C: has changed to X: in Windows 7; how to recover?

I have a Dell Inspiron 1750 laptop, which was running 64-bit Windows flawlessly -- until I replaced the 2 GB RAM with 8 GB.

The new RAM is 100% OK (according to the 2.5-hour test which auto-ran after installation) but Windows now boots into a black inanimate screen and ignores all inputs.

This turns out to be because the Windows /BOOT folder now resides on an imaginary X: drive, and so far I have found no way to cure this.

I can get into a regular or Safe Mode Command Prompt window, and from there run TweakingWindowsRepair (which reports 8 GB RAM).  That didn't fix the problem, but did enable me to reboot Windows in Safe Mode. That seems to work just fine, and everything is in the right folders on the right drives, AFAIK. (There is no X: drive, of course.)

But how do I restore "regular" Windows operation?

I can change the drive table with regedit (which lists all of the C:, D:, X: drives), but the changes don't survive a reboot (in either Safe or regular modes) -- presumably because I don't have the necessary permissions.

I have a full system backup (2 GB RAM) made with AOMEI, but I can't restore it from either Command Prompt or in Safe Mode Windows, because AOMEI refuses to run there.

I can install old System Restore Points, but only in Safe Mode Windows -- they don't restore operation in regular mode.

And lastly, I  have the Win 7 installation CD, but no way to use it -- F2, F8, F12 offer various actions (inc. opening the Command Prompt windows) but don't offer to boot from a CD  -- bios access has disappeared....

The only solution I can see is to open the laptop case to get physical access to the hard drive, remove it and wipe it  or maybe just replace it with a new drive, then reinstall Windows off the CD, then restore the AOMEI backup.  Ugh...

Does anyone have a better solution?  Thanks....

Hi,

Just because the RAM passed a test does not mean that it's functioning properly in your system — in fact, it's rather clear that it's not! I counsel you to remove the new RAM as a crucial troubleshooting step and replace it with the old RAM (so long as it isn't faulty). This may be (a) a nasty compatibility problem with your motherboard ( a defect in the new RAM sticks (even if it passed a test, as software tests can never be 100% accurate), or © an incorrect installation.

It's normal to have an X: partition on your computer, as the Windows Recovery Environment tools image (%SystemRoot%\System32\Recovery\winRE.wim) is located there to support automatic failover and to support booting Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption-encrypted partitions (provided WinRE is installed), but I'm unsure why X: is appearing in Safe Mode.

Since you have access to a Command Prompt, please enter the following commands anyway:

bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Restart your computer and see whether if it allows you to boot into Windows.

Let me know the results.

Kind regards,

bwv848

Hi,

Thanks very much for your quick response. No, the X: drive doesn't appear in Safe Mode; sorry if I caused a misunderstanding.

I typed in the three instructions that you listed (in regular mode, not Safe Mode).. The computer responded OK to the first two, but in response to #3 said that zero Windows installations were detected.  And then when I restarted the machine, of course it gave me the same black-screen-of-death as before.

So I turned it off and put the original 2 GB of RAM back in. The machine recognized that the RAM size had changed, and then did a System Restore (without instruction from me) and now everything seems to be working again.   :-)

I should add that actually the black-screen-of-death wasn't completely black... There were four places on the screen where a series of what looked like hyphens stacked one above the other, appeared dimly. I attributed that to some endless loop in the software, just a manifestation of the apparent failure inside Windows; because that didn't appear while the Command Prompt window was open.   But it could well have been the result of an incompatibility with the motherboard, as you suggest. Thank you for pointing out that the memory might not work even after the 2.5 hours of passing all the tests -- that possibility had not occurred to me!

The vendor advertised the parts as being compatible with the 1750. I'll send them back and ask for a refund.

Thanks again for all your help; I really appreciate it!

Photofiend

You're most welcome! Glad to hear that we managed to get the issue resolved! I agree with you — contacting the vendor for a replacement or refund is the best.

Best regards,
bwv848

Edited by bwv848, 08 August 2017 - 05:11 PM.