FDISK /MBR with Windows XP Professional

[Jim Parker]

I installed Linux on a second hard drive and it replaced
the boot record with GRUB which allows me to boot either
Windows or Linux. However, GRUB requires a file that is on
that second hard drive and now I want to remove it but I
can't because then GRUB fails and I can't boot to Windows
on the first hard drive.

Can I use an MSDOS boot disk and run FDISK /MBR to restore
the master boot record and be able to boot directly to
Windows XP Professional?

If not, how else would I do it?

Thanks
Jim

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Jim,

You should be able to do that, but be prepared to load the Recovery Console
by booting the WinXP CD and run fixboot from the command prompt.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Jim Parker]

Hi Nutcase,
Thanks. It did get rid of GRUB and I can boot directly to
Windows. Now onto my real problem, which will be the
subject of a different post.

Jim

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Jim,

No problem, glad to help.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Alex Nichol]

Can I use an MSDOS boot disk and run FDISK /MBR to restore
the master boot record and be able to boot directly to
Windows XP Professional?

If not, how else would I do it?

Yes - I'd use a Win98 or ME startup floppy. Also check, with an FDISK,
that this leaves the XP partition as the active one - the Linux
installation may have made its partition with GRUB active.

You can also do it with a boot of the XP CD to Repair - the FixMbr
command is easy; checking and setting active needs
diskpart
and then the subcomands
list partitions
to find the number of the one with XP on it - n say
select partition n
active
exit