Problems with FixBoot/Fixmbr in Win XP SP2 - what's going on???

[Krzysztof Bartosiewicz]

Hi!
I must write everything about my problem to ask a question in the end. I
know that it's quite long but it is necessary to explain the problem..

I had a bunch of weird problems today with my SP2.. I have been using it for
a while without problems and today I wanted to merge to partitions into one
(I had an empty 10GB Linux partition before my C partition so I simply
deleted it, converted into NTFS and merged into C partition to expand it).
The problem was that Partition Magic 8 finished the job and my computer
wasn't able to boot anymore. So I simply run the SP2 CD and tried
fixboot/fixmbr - without success... So I tried to reinstall the system - the
system copied the files onto the C drive but unfotunately wasn't able to
boot so the installation could not proceed..

I tried many things including trying to install windows on another partition
of that disc but it ended the same - no booting...

So I change my discs - master to slave and slave to master and tried to
install windows on another drive (not the one whose MBR was apparently not
working). It went Ok. But unfortunalety I tried to fix the previous
installation by simply editing the boot.ini file to force windows to boot
from another drive.. The funniest thing was that it booted and tried to
continue installation which I statred earilier (before changing disc drives)
and which wasn't able to finish at that time. XP tried to install and after
about 5 minutes it restarted my computer without warning. I tried it two
time more - two restarts.. So I tried to fix the installation with Win XP
SP2 CD - I simply inserted it, chose the second installation (I had to
copies at the moment - the new one on the drive C and the old one on D) and
tried to fix the system. It copied the files, then restarted as usual and
wasn't able start the installation - it was restarting at the very
beginning.

I restarted computer and noticed that previous MBR was erased (before the
installation I had two options in my boot ini - the new and the old
installation). Now the C drive was ommited and the system tried to boot from
drive D (which resulted in restart...). So I inserted the Win XP CD one more
time, logged into management console and tried to perform usual
fixmbr/fixboot. WITHOUT SUCCESS! I simply could not believe it. Eerlier I
thought that the problem was with my drive - and not It looked like the
problem was with FIXBOOT and FIXMBR!! I used that commands many times using
Windows XP SP1 CD and it worked! Not it does not.. I tried to use both of
the commands separately as well as together.. Nothing worked.. I had to
install windows one more time.. (I think that I installed it 7 times
today...)

What is going on? Is there some bug with fixmbr and fixboot on SP2 or maybe
the usage of those commands is different? I always used fixmbr/fixboot but
today I saw on the net that somebody suggested usign fixboot c:.. Could that
be the cause of the problem??

I would be very grateful for an answer since I don't want to reinstall the
system each time I mess something up with MBR (such as Windows 98
installation which I am going to perform in a day or two..)
Chris Bartosiewicz

 

[Stephen]

Nobody knows what is going on with your system, you are tinkering like a
Banji. Which is good, don't get me wrong.

You could try an older WinXP CD-ROM and run fixboot. It sometimes works
where a WinXP SP2 CD-ROM won't. But remember all this was caused by
Partition Magic [dicey] and perhaps some infection Linux left behind [par
for the Linux course]. Plus you are generally messing with your system,
which is risky. So don't blame fixboot - because you are probably asking a
lot of it. If you get back into Windows make a backup of any important
documents because at the rate you are going you will lose them. Have fun
rebuilding.

Set up the hardware just as you want it. Make sure the jumpers are correct
and make sure the BIOS recognizes everything properly. If the BIOS doesn't,
reset the BIOS.

Boot from the Windows CD-ROM and delete all the partitions on all the drives
using diskpart in the Recovery Console. Reboot and install Windows. If you
are thinking multiboot of WinXP / Win98 read this:

How To Create a Multiple-Boot System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306559

 

[Krzysztof Bartosiewicz]

OK since you are not writing anything about fixboot and fixmbr problems on
SP2 I assume that they work as they worked before and I was just unlucky...

You could try an older WinXP CD-ROM and run fixboot.

Is that possible to run it? I know that it is impossible to install recovery
console from SP1 CD when you are running SP2 so I assumed that it is
impossible to run it as well.. But thanks for the advice - I am going to
install the second windows xp on my machine to avoid problems next time - if
something happens this time I'll try with the CD from SP1

lot of it. If you get back into Windows make a backup of any important
documents because at the rate you are going you will lose them. Have fun
rebuilding.

Don't get me wrong I have backups of everything - the problem was not
that I lost data but was that I was forced to install everything from
scratch which takes a long time if you are using more than IE, Office and
Winamp

Set up the hardware just as you want it. Make sure the jumpers are correct
and make sure the BIOS recognizes everything properly. If the BIOS
doesn't,
reset the BIOS.

BIOS settings were definitely correct

Boot from the Windows CD-ROM and delete all the partitions on all the
drives
using diskpart in the Recovery Console. Reboot and install Windows. If you
are thinking multiboot of WinXP / Win98 read this:

You know my main trouble was to avoid deleting partitions

How To Create a Multiple-Boot System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306559

Thanks

Chris

 

[Stephen]

I think so, yes, you can boot the computer using the WinXPSP1 CD-ROM and
start the Recovery Console. It will ask which installation - you give it a
number - it will ask for a password - give it the password. Run fixboot.