OS Destroyed after accidently deleting crucial partition. Never seen errors as weird as this... :/

I accidently deleted a crucial system partition and since then I've had massive problems plauging me...

Upon installing Windows again after the install I restarted my computer to get an issue with Grub saying that my partitions cant be found. After solving that problem I then was faced with another... When booting my laptop told me that 'A boot device could not be found, insert a boot device and press any key'... I don't know whether I have 'progressed' as you say from that but now I have ended up with this:

Code:

http://i56.tinypic.com/5mx1tu.jpg

Never in 20 years of computing tweaking/etc. have I ever seen an error like that before. I have obviously no idea what that means. I've tried removing my memory modules in case it's a memory fault. I've tried formatting my hard drive quick, and normal (slow). I've tried changing the partition type, GUID, MBR etc. Nothing works. I am now stuck on that error... I've also of course tried to change Bios settings but my Bios is really locked up, I have about 4 options.

Network Boot, SATA Mode, D2D Recovery, Quiet Boot. That's it. The rest I cant edit. I cant even change the date and time for crying out loud...

I have no idea what to do. I am completely stumped, I've never experienced anything like this. I cant even think on where to start. I just want Windows back.. I've tried a System Restore disc and I've tried using it to run the 'bootsect /nt60 C:' command to rebuild my bootsector to a default Windows one but it hasn't changed anything at all. I don't even know if I have a bootsector anymore.

My drive is a WD7500BPKT it's 'Advanced Format'. Ubuntu (Linux) stated that it was missaligned by 512 bytes but when I popped it in a Caddy and plugged it into my other Windows machine the Western Digital software stated that it is 'Optimally Aligned' and that it's done fine...

Drive S.M.A.R.T status is totally healthy. No error counts no nothing at all.. the drive is a month old.. It's power on hours is only 14.3 days.. It should be totally fine.

Does anyone have any suggestions at all what I should do? I'd really appreciate any help.. I paid a fortune for this laptop and this hard drive. I really want my computer to be back to perfect working order again.

I also posted a thread here: [ubuntu] Accidently deleted Linux parition, now stuck at Grub Rescue... - Ubuntu Forums

With some more information in it but I don't expect you to read that

 

I'm a little concerned about "the bios being locked up". That doesn't sound good.
can you boot a ubuntu cd? If so I would boot it, and get linux running off the live cd. see if you can access/mount the drive and browse directories. if you can get any files you want to keep and move them to a flash drive. then I would run gparted from the linux menu and format the hdd to ntfs being careful not to wipe any hidden dell recovery partitions. If all goes well you can then boot a windows cd and install windows.

 

The next step I would try is wiping the drive entirely, destroying the partition table in the process. That would indicate if the problem is truly in the hard drive or not, as GRUB will be killed quite thoroughly.

Use a standalone tool such as DBAN or the shred command from within linux. A pass of zeros across the whole drive will be more than sufficient. (Really it's excessive, but might as well.)

After finished, create a new partition table from the Windows installer or gparted.

Note this suggestion is a fairly drastic one, but easy, quick, and leaves no room for doubt.

Also note, writing zeros across the whole drive will eliminate all chance of restoring files saved on the drive prior to the process. Only proceed if you don't need any stored data or plan to recover it first.

That aside, a possible cause of some of your woes might be a logical partition still in place... Or rather the designation of where a logical partition can reside. Linux likely created one, but Windows will not successfully boot from any partition created within it. Checking for that in gparted would be prudent.

 

My bios is locked up like a fortress... I only have 4 options I can do.. There isn't much I can do about that. That is just the bios my laptop came with. I've done the flash update and it's the latest version but it still only gives me these options.

I did a full fresh installation with my Acer Backup discs that I made with the backup program straight after I did the 'dd' erase Bootsector command from my Live Linux CD. After the Windows install it came up with this.

I'm now thinking that I'll probably use either Dban yeah to completely zero out the drive in the hopes that it will nullify any sort of corruption or problem it has and at least tell me that the whole drive is still ok. Or I will do the highest level 'dd' command and wipe the bootsector AND the partition table. Then do a reinstall of Windows, it that doesn't work, then do a Zero.

When I put another drive in the machine it boots up like normal.. No problems at all. When I put another one without an OS in it, I just get the generic 'No boot disk found' etc. error. So It's definitely the drive. I'd say that the first few bytes are completely messed up and have a mixture of Windows and Grub on them or at least a mangled Windows one. I'll try the 'dd' command and then I'll try zeroing it.. if that doesn't work WD in Thailand have offered to send me a new one now on the faith that I will send this one back to them so they can nuke it, refurbish it and sell it again. It means I'll be 10 days without my computer which will suck for work and school but it means that I'll get a new HDD without any issues...

Man this has not been my week...

EDIT: Gparted showed 1 partition NTFS and I deleted it and remade it as an NTFS. Though no matter what I do on it, it still leaves 1MiB in front of whatever I format it as... Disk Utility shows the drive as paritioned with an 'Unknown Scheme' and is no longer complaining about it being off alignment.

 

if you have to send back the hard drive, you can just create a bootable linux flash drive with persisitance enabled so that you can at least use the pc for work when the hard drive is away.

 

Ok after doing ONLY a Format MBR with Disk Utility and then a full paritioning with gParted the laptop boots up with just a flashing cursor.. no idea if this is an improvement or not.. but it's not giving me the jibberish message anymore. But it's not giving me the 'No Boot device message' either..

The drive has since made 3 what seems to be 'stalling' or loud clicking sounds in the past 15 minutes.. so now I am conflicted as to whether it should be sent back or whether I should keep it and try another install... as it may work now... I don't want it to blow up on me in 6 months when I should have sent it back now..

 

Here's my S.M.A.R.T. data. I haven't reinstalled Windows yet. Still getting the blinking cursor, nothing else.

The drive has made 2 more loud clicks now... for a total of at least 5.

Code:

http://i54.tinypic.com/2q02frm.png
http://i53.tinypic.com/23sgoq1.png
http://i55.tinypic.com/2koqdl.png

I think I'll send it back... it's a free new Drive. I only have to wait probably 7 full working days.. so 1 and a bit weeks.
I've emailed WD and told them I want to send the drive back, they stated they'd send me a new one as long as I sent the defect one back so they could fix it. It's 10 or so days to wait... or 12 or so. When I bought it in the first place I got it in less than half the time I expected.

The opportunity of a new drive with no fuss is hard to turn up. The lack of computer will probably be good for my health anyway. I'll use a persistent Linux USB to run my computer for now.

Thanks a ton for all the help.. I guess in the end if it's just easier and there's no fuss to send the drive back and get a replacement then that's the best way to go...

 

You tried clearing the CMOS?

 

Sent the HDD back for a full replacement. Hopefully it will be back soon.