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I recently p2v'ed my old Computer into a virtual machine. Since it had a dual-boot and I only copied the Windows partition this broke GRUB. I can still boot Windows with Rescatux though. So my question is if I can restore the original Windows Bootloader so I don't have to select "find any operating system" in Rescatux when i boot the VM.

0x539
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  • Also see [Restoring the Windows 7 boot loader (after uninstalling Windows 8)?](http://superuser.com/questions/412777/restoring-the-windows-7-boot-loader-after-uninstalling-windows-8) – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 Jul 03 '15 at 19:16

2 Answers2

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Load a Windows installation disc from ISO on your VM, choose Repair when prompted with the Install Now screen and opt to open a Command Prompt. There you should type:

bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /fixmbr
Cornelius
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The following method completely rebuilds everything, you can use it from your favorite Windows Setup. Just use Shift-F10 to fire up a command prompt without going through unnecessary steps.

bcdboot c:\windows /s c:

This installs a completely pristine Windows Boot Manager to c: and adds Windows to it. You may need to find the right drive letter first, though.

bcdboot may not be in %PATH%. You can find it on your Windows partition, like this:

c:\windows\system32\bcdboot c:\windows /s c:
Daniel B
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  • `bdcboot C:\windows /s C:` give me `Failure when attempting to copy boot files` – 0x539 Jul 03 '15 at 18:30
  • You did make sure C: is the right partition? Did you attempt to run this command after booting from Windows Setup, as described? – Daniel B Jul 03 '15 at 18:35
  • I missed the part about Windows setup. When do I have to press Shift+F10? – 0x539 Jul 03 '15 at 19:40
  • It’s always available as soon as the GUI has finished starting. `bcdboot` can also be run from within Windows, but needs to run with admin rights. Unless you explicitly started `cmd` as admin, it runs with restricted rights. – Daniel B Jul 03 '15 at 21:10