Can No Longer Boot up Vista!

I accidently damaged the Boot sector of a Vista partion on my harddrive (C : (don't ask...). Now I can no longer boot to this partition!

I was able to install XP on another partition on this harddrive (D : and access some of my files. I can NOT access my Email files (which I need). I was bad and have done a backup for a few weeks. Lesson learned!

The Repair option on the Vista install disc FAILED to fix the MBR. I ran it at least (10) times

BTW, I am able to see and access the files on the Vista portion of the harddrive.

Also, I have been "trying" to load Windows 7 on the C: Partition and I'm running into a big problem.

At this point I think I'm going to give up trying to repair the Vista boot files and try to install Windows 7 in it's place.

When I go to install Windows 7 (to REFORMAT the Vista partion), I have been unsucessful.

The partition (#1) with my Vista files is actually my C: Drive (with the unbootable Vista files).

My D: Drive is the 2nd partition and is running XP. This partition is only 10GB in size and it's almost FULL! I need to larger partition ASAP!

Anyways, when I put in the Windows 7 install disc, it boots and STOPS at a point asking for a CD-Rom driver. ??? From what I can tell, there IS a CD Rom driver in place already.

I can NOT even get to the point of seeing the C: and D: Partitions in order to manipulate them!

I'll take a Screen Shot of the point where Windows 7 Stops loading and post it here.

Addendum:



When I search any and all medias THOUROUGHLY for a CDROM driver I get this message below OR the PC just hangs in a searching loop.



Should I give up and just "try" to find a way to REFORMAT the C: Partition ??

I do NOT want to lost the D: Partition that is currently running XP and running great.

Ideas ?

Hi Labrat116,
If you search the vista tutorials, you may find the solution to your problem.
But sounds to me like a clean install may be inevitable. http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html?filter[11]=Performance Maintenance
If you can access your files, you should be able to back them up. Where are you looking for your email files at? If its MS Office, I THINK they wil be under C:\program files\microsoft\office11.