inaccessible boot device

[Guest]

downloaded and installed several windows updates. after system restart w2k
would only start in safe mode. tried a repair installation, now it only gets
to blue screen with inaccessible boot device error. tried fixing the mbr
through recovery console with no success. do not have erd. pls suggest
either possible solutions or way to copy important files (can't get to all
directories when in recovery console and can only see the c:\ drive in the
recovery console - catch 22)

any help will be appreciated

Trevor Ryhorchuk

 

[Dave Patrick]

You can boot the recovery console and from a command prompt issue the
command;
fixboot
to replace the bootsector. To start the Recovery Console, start the computer
from the Windows 2000 Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If
you do not have Setup floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the
Windows 2000 Setup CD, use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the
Setup floppy disks. Press ENTER at the "Setup Notification" screen. Press R
to repair a Windows 2000 installation, and then press C to use the Recovery
Console. The Recovery Console then prompts you for the administrator
password. If you do not have the correct password, Recovery Console does
not allow access to the computer. If an incorrect password is entered three
times, the Recovery Console quits and restarts the computer. Once the
password has been validated, you have full access to the Recovery Console,
but limited access
to the hard disk. You can only access the following folders on your
computer: %systemroot% and %windir%

Recover your data from a parallel install of the OS. Start a new install in
\winnt2

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| downloaded and installed several windows updates. after system restart
w2k
| would only start in safe mode. tried a repair installation, now it only
gets
| to blue screen with inaccessible boot device error. tried fixing the mbr
| through recovery console with no success. do not have erd. pls suggest
| either possible solutions or way to copy important files (can't get to all
| directories when in recovery console and can only see the c:\ drive in the
| recovery console - catch 22)
|
| any help will be appreciated
|
| Trevor Ryhorchuk

 

[Guest]

I was able to execute the fixboot command - this made no difference so i was
unable to do a parellel installation. However, I had a old harddrive which I
attached as the primary, changed the problem drive to secondary and was able
to do an installation on the new(old) drive. I can now access all files from
the original harddrive which is the important thing - but it is bothering me
that i was not able to correct the problem directly. i ran harddrive
diagnostics from maxtor on the drive and the drive passed all tests - so i'm
thinking maybe there was a boot sector virus - except i've run norton
antivirus on the problem disk now that i have a working os on the new(old)
disk i installed.

now that the problem disk is just a bunch of files how could i go about
trying to identify the problem, fix it and make the problem disk the primary
again (that way i don't have to reinstall all the little programs i've got
going on) - note that this occured after a series of the windows updates were
installed one right after the other.

thanks for helping

TDR

You can boot the recovery console and from a command prompt issue the
command;
fixboot
to replace the bootsector. To start the Recovery Console, start the computer
from the Windows 2000 Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks. If
you do not have Setup floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the
Windows 2000 Setup CD, use another Windows 2000-based computer to create the
Setup floppy disks. Press ENTER at the "Setup Notification" screen. Press R
to repair a Windows 2000 installation, and then press C to use the Recovery
Console. The Recovery Console then prompts you for the administrator
password. If you do not have the correct password, Recovery Console does
not allow access to the computer. If an incorrect password is entered three
times, the Recovery Console quits and restarts the computer. Once the
password has been validated, you have full access to the Recovery Console,
but limited access
to the hard disk. You can only access the following folders on your
computer: %systemroot% and %windir%

Recover your data from a parallel install of the OS. Start a new install in
\winnt2

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| downloaded and installed several windows updates. after system restart
w2k
| would only start in safe mode. tried a repair installation, now it only
gets
| to blue screen with inaccessible boot device error. tried fixing the mbr
| through recovery console with no success. do not have erd. pls suggest
| either possible solutions or way to copy important files (can't get to all
| directories when in recovery console and can only see the c:\ drive in the
| recovery console - catch 22)
|
| any help will be appreciated
|
| Trevor Ryhorchuk

 

[Dave Patrick]

I really don't have any idea since I don't know the details of what
happened.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
|I was able to execute the fixboot command - this made no difference so i
was
| unable to do a parellel installation. However, I had a old harddrive
which I
| attached as the primary, changed the problem drive to secondary and was
able
| to do an installation on the new(old) drive. I can now access all files
from
| the original harddrive which is the important thing - but it is bothering
me
| that i was not able to correct the problem directly. i ran harddrive
| diagnostics from maxtor on the drive and the drive passed all tests - so
i'm
| thinking maybe there was a boot sector virus - except i've run norton
| antivirus on the problem disk now that i have a working os on the new(old)
| disk i installed.
|
| now that the problem disk is just a bunch of files how could i go about
| trying to identify the problem, fix it and make the problem disk the
primary
| again (that way i don't have to reinstall all the little programs i've got
| going on) - note that this occured after a series of the windows updates
were
| installed one right after the other.
|
| thanks for helping
|
| TDR

 

[Guest]

unfortunately i cannot tell you anything more than what i have told you - the
problem computer is a relatives and all i've told you is all they can tell
me.

oh well - thanks for your time Dave, I appreciate the help you were able to
give.

TDR

 

[Dave Patrick]

It would have been much better to diagnose the issue before the repair
install. While it still started 'safe mode' Seems this was one issue and the
repair attempts or repair install somehow caused a separate and possibly
unrelated issue, hence the trail is now difficult or impossible to follow at
this point.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| unfortunately i cannot tell you anything more than what i have told you -
the
| problem computer is a relatives and all i've told you is all they can tell
| me.
|
| oh well - thanks for your time Dave, I appreciate the help you were able
to
| give.
|
| TDR