I have an existing installation of Windows 7 Ultimate. It boots cleanly and works without errors. I'm doing a clean install of Windows 8.1 from DVD or flash drive (I've got both, both created from the downloaded ISO) to make it dual boot. I get the error message "cannot install Windows 8.1, Windows\system32\boot\winload.exe is missing or corrupt." Both install media give the same result.
I don't understand where the winload file is supposed to be. It does not appear on the install media, and it can't have corrupted the DVD, and surely it's not using the Win7 partition, so what should I fix?
I see bunch of similar questions in various fora, but none of the answers seem to apply; to me, this smells like an unresolved issue with the Installer.
I'm dead in the water. Please help.