Partition1 <Inactive < OS/2 Boot Manager HELP

[Barry Young]

I am looking at my partition and for some WEIRD reason it is saying
Partition1 <Inactive <OS/2 Boot Man

How do I correct this so I can recover data off of this drive?

Thanks!

Barry

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Was it active before? Can you please describe exactly the circumstances
surrounding this problem? Where are you looking at it from?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Barry Young]

Thanks Rick,

The drive in question used to be a XP OS booting drive. I wanted to just
copy some files off of the drive. So I set it up as a slave to the master
that I want to copy the files on the problem drive to.

When I booted up the new master, it detected the slave drive, but didn't
assign it a drive letter like D: or E:, I could see the drive in the disk
management utility, but it was listed as unknown or unpartitioned.

I then set it up as master to boot off it. I received an Invalid Media
error. So I booted from the Windows XP CD and hit R to repair. I am able
to see all directory listings and the files seem to be in tact. I tried
FIXBOOT and it didn't work.

How do I repair the drive or fix the boot record? I really just want to
recover the files. Don't care if the drive never boots as a master again.

Please advise!

Barry

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Put it back as a slave drive, then add it to the mbr for the current system.
These tools can help you with that:

testdisk www.cgsecurity.org
mbrwork www.terabyteunlimited.com

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Richard Urban]

The drive has lost it's partition structure.

This happens occasionally. To my knowledge no one has ever figured out "why"
it happens!

The fix is not for the faint of heart and there is one thing that you
absolutely need to know before you begin. What TYPE of FILE SYSTEM was being
used on the hard drive? If you are 100% certain that you know there is (may
be) a way to recover.

There is a little DOS program included with Partition Magic 8.01. It is
called ptedit. This program can only be used from within "pure DOS". When
you use Partition Magic 8.01 to create the 2 disk floppy set (the DOS
version of Partition Magic) this little program is placed in the set.

You have to boot the computer from disk 1 of the floppy set. Then insert
disk 2 when asked to. After you are in Partition Magic, EXIT from the
program. You will be back at the A: prompt. Re-insert floppy disk 1.

Now, type in ptedit and press enter. The program will start. This program
allows you to change the drive "type". It is imperative that you are certain
that you are working on the correct drive. You can choose drives at the top
of the program window. One you have chosen the correct drive you can click
the mouse on the "type" box at the bottom. Look for the file system that you
KNOW was being used. There are many choices. Choose the correct file system
and follow the instructions from there.

NOTE: If you choose the wrong file system, and commit the change, you WILL
corrupt any information that is on the drive. This is absolute and
irrevocable!

I have successfully recovered about a dozen drives that have gone RAW by
using this great little DOS program.

NOTE: The program CAN NOT be used from within Windows.

And "shame" on the computer manufacturers who deliver new computers without
a floppy drive installed!


There is also a Windows version of ptedit called ptedit32. Search Google to
find a source for this utility. It does the same things that the original
ptedit does.


--
Regards,

Richard Urban

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Barry Young]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the info. On the Test_Win from cgasecurity.org, do I boot from
windows XP System CD and then run it from a floppy drive, after selecting
Repair? As the master?

Or does it work under Windows XP? You would access it and fix it as the
slave?

Thanks again for all of your help!

Barry

 

[Barry Young]

Problem solved.

In Disk Management, what I did is click on the volume and converted it to a
dynamic disk and IT WORKED!!!! I have access to the data.

WHEW!

Thanks again!

Barry