E
Emerald Saint
I have 4 partitions on my HD, all are type NTFS, and no space in between
them.
The first record in the partition table points to the first partition,
second record points to the second partition, etc.
1st line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(1)\windows="PARTITION #1"
2nd line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(2)\windows="PARTITION #2"
3rd line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(3)\windows="PARTITION #3"
4th line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(4)\windows="PARTITION #4"
My WinXP system is in partition #1. I use Norton Ghost to write a back up
copy of partition #1 into partition #2. Partitions #3 and #4 are usually
non-bootable data areas. Immediately before I do the back up of partition
#1 I delete the drive letter entries in the "Mounted Devices" registry key
so that XP can't remember which partition corresponds to C drive. Also, I
always keep these two partitions hidden from each other. (I use Ranish
Partition Manager to do any manipulations I need in the partition table.)
If partition #1 gets broken I can copy #2 back into #1 - or I can boot #2 in
place by selecting it with the boot menu. I have done it many times - it
works great. Also I can tell #1 from #2 right away because they are
different size.
I was doing some tinkering with physical sector zero (some call it the MBR)
and I apparently goofed something up. I could still boot partition #1 but
when I changed #1 to 'hidden' type or if I zeroed out the #1 slot in the
partition table I got the message MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM when I tried to
boot #2. Boot.ini menu never displayed.
MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM is a
message that gets displayed by the code in the IPL. You can see it in there
if you look with a disk editor. I think it means the IPL program doesn't
find a partition table record with the boot flag set (i.e. no 'active'
partition). But I looked at the partition table with a disk editor and with
the Ranish program and partition #2 is not hidden type and it has it's boot
flag set. There is no problem in the partition table. And when I hide #2
and unhide #1 again - #1 still boots up OK.
them.
The first record in the partition table points to the first partition,
second record points to the second partition, etc.
1st line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(1)\windows="PARTITION #1"
2nd line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(2)\windows="PARTITION #2"
3rd line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(3)\windows="PARTITION #3"
4th line in Boot.ini has: disk(0)partition(4)\windows="PARTITION #4"
My WinXP system is in partition #1. I use Norton Ghost to write a back up
copy of partition #1 into partition #2. Partitions #3 and #4 are usually
non-bootable data areas. Immediately before I do the back up of partition
#1 I delete the drive letter entries in the "Mounted Devices" registry key
so that XP can't remember which partition corresponds to C drive. Also, I
always keep these two partitions hidden from each other. (I use Ranish
Partition Manager to do any manipulations I need in the partition table.)
If partition #1 gets broken I can copy #2 back into #1 - or I can boot #2 in
place by selecting it with the boot menu. I have done it many times - it
works great. Also I can tell #1 from #2 right away because they are
different size.
I was doing some tinkering with physical sector zero (some call it the MBR)
and I apparently goofed something up. I could still boot partition #1 but
when I changed #1 to 'hidden' type or if I zeroed out the #1 slot in the
partition table I got the message MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM when I tried to
boot #2. Boot.ini menu never displayed.
MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM is a
message that gets displayed by the code in the IPL. You can see it in there
if you look with a disk editor. I think it means the IPL program doesn't
find a partition table record with the boot flag set (i.e. no 'active'
partition). But I looked at the partition table with a disk editor and with
the Ranish program and partition #2 is not hidden type and it has it's boot
flag set. There is no problem in the partition table. And when I hide #2
and unhide #1 again - #1 still boots up OK.