not found. I also tried Yes but came out with the same error.

I am now totally unable to access my Windows and can only boot Ubuntu from a live CD.

I have followed advice from another forum such as: Run TestDisk, chkdsk etc.. But I haven't got anywhere. Now all I really want to do is to re-install my Windows. Will this work? I have already backed up all my files could and I was also wondering how I could put all my programs back onto my computer without needing the reinstall them.

Now when I boot my computer I get Boot Diagnostics window.

The link for the other forum so you can see what advice they offered me ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1521530

Thanks

[Kloschüssel]

You actually (re) installed the windows boot manager into the MBR and wanted to fix the windows boot process with fixboot. That did not work properly and misconfigured it. Now it probably tries to boot windows from a D: drive where there is no windows. So you may just redo the fixboot step and make sure it points to C:, where your windows is.

If you reinstall windows, you'll have to restore all programs by reinstalling them. In windows you cannot backup programs cause they write some information anywhere on the disc (registry, shared program files, system drivers, ..) and it almost always fails to restore all the information. In the end you often have programs that work partially or not at all. This is one reason why I hate windows - it is just a chaotic conglomerate of bits and bytes that somehow and handles most jobs surprisingly well.

PS: if the boot thingy is completely messed up, it will fall back to boot from C: and probably start your windows with a error message. I know that because I have a pc with winXP on it that boots with a error, that boot.ini is misconfigured. But I don't care as long it boots. And should it no longer boot one day, I won't investigate into it.

[yancek]

It would be useful to post your partition information to get help. Use the Ubuntu Live CD and open a terminal, run the command "sudo fdisk -l" (without quotes, lower case Letter L) and post that info here.

Did this computer have windows 7 when you bought it or did you install?