MS DOS Startup Disks

[Guest]

I'm trying to boot into DOS so I can use fdisk to change my MBR but when I
try to use the MS DOS Startup Disk, which I created in XP, I'm unable to
access my hard drive. It says C: is an invalid drive specification, even
though it's the correct one.

Can someone tell me where I may be going wrong? Or is this a sign of a
bigger problem?

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Follow the instructions here to fix your mbr..

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prkd_tro_ldau.asp

... and yes, you could have bigger problems, but more info is needed on error
message content, and anything out of the ordinary that preceded them..

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I'm trying to boot into DOS so I can use fdisk to change my MBR but when I
try to use the MS DOS Startup Disk, which I created in XP, I'm unable to
access my hard drive. It says C: is an invalid drive specification, even
though it's the correct one.

Can someone tell me where I may be going wrong?

You're trying to use an MS-DOS disk to access a hard drive that ir
cannot read. If you have WinXP, then your hard drive is formatted in
one of two file systems: FAT32 or NTFS. Neither file system can be read
by the MS-DOS 5 boot diskette that you've created. Further, FDISK
certainly wouldn't work on an NTFS partition, nor is it put on the
diskette by WinXP.

Or is this a sign of a
bigger problem?

No, it's perfectly normal.

Post back, telling exactly what you're trying to accomplish, and
someone will be able to give you an up-to-date method.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Richard Urban]

Even though you can not read the hard drive, you can still run fdisk /mbr
from a Windows 98 Startup floppy and repair the MBR of the primary drive.

The MBR is indifferent to the file system on the drive. It also worked for a
drive formatted in HPFS by OS/2.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

I have Mandrake Linux installed on a different partition (not sure about the
boot loader but I don't think it's Lilo which is the one MS provides
instructions for removing). I'm trying to remove it and the only way I've
been able to find for removing the boot loader which was installed with
Mandrake is fdisk /mbr.

My Windows partition is NTFS.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Even though you can not read the hard drive, you can still run fdisk /mbr
from a Windows 98 Startup floppy and repair the MBR of the primary drive.

True, but the OP wasn't using a Win9x diskette; he was using the one
created by WinXP.





--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Richard Urban]

Right Bruce. I missed that. Thanks.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Jerry]

When you boot from a DOS disk you are cannot see an NTFS partition - DOS
knows for nothing about NTFS.

 

[Ian Finlayson]

What can I do to get remove Mandrake and the Boot Loader that came with
it then?

 

[Michael Stevens]

In

I have Mandrake Linux installed on a different partition (not sure
about the boot loader but I don't think it's Lilo which is the one MS
provides instructions for removing). I'm trying to remove it and the
only way I've been able to find for removing the boot loader which
was installed with Mandrake is fdisk /mbr.

My Windows partition is NTFS.

Get a boot disk here to do the job.
http://www.bootdisk.com
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Ian Finlayson]

Thanks for the link. Could you possibly point me in the direction of the
correct boot disk so I can get to a DOS prompt that'll let me run fdisk
/mbr. I'm presuming it's the XP Quick Boot Diskette listed on this page
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm but I'm not 100%.

 

[Richard Urban]

As I said earlier, a Windows 98 Startup Floppy will allow you to do this.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Enkidu]

Thanks for the link. Could you possibly point me in the direction of the
correct boot disk so I can get to a DOS prompt that'll let me run fdisk
/mbr. I'm presuming it's the XP Quick Boot Diskette listed on this page
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm but I'm not 100%.

I may have missed something earlier, but you should be able to boot the
WinXP CD into recovery mode and use (from memory) fixmbr to do what
fdisk /mbr used to do.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Right Bruce. I missed that. Thanks.

Da nada.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Ian Finlayson]

As I said earlier, a Windows 98 Startup Floppy will allow you to do this.

Thanks for the help, managed to get to a prompt and fdisk /mbr went
without a hitch.

 

[Ian Finlayson]

I may have missed something earlier, but you should be able to boot the
WinXP CD into recovery mode and use (from memory) fixmbr to do what
fdisk /mbr used to do.

Cheers,

Cliff

In their infinite wisdom the manufacturer didn't supply an XP CD with
the machine...

Problem solved anyway, thanks.

 

[Richard Urban]

You're welcome! Glad to have helped out.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!