How can I boot into Windows from GRUB rescue without a CD drive?

Question

This is my situation:

I Installed Ubuntu without a CD (using A USB)
Dual boot installation (Windows 7+Ubuntu)
I did not like the installation and decided to boot into Windows and delete the Linux partitions, but I forgot to fix the mbr from within Windows.

Now, when I boot, I am stuck in the GRUB rescue limbo.

How can I boot into Windows from GRUB rescue?

I cannot boot from CD because I don't have a CD drive, therefore the usual solutions (recovery CD etc) do not work.

Any hints? Is there a way I can maybe do this through a USB?

Solution

Solution 1: Go to the edit mode and

root (hd2,0) 
chainloader (hd2,0)+1

Change to the appropriate HDD

Solution 2: Boot into linux and

sudo grub-install

This should scan and set an entry for each detected OS. Neither will work if you have deleted ntldr

Comments

[nikhil]

Use a windows bootable usb and choose fix the boot sector with that. That should help you get back into windows. You won't be able to boot from grub rescue because you deleted the grub installation and all the modules etc that would be needed.

[user103968]

Okay great, So i can download a copy of windows recovery and put it on the USB, and then procede with the normal process right?

[nikhil]

You don't need to download anything, you need to have the windows bootable disk. Flash that on the usb, boot from it and you're done.

[user103968]

Is there any way to do it without re-installing ubuntu?

[nanofarad]

@user103968 There is no need to reinstall Ubuntu. You are doing this from the Ubuntu USB stick.

[O. R. Mapper]

Not sure how to get into "edit mode" when the grub rescue prompt is already shown. The e key, as advised in various places, doesn't have any effect/registers as an unknown command.

[Lord Loh.]

If you see a grub> prompt, you are in edit mode. e registers as a command to enter edit mode when you see a menu.