How do I reset boot sector on NTFS drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Greg
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Greg

I'm trying to help a friend with a HD problem.

He has a server running Advanced Server 2000.

Somewhere along the line the boot sector of the HD became screwed up.

So now the server must be booted with a floppy.

The boot.ini file on the floppy contains the HD path: multi(),disk(),partitiion(), etc.

What's the fastest, cheapest way to correct this so the HD will boot normally?

Thanks for any help.
 
Greg said:
I'm trying to help a friend with a HD problem.

He has a server running Advanced Server 2000.

Somewhere along the line the boot sector of the HD became screwed up.

So now the server must be booted with a floppy.

The boot.ini file on the floppy contains the HD path:
multi(),disk(),partitiion(), etc.

What's the fastest, cheapest way to correct this so the HD will boot
normally?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

Do a repair installation.
 
Do a repair installation.
Click to expand...

I thought about this, but don't we need the CD to do this?

His previous IT guy who left in the middle of the night, apparently took all the CD's with him.

Is there a 3rd party program that will do it?

Thanks
 
Greg said:
I'm trying to help a friend with a HD problem.

He has a server running Advanced Server 2000.

Somewhere along the line the boot sector of the HD became screwed up.

So now the server must be booted with a floppy.
Click to expand...
The boot.ini file on the floppy contains the HD path: multi(),disk(),partitiion(), etc.
Click to expand...

Right, so what does that tell you?
 
Greg said:
I thought about this, but don't we need the CD to do this?

His previous IT guy who left in the middle of the night, apparently took
all the CD's with him.

Is there a 3rd party program that will do it?
Click to expand...

Now lemme get this straight. Your friend shelled out three grand for
Advanced Server and his IT guy stole it and he didn't put the cops on him?
I suggest that he call the police, right now, and report the theft, then
call his insurance company and see about getting a replacement. And next
time run copies and put the masters in the safe.

If he still has the serialized license with the keycode on it, he can get
the media kit for 30 bucks or so, but it won't install without the keycode.
And if he doesn't have the distribution media or the license or a receipt
then he's going to play Hell proving it's a legal copy if Microsoft ever
decides to sic their lawyers on him.

As for there being a third party utility, why would there be such a thing
when the repair installation process does the job just fine?
 
[This followup was posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage and a copy
was sent to the cited author.]

I thought about this, but don't we need the CD to do this?

His previous IT guy who left in the middle of the night, apparently took all the CD's with him.

Is there a 3rd party program that will do it?
Click to expand...

You would need to boot the CD, and then run the Recovery Console. You
will need the Administrator password. This gives you a prompt, from
which you can then run the command:
FIXBOOT

If you can't get a Server CD, you can try a Win2K Workstation CD, or
maybe even an XP CD?
 
I'm trying to help a friend with a HD problem.

He has a server running Advanced Server 2000.

Somewhere along the line the boot sector of the HD became screwed up.

So now the server must be booted with a floppy.

The boot.ini file on the floppy contains the HD path: multi(),disk(),partitiion(), etc.

What's the fastest, cheapest way to correct this so the HD will boot normally?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

A simple fdisk /mbr should work if the boot sector is defect

Nick
 
char-DONTBUGME- said:
A simple fdisk /mbr should work if the boot sector is defect
Click to expand...

The above is only for DOS/Win9x/ME and could make NT/2K/XP unbootable.
For NT/2K/XP, you need to do some form of repair. NT needs to use Repair
mode. 2K/XP can use the Recovery Console.
 
Greg said:
I'm trying to help a friend with a HD problem.

He has a server running Advanced Server 2000.

Somewhere along the line the boot sector of the HD became screwed up.
Click to expand...

Why do you think it's the boot sector? Why not the MBR? Or maybe the NT loader
files (NTLDR, Ntdetect.com)? Did you inspect the MBR and the boot sector?
So now the server must be booted with a floppy.
Click to expand...

If you can boot the server of a floppy then the repair should be trivial as all
necessary elements are available or can be reconstructed (only the MBR may need
reconstruction, if this is the one at fault).

The MBR can be reconstructed with RESQDISK /REBUILD /NTFS, the boot sector can
be restored from its backup at the end of the boot partition, and the NT startup
files can be restored from the floppy.
The boot.ini file on the floppy contains the HD path: multi(),disk(),partitiion(), etc.

What's the fastest, cheapest way to correct this so the HD will boot normally?
Click to expand...

Experience.

Regards, Zvi
 
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