Data saved on a hard drive, with Windows 7 installed as operating system – in most cases – becomes inaccessible after the user encounters any startup error. While the reasons for Windows 7 startup errors could be many, three of the most common are corruption in Master Boot Record (MBR), boot sector, and Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store. In most cases, a Windows user uses 'Startup Repair' option to surmount the error message and make the hard drive data accessible. However, there are many situations wherein the above option fails to resolve the error and your system remains unbootable. For such situations, the user can either restore data from an updated backup or use Bootrec.exe tool. But in case, both the above measures fail, the user can recover his/her data using advanced Data Recovery application.

Consider a practical case to illustrate the above problem. You attempt to boot Windows 7 operating system and encounter an error message stating that the boot.ini file is corrupt. To surmount the above error, select 'System Recovery Options' dialog box and select 'Startup Repair' option. However, when the repair is complete using the 'Startup Repair' option, you encounter the same error message during the boot process. In such cases, you need to run bootrec.exe tool to start Windows 7 operating system and access data. To use this utility, you will need to:

Insert Windows 7 installation CD and re-start your system. Press any key when you are prompted to. Choose required time, input method, language, and currency. Click 'Next'. Choose 'Repair' option to repair your system. Select Windows 7 operating system, and click 'Next'. Click 'Command Prompt' in the 'System Recovery Options' dialog box. Type 'Bootrec.exe' on the command prompt and the press Enter.

The system becomes bootable after you follow the above steps. However, if it does not, then you will need to re-install Windows 7 operating system. To access the data deleted after re-installation, you can opt for any third-party Data Recovery Software. Such Data Recovery tools scan a formatted hard drive using high-end scanning to recover all lost files and folders.

Windows Data Recovery performs a comprehensive scan on a formatted hard drive and recovers all formatted data in three simple steps. The Data Recovery Software allows you to save the recovered data at required location. Compatible with FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS5 file systems, the tool supports Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003, and 2000.