Ok, I'm down a hole that is entirely of my own digging! I have a Compaq Presario F797NR notebook which I bought about three years ago in the US - though I live at present here in Ireland. I had Vista SP2 and Ubuntu with a GRUB bootload, but wanted to recover the Unix disk space. To this end, I downloaded and ran a utility called EasyBCD, and from this point on things have gone hurtling downhill. I don't know quite what I did wrong, but when I try to boot now I get the following on screen:
"Windows Boot Manager
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
1. Insert your Windows installation disk and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
3. Click Repair your computer.
If you do not have this disk, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.
File: \Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc0000098
Info: The Windows Boot Configuration Data file does not contain a valid OS entry."
I understand that pressing F11 at boot should take me into recovery mode, but it merely takes me to the same message. I have a set of two DVDs labled 'System Recovery' and can boot from the first one. However, the only option on offer appears to be a complete reformat of my hard disk, taking me back to factory settings. I'm reluctant to proceed beyond the 'do you want to continue' message, since all I really want to do is to rewrite my boot record.
I'd be grateful is anyone has a less drastic suggestion as to how I might proceed. I should add that my level of computer literacy is, at best, moderate.
"Windows Boot Manager
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
1. Insert your Windows installation disk and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
3. Click Repair your computer.
If you do not have this disk, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.
File: \Boot\BCD
Status: 0xc0000098
Info: The Windows Boot Configuration Data file does not contain a valid OS entry."
I understand that pressing F11 at boot should take me into recovery mode, but it merely takes me to the same message. I have a set of two DVDs labled 'System Recovery' and can boot from the first one. However, the only option on offer appears to be a complete reformat of my hard disk, taking me back to factory settings. I'm reluctant to proceed beyond the 'do you want to continue' message, since all I really want to do is to rewrite my boot record.
I'd be grateful is anyone has a less drastic suggestion as to how I might proceed. I should add that my level of computer literacy is, at best, moderate.