XP MBR crushed

Hiperi0n · 2008-10-23 15:47:53

Well, if the NTLDR is still there I think I'd not have this problem...

R00KIE · 2008-10-26 11:35:37

Oh I thought of something.
Usually I fix it with the windows cd because I never got it right by hand.
There is a file called boot.ini, it's located in the root, in this file it also says where windows is located, if for some reason you add or remove partitions before the windows partition you need to update/rebuild the information on this file, otherwise you keep getting the "NT Loader missing" message even if everything is ok.

aegnor · 2008-11-22 15:45:37

Was this issue ever solved Hiperi0n?

I've just made exactly the same mistake. I don't have an optical drive or recovery disc on my thinkpad x60 either.

I found this on the internet but it looks like it requires windows recovery disk and cd drive.
http://josephhall.org/grub_install_hda1.html

Maybe there should be more clarification in the beginners manual.

Last edited by aegnor (2008-11-22 15:49:07)

Ferrenrock · 2008-11-22 16:01:50

Not sure if this helps, but I have a quadruple boot system and what I've learned about windows is that if the bootloader messes up, not only do you have to install the NTLDR or whatever to the appropriate partition, but you must also overwrite GRUB and write it to the entire MBR. Then, you reinstall GRUB over that. I don't think you can just reinstall the bootloader, you need to rewrite the entire MBR, and then put GRUB over it afterwards.

aegnor · 2008-11-22 16:05:33

I've just had a thought. Can you use supergrub to install the NTLDR bootloader on the windows partition?

SiC · 2008-11-22 18:02:21

If you have overwritten the bootloader entirely (MBR and NTLDR) then you need to run FIXMBR to recover the MBR and then FIXBOOT to restore the NTLDR, both from the recovery console as it sounds as though you have trashed the bootloader and the MBR on that partition, I'm really not certain of a way around this, I've never had to think about it and a quick google came up with nothing.

Ranguvar · 2008-11-22 21:35:06

To fix the MBR for Windows, boot from the CD and do recovery as said, but do both 'fixboot' and 'fixmbr'.

iphitus · 2008-11-22 22:02:22

Ranguvar wrote:

To fix the MBR for Windows, boot from the CD and do recovery as said, but do both 'fixboot' and 'fixmbr'.

ok... it appears nobody is actually reading this thread. He doesn't have a CD drive, so to do that is somewhat difficult.

In short, what's happened is that the windows bootloader on sda1 has been overwritten by grub. So on boot, he picks windows, which chainloads the sda1 bootloader which happens to be grub which was accidentally installed, instead of the windows bootloader. Hence apparently restoring to the grub menu with no error.

Back in the days when I used Mandrake, you could boot the CD, go to the recovery console and then select "restore windows bootloader". That _may_ work though I suspect it depended on a backup of the bootloader on your system.

A google also finds this tool that can be booted off a floppy or USB device.
http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/ … kPage.html
It appears it has an option to do the equivalent of 'fixboot'. Use your browser's find function (Ctrl+f) and find "fixboot" for the documentation - it's about halfway down the page. Good luck!

moljac024 · 2008-11-22 22:36:32

iphitus wrote:

Ranguvar wrote:
To fix the MBR for Windows, boot from the CD and do recovery as said, but do both 'fixboot' and 'fixmbr'.
ok... it appears nobody is actually reading this thread. He doesn't have a CD drive, so to do that is somewhat difficult.
... Back in the days when I used Mandrake, you could boot the CD ...

lol

aegnor · 2008-12-09 04:26:00

The good news is I fixed my lappy and it's working perfectly.
The bad news is I used the Windows recovery CD.

I bought a SATA/IDE to USB cable (a steal at £10) and connected an internal CD player to my computer via USB. Hours latter I found out I had to change the SATA configuration in the BIOS to "Compatible" because my laptop is a Thinkpad and then I could get into the Windows Recovery console. I was amazed when just typing in "fixboot c:" fixed the entire problem and didn't even alter the Grub MBR. I can't beleive a Microsoft solution actually solved the problem.

Not sure if that helps really but I did come across a way of making a Windows Recovery Disk on a USB
http://steveballantyne.blogspot.com/200 … aster.html
http://www.eeeguides.com/2007/11/instal … thumb.html
and it sounds like it would work.

SuperGrub way of fixing the Windows bootloader doesn't work 100% of the time. Another way of doing it might be trying Ultimate Windows Boot CD. I think you can make that into a USB too.

A happy ending for me. I'm backing up all my data now.

Arch Linux

#26 2008-10-23 15:47:53

Re: XP MBR crushed

#27 2008-10-26 11:35:37

Re: XP MBR crushed

#28 2008-11-22 15:45:37

Re: XP MBR crushed

#29 2008-11-22 16:01:50

Re: XP MBR crushed

#30 2008-11-22 16:05:33

Re: XP MBR crushed

#31 2008-11-22 18:02:21

Re: XP MBR crushed

#32 2008-11-22 21:35:06

Re: XP MBR crushed

#33 2008-11-22 22:02:22

Re: XP MBR crushed

#34 2008-11-22 22:36:32

Re: XP MBR crushed

#35 2008-12-09 04:26:00

Re: XP MBR crushed

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