Re: xpp home wont boot from HD

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

A wild thought, but any chance there is a small hidden partition before the
XP partition? Some recovery/restoration programs use such things. I
understand that Norton GHOST 2003 played with somehting like this, and could
leave a PC unbootable, until one used a Symnatec tool to fix it. Anyway, if
such a partition exists, then fixing the MBR might simply make it the boot
partition. Of course, you want the XP partition to be the boot partiton.

Thus, try running FDISK to see what partitions you have, and maybe that will
lead to some insight.

The second link below has good screen shots of FDISK in action, with info
about options. In fact, you can walk-through a simulated
FDISK session on their website, without actually running FDISK.

Links to using FDISK:

http://www.fdisk.com/home/
http://www.computerhope.com/sfdisk1.htm
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/install/fdisk.htm
http://www.karbosguide.com/hardware/module6a6.htm

See the following for bootable floppy images, include a special FDISK for
disks > 64 Gig. Link also has "setup disks for XP", which can run its
recovery console form a multi-flopy set.

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm


"justintime" <just@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23EOjmf3OGHA.916@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
My Father got a computer from my brother with xp home on it. I spent some
time removing all the junk on it and adding things for him to use. I added
a new network dialup for an ISP I signed him up for and it checked ok, I
was then changing the email login when the computer locked up.
I rebooted and it would not recognize the HD. I just get a - at the top of
the screen.
I removed the HD and put it on my computer and it looked ok. I copied the
HD (files) to my HD. I then reformatted and copied back all his files. It
still wont boot from his HD. So I downloaded a XP boot disk that has
boot.ini
ntdetect.com
ntldr

on it, it boots from the floppy and loads into XP on his computer with his
HD as long as I boot to the floppy first. So I know everything is ok.
However I cant make it boot from his HD Drive 0 without booting to the
floppy first. I also tried booting into safe mode. Same problem.
I copied all the files to C: but it still wont boot.
I tried booting with my XP pro cd into the recovery consol but it wants
the Admin password and I dont know it nor does he and my brother forgot
it. I tried to change it with a linux floppy that goes through the motions
except changing the password which doesnt change. I only have XP pro and
nobody has a xp home CD. I am guessing that the MBR is bad but dont know
how to fix it without the recovery consol. If I cant find an answer soon
Ill have to put a copy of XP pro on it but it wont be legal which the XP
home was.

Does anybody know how to get the computer to boot from the HD?

Thanks


.

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