Windows XP Help, please

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MikeInKyushu

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Earlier this week, my XP laptop crashed. Attempting to reboot would give me a simple "MBR Error" message.

I looked it up online, and found that I could probably fix this using the Recovery Console, but I didn't have an install disk. I ended up taking my laptop to a local electronics store, but they could only deal with W7 machines apparently. But the guy there removed my hard drive to try and access it through his machine (didn't work). Long story short, I finally found a copy of the install disk elsewhere, only now I can't load up the Recovery Console because it can't locate a hard drive. If I try to boot it up normally, I don't get an MBR Error message anymore. Instead, it says "NTLDR: Fatal Error 4096 reading BOOT.INI"

I'm screwed, aren't I?
 
either the 'tech', I use that word loosely, didn't put the hard drive back correctly, or, you may have had a dying drive to start with.

All is not lost yet, however, you could try fixboot C: command from the recovery consol or, a better option, go get The Ultimate BootDisk which can help in more ways than one. :)

The drive manufacturer will have hard drive tools that you can download for free that could help, but the UBD has more useful tools.

You may loose all your data, especially if you need to format the drive ... if you get/see any bad sectors, replace the drive.


PCReview への歓迎 :)

:user:
 
I think it's a little of both, unfortunately. Stupid Japanese certified-on-paper-only techs.... Took it to a much more competent place last night, with a guy who actually had diagnostic tools that worked with XP, and he couldn't get anything to work either. Seems like a total write-off unfortunately.
 
bummer, not good ... you always wanted a new system tho', yes? :)
 
Yeah, but now I have to decide if I can wait long enough to get back to the States and acquire an English-language laptop, or (more likely) that my needs are pressing enough to get a Japanese-language laptop and then figure out how to do everything all over again.

Hm... might have to post in the Vista forum to ask how to change basic language settings...
 
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