Q: Can't boot mac, grey progress bar loop cycle

All of this would be so much easier if you make sure you can boot from a backup.

Carbon Copy Cloner will even create a Recovery partition on the backup device.

TimeMachine.

Also use WinClone just in case so you can restore Windows after you replace or erase or repair your drive.

Forcing things is often not a good course of action.

You want MacBook Pro forum, not this, which is Mac Pro (tower and nMP)

Does yours support a network install? ie, did it come with Lion originally.

I would try to clone or use DU Restore to make an external drive with a system, or do a clean install to external drive.

Install or Reinstall Mavericks or Mountain Lion from Scratch

the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.

OS X Mavericks- Erase and reinstall OS X

OS X Mountain Lion- Erase and reinstall OS X

OS X Lion- Erase and reinstall Mac OS X

About TimeMachine backups and Recovery Mode

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427

http://www.apple.com/osx/recovery/

OS X Lion and later let you:

• Start from OS X Recovery using your Time Machine backup disk. With OS X v10.7.3 and later, Time Machine backs up the Recovery System on your Mac to your backup drive as well. This lets you use your Time Machine drive to start up your Mac if needed.

OS X Recovery:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4718

OS X Internet Recovery

Mac models introduced after public availability of OS X Lion include the ability to start up directly from an Internet-based version of the OS X Recovery system. OS X automatically uses this feature when the Recovery System on the hard disk isn't available (such as when your hard disk encounters an issue, or when your hard disk has been replaced or erased). OS X Internet Recovery lets you start your Mac directly from Apple's servers. Starting up from this system performs a quick test of your memory and hard drive to check for hardware issues.

OS X Internet Recovery presents a limited interface at first, with only the ability to select your preferred Wi-Fi network and, if needed, entering a passphrase. Next, OS X Internet Recovery downloads and starts from a Recovery System image. From there, you are offered the same utilities and options as a local Recovery System.

...

Requirements for reinstalling OS X using Recovery

Reinstalling OS X using OS X Recovery requires broadband access to the Internet via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection. OS X is downloaded over the Internet from Apple when OS X Recovery is used for reinstallation

If you use Internet Recovery to reinstall OS X, it installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. After installation is finished, use the Mac App Store to install related updates or later versions of OS X that you have previously purchased.

What to do if the installer warns that no Recovery System can be created

Some disk partition configurations may result in the OS X installer reporting that it could not create a Recovery System. In these situations, even if you are permitted to continue the install, you may want to quit the installation and create an external, bootable OS X hard drive with a Recovery System, first. You can continue your OS X upgrade on your computer's startup drive after creating an external Recovery System.

• Your storage device must have at least 13 GB available (after formatting) to install OS X Lion or later and a Recovery partition.
• These steps erase and reformat the storage device. This article instructs you on setting up a storage device to use the GUID partition scheme and the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format, which are required to install OS X and a Recovery partition on your external storage device. You should back up any important files that are on the device to a different drive.
• This procedure installs a version of OS X that is compatible with the Mac it was created with. Using this OS X system with a different Mac model may produce unpredictable results.
• Your computer's serial number is sent to Apple as part of this process to help authenticate your request to download and install OS X Lion.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4718

Installing OS X on an external volume - such as your USB flash drive

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5911

  Erase and reformat the storage device

1. Click the attached storage device where it indicates its size in GB.
2. Click the Partition tab.
3. Select "1 Partition" from the Partition Layout pop-up menu.
4. Click Options. Note: Do not select more than one partition.

Just do what you wrote before, internet recovery. Hold down command + R to reinstall OSX then you'll have to run boot camp assistant to get windows back. When Internet rcovery opens, launch disk utility and format your drive so you only have 1 Mac journaled partition.

Post a screenshot of the disk utility application when you're running off internet recovery    

your hdd has died, why not take this opportunity to put your self a ssd in. you will be amazed at the difference!

techradar.com/news/computing-components/storage/best-mac-ssd-6-solid-state-drive s-reviewed-and-rated-1168844