Deleted all partitions

Hi there!

I recently got a netbook (Acer Aspire - AO522-BZ623) and I messed it up.

My netbook came with Windows 7 Starter and I wanted to downgrade to xp. Here is what I did:

1) Made a backup of my Windows 7 C: drive with Acronis True Image
2) Restored my xp installation (from other computer to my netbook) with Acronis
3) When booting with xp I got a BSOD
4) Tried restoring my Windows 7, but I am unable to because it gives me the "bootmngr is missing" error. I think I got this message because I backed up the C drive and I ignored the System reserved drives. The system reserved drive was whipped out.
5) I tried installing Ubuntu 11.04 32 bit and it freezes during installation.
6) I contacted Acer and they will send me some recovery discs.


What can I do to fix my netbook until my recovery disks arrive?
Please tell me if you need more details.
Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

nothing it appears.

You could run a live disc of linux?


In future dont mess around with it. JK I cant see why you would want to use XP? 7 is good.

 

Try making a disc of Ubuntu, running Ubuntu straight from the disc, wiping the entire hard drive, then put in a Windows 7 disc (or whatever OS) and install?

 

I am able to run Ubuntu 11.04 in Live USB, but when I try to install it, the netbook freezes during installation.

I booted ubuntu using a live USB and I deleted all the partitions with G-parted and Disk utility. When I boot Acronis true image, it receovers my windows xp but I get a BSOD. If I recover my Windows 7 C: Drive, I get the "bootmngr is missing" error

I'm stuck!

 

Could you be getting a BSOD because your XP installation doesn't have the hardware drivers for your netbook?

What is the error on the BSOD?

 

One more thing. I just attempted to recover windows 7 with Acronis true image.
I am booting acronis with a USB and when I try to browse to my backup (stored in my iPod video) and it crashes.

 

What the hell does that mean? You made an image from an entirely different PC and expect your NetBook to know what to do with it? Just wait and use the restoration disk. Next time research before you start.

 

See if the manufacture of your hdd has a disk check/repair utility if so run it. I believe your disk is in an unrightable condition.

 

I dont have a restoration CD or USB. My netbook did not come with a recovery media. It came with a hidden partition containing the OS and other OEM junk and I deleted it. Because I made a backup of (C: only) and I cant seem to be able to restore my OS.

No, as I said above my netbook did not come with a recovery media.

 

I used a program called Wintoflash to make a bootable USB using my original Windows xp CD.
As soon as I started xp installation I got a BSOD (attached image)

 

so let me get this right.

The new laptop has no recovery drive and you got another laptop with its own recovery drive and used wintoflash to get a copy of windows to put on new laptop?

If this is right that is your problem! That copy of windows is not for that device. I have also known SATA drives to be a pain in the with windows XP.

 

Ok, now that makes more sense. You were getting a few of us worked up thinking you had actually cloned your desktop XP and were trying to boot from it on your netbook.

Here's what I think your XP problem is. Windows XP does not natively support SATA hard drives. This means that it cannot recognize that you had a hard drive attached and it is therefore "inaccessible". You need to slipstream the SATA drivers for your netbook into your XP installation. If you're running an Intel CPU, you can get them from their site. Normally, this is done using CD-ROM's as the installation media. I do not know how you can modify this for USB installation, but I'm sure an online search will yield some results/tutorials.

 

exactly what I thought he did and exactly what I was going to tell him to do.

 

One thing I dont understand: I am trying to install Ubuntu 11.04 (32 bit and 64 bit) but the netbook freezes during installation. My hard drive has a capacity of 250GB but there is a stubborn partition that does not format no matter what. So I am guessing that could be the problem. I tried erasing my disk with Acronis true image but nothing happened to the weird partition.
GParted and Disk utility in ubuntu, do not recognize the weird 3GB partition. but they display the capacity of my hard drive as ~225 GB.
Is there a way to completely format the HD?
GParted gives me errors such as "cannot modify a primary partition" and such.

Please help.

 

XP doesn't support SATA (ACHI) so you need to intergrate the drivers into the Bootable Image or press F2 in inject the drivers. You can also put the BIOS into Basic and XP should be able see the Hard Drive...

 

Yes, but you need to not be using those fancy partition managers. It can be done from diskpart.exe in Windows System Repair.

Go here: Boot Windows 7 System Repair Disc from USB Using Grub4Dos - Windows 7 Forums
to learn how to get WSR onto a USB flash drive. Run it, then:

Select Command Prompt > type "diskpart.exe" > type "list disk" (and you should only have ONE result that is "disk 0" > type "select disk 0" (just to be sure) > type "clean" and confirm the command.

At least that's how I think it's done. I've used it a few times but it's been a while. It will definitely wipe the partitions from the HDD.

 

OK, its almost working now!

I borrowed my friend's Windows 7 Home Premium disk and I made a bootable USB flash drive. I installed Windows 7 Home premium, however there is a problem.
My netbook came with Windows 7 Starter and I cant seem to find a way to downgrade from premium to starter. My OEM key does not work for premium (obviously).
Ill ask my cousin for a copy of Windows starter and see if I can activate it with my OEM product key. Is this possible?
If not, I guess I have to wait for my recovery disks from Acer, and erase the current installation.

 

Are you not going to follow any of our advices?

Several of us have given you important information for solving the problem, yet you keep coming back having done your own thing, which is spawning more issues.

 

Makes one want to give up helping people out, doesn't it.

 

I think he should just wait until his oem windows disc arrives in the post??

Till then just use a live disc for browsing.