Windows 2000 installation not found - MBR update leads to lost signature

[ck]

I'm sharing this because for all my searching, this very simple solution was not to be
found anywhere.

I foolishly over wrote my MBR block which meant Boot.ini with its signature()
refused to recognise my w2k drive. Searches on the net [from another installation]
suggested swapping the signature() for multi(), or using the scsi() entry. Non of these
worked.

I didn't have a ERD emergency recovery disk [won't make that mistake again], I
even managed to download the 4 start-up boot disks, this was useless.

Try as I might I kept getting the windows 2000 installation not found, I even managed
to get a report from the boot process stating a NTOSKRNL.EXE was missing.

[note I'm leaving as many clues for a future search ;]

The solution when it came was blindingly obvious :- In the boot.ini file simply
replace: signature(######)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows=" ", with
<drive letter>\windows=" ". ;-)

I hope you got that, just replace all that guff about signature, disk, partition, with
the drive letter your system recognised.... When Windows 2000 boots again it
will fix the MBR and do whatever is needs [hardware detection] to boot without
problems next time.

[Geez, and to think I even tried to reinstall windows 2000 and would have done if
I hadn't run out of drive space.;]

 

[ck]

The solution when it came was blindingly obvious :- In the boot.ini file simply

replace: signature(######)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows=" ",
with : <drive letter>\windows=" ".

This solution works well enough to get my W2k installation working. What I'd
like to know, is there a way of restoring my Boot.ini so that the value for the
signature is replace as it was in the original Boot.ini?

If only there was a utility to read the current signature value of the MBR, so that
it could be replaced in the Boot.ini file.

I'm sharing this because for all my searching, this very simple solution was not to be
found anywhere.

I foolishly over wrote my MBR block which meant Boot.ini with its signature()
refused to recognise my w2k drive. Searches on the net [from another installation]
suggested swapping the signature() for multi(), or using the scsi() entry. Non of these
worked.

I didn't have a ERD emergency recovery disk [won't make that mistake again], I
even managed to download the 4 start-up boot disks, this was useless.

Try as I might I kept getting the windows 2000 installation not found, I even managed
to get a report from the boot process stating a NTOSKRNL.EXE was missing.

[note I'm leaving as many clues for a future search ;]

The solution when it came was blindingly obvious :- In the boot.ini file simply
replace: signature(######)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows=" ", with
<drive letter>\windows=" ". ;-)

I hope you got that, just replace all that guff about signature, disk, partition, with
the drive letter your system recognised.... When Windows 2000 boots again it
will fix the MBR and do whatever is needs [hardware detection] to boot without
problems next time.

[Geez, and to think I even tried to reinstall windows 2000 and would have done if
I hadn't run out of drive space.;]