O ok,I also use Windows 7 x64. Windows Vista in quite problematic when it comes to flashing and such due to driver incompatabillity. But what you should do to flash on Windows is to install the flasher.
The image must be in the flasher install folder otherwise it doesent work. the default install path is C:\program files/nokia/flasher,paste the Image in that folder.
Then go to your start menu to the flasher,right-click and say run as administrator,if the command prompt doesn't start to the flasher path,cd to the flasher folder.
run dir to make sure you see the image.bin file. The flasher doesn't see the image if you are not cd to the flasher folder.
Run flasher -c -F ImageName.bin -f -R and then connect your device.
Hope this works.
Well in the beginning I thought so to,I had the N900 before my N9 and the N900 is super,the firmware is much more bendable than the N9 but its slowly getting better,I can alreade run Easy-Debian,Dosbox and all that and always testing new software so I'm flashing my phone almost every week LOL

I just managed to open the image you added and what you can also try is the above but with this command: flasher -F ImageName.bin --flash-only=rootfs -f -R

My product code is 059L5H1 - its a switzerland 16GB Cyan model. can i use also other firmware versions ? unfortunatily i cannot still charge my N9 fully. it only starts when it is connected on usb cable. pls help .. :/

and then it shows the following message : device not working properly.

Hello, i also have a swiss 16Gb n9 and i updated it from PR1.2 swiss (ARM 232) variant firmware to PR1.3 central europe firmware (001).

So you can use other firmware yes. But be aware that, it will not flash a firmware version below the one you already have on the phone. (this means that if you already have the PR1.3 swiss variant, you cannot change anymore and have to use the same)

And i would advice to not install the chinese one or russian or something with special alphabet or software restriction (asian version is missing some software and services coz of internet freedom).

But, i checked the picture of your phone and would say that you should return it to NOKIA for repair, because it seems it has taken a serious chock.

EDIT: A link for a great N9 flashing guide: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=82693