Extremetech has posted a guide on using the boot disk distros of Knoppix to aid in recovering a borked windows install.  Simply download the newest version of Knoppix, burn to a disk, and boot the troublesome PC using it.  The guide covers various ways to rescue yourself from data loss. 
“A bootable CD or DVD with Knoppix can be a lifesaver when your computer goes awry. In this feature, we guide you through the process of fixing Windows with Knoppix, which includes resizing Windows partitions, solving key system file problems, and recovering data.”

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