windows 7 ult won't reinstall from it's own disc

I decided, for lots of reasons to reinstall windows 7 ultimate - after a couple weeks of computer problems. Today, I made a fresh boot disc using the windows utility to do so and went ahead and uninstalled some software to add it fresh after the reinstall.
Avast decided I needed a reboot to finish the uninstall. Since that reboot, all my computer will do is the start up repair disc process. I've been in the bios to set to boot from CD first.. tried the boot disc and it booted to C: anyway. I went back and did the boot from CD thing in the bios again and used the windows 7 factory disc and I'm still getting the start up repair function.. it's not recognizing start up or set up files.
I can however get to a command prompt.. with limited functions. I thought maybe I'd go ahead and format the HD.. format won't work.
I'm just stunned that I can't do a cold reinstall
any ideas folks?

thanks in advance

 

Are you trying to do a clean install from an install DVD and NOT the recovery disk you created in Win 7? The recovery CD will only repair Win 7 and not a complete new install.

I'd recommend wiping the drive with MiniTool (ALL partitions).and doing a fresh install from an install DVD.

 

yes, I am trying to do a clean install from my windows 7 oem factory disc.
I've gone in the bios a bunch of times now to tell it to boot from the CD, however, the system is going to that *startup recovery* operation every time and I don't know how to make it stop that behavior.

 

That CD you created using the utility is a factory reset CD and not an install DVD. If your computer is still under warranty, contact the manufacturer and get an install DVD. If it's not still under warranty, you may need to download an ISO, burn it to DVD and use your Product Key from the sticker on your computer to activate Windows.

 

I know what I burned is only a boot disc.

I have the OEM windows 7 ult factory disc I'm trying to use to reinstall

my other half built the computer in 2010.

The problem seems to be that, although the bios are set to boot from CD, the system points to the startup recovery process instead.

I am able to get to a command prompt, and run task manager if that helps at all.

 

Can you change the boot type from UEFI to Legacy? I had a Dell that I had to do that with to get it to boot from CD.

 

hmmmm.. good point and ya know, I'm not sure and without system information available - I'm going to have to open it up and find out.
It is the drive that I originally installed the OS from - with that disc

 

ok.. here's where I am now.
Since I couldn't get the computer to boot from CD/DVD and it kept defaulting to the hard drive, I went ahead and swaped out the hard drive for a brand new blank hard drive and booted up with the windows 7 ult disc in a drive drawer. fail
My computer is not seeing media in those drawers.. not the windows 7 dvd, and not a knopix cd - either dvd rw drawer.. I have two.
I can't imagine that two DVD drives would crap out at the same time so.. just speculation here, the motherboard has an issue? Something wiring went bad?
am I at the take it to the back yard and bury it stage now?

 

You didn't respond to mdonah - does this computer have a UEFI BIOS? If so it will only boot from the hard disk until you go into BIOS and change it from Secure Boot to Legacy.

 

my apologies - didn't see that response. I'm on a computer that has not been modified for my particular bad vision issues.
I am unfamiliar with what UEFI is, so I just went back into the bios and looked at every setting option available and legacy was not an option under any category.. no secure boot option either so I'd have to say.. I don't think so.

 

What does device manager say about your drives?

 

What is your motherboard make/model?

 

A couple of days ago, when I could get to the device manager, I would have been able to answer that. Right now I can only get to the bios and the info I get there is:
bios ver 2014
build date 1215/2010
Intel core i7 cpu 860 2.86GHz, 2800 MHz
IMC type Lynnfred PCI mm10 allocation 4 gig to 3584 mb
SM - optaric D
WCD WD5001AALS-004

what I can recall about the mother board is it's an Asus socket 775 chipset.. I think.
it's circa 2009 or 2010 though

 

My turn to apologise, must have been somewhere else when I posted that :-o

 

NP Earthling.. btdt

sooo.. the machine I'm here with.. a linux / fedora machine, I have my external hard drive dock plugged to via usb with the hard drive that's been in use for 4 or so years and guess what.. it's intact. at least I think it is.. I see my original back up (from the first time I backed up my drive in 2011) and the one from the other day and my program files etc.

The HD works on a different computer, the discs (os and boot) work on other computers - I'm just about to prepare a RIP card for this one

oh correction on Motherboard info..

asustek maximus III
since I was able to get to my files, I had my belarc advisor report to get that info.