Hard drive won't boot...Partition Magic to blame! HELP!!

Hi, I made a partition on my hard drive, using Partition Magic 8.0, to install Linux using the 'install another OS option'. In order to do this Partition Magic 'hides' the other Primary partition (windows xp) so that they don't conflict I guess. After creating the Linux partition, windows won't boot because the windows partition is hidden, and at this point you are supposed to install Linux. My Linux didn't install due to a fault in motherboard ( It could be it got over heated once, basically alot of programs that run during the computer's boot process crash, so I couldn't install). Anyway, I was stuck with a hard drive that wouldn't boot. The rescue disks I created with Partiton Magic wouldn't work either (don't know why), so I had the idea of installing partition magic on another computer, putting the hard drive on that as a slave, and deleting the linux partition, unhiding the windows xp partition and making it 'Active' again. I also merged the unallocated space where the linux partition was back into the windows partition. The windows partition is 'Primary' and I can see no difference between the windows xp partition and this computer's master hard drive running windows. When I put it back in my computer and set it to master, it won't boot. The error is something like 'there is a problem with the disk, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to reboot'. On the original computer the partition was C:, on this computer as slave the partition is G:, would that make a difference?
What do I need to do to this partition to make it bootable again?

 

Whenever setting up a dual-boot Windows Linux it is always best to use 2 HDDs. Windows on the Primary HDD and Linux on the Secondary HDD. If you would like detailed Instructions I can post those for you.

To fix your boot problem follow the instructions below, make sure the CD-ROM is the first boot device. This should fix your problem.

Here you go:

1. Use the Windows XP CD-ROM to restart the computer.

2. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to repair the Windows XP installation.

3. Press C to repair the Windows XP installation by using the Recovery Console.

4. Type the number that corresponds to the Windows installation that you want to repair, and then

press ENTER. For example, type 1, and then press ENTER.

5. Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.

6. Type map, and then press ENTER. Note the drive letter that is assigned to the CD-ROM drive

that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM.

7. Type the following commands, pressing ENTER after you type each one, where drive is the drive

letter that you typed in step 4:

fixmbr \Device\HardDisk0​

fixboot c:​

copy drive:\i386\ntldr c:\​

copy drive:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\​

If you are prompted to overwrite the file, type y, and then press ENTER.

NOTE: In these commands, there is a space between the ntldr and c:\, and

between ntdetect.com and c:\.

8. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:

type c:\Boot.ini​

A list similar to the following list appears:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

If you receive the following message, the Boot.ini file may be missing or damaged:

The system cannot find the file or directory specified.​

9. If the Boot.ini file is missing or damaged, create a new one. To do so, follow these steps:

a. Use a text editor, such as Notepad or Edit.com, to create a boot loader file similar to

the following boot loader file:​

[boot loader]​

timeout=30​

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS​

[operating systems]​

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional"

/fastdetect​

b. Save the file to a floppy disk as Boot.ini.​

c. Type the following command at the Recovery Console command prompt to copy the Boot.ini

file from the floppy disk to the computer:​

NOTE: If you used Notepad to create the file, make sure that the .txt extension is

not appended to the Boot.ini file name.​

copy a:\Boot.ini c:\​

10. Type exit, and then press ENTER. The computer restarts.

 

Hi, thanks for the very detailed reply! you obviously know your stuff!
I've run into a problem however. I put the drive back into it's computer, setting it to master, set the cd drive to 1st boot and put in the windows xp cd. On my cd I get a list of options, the 1st is to install windows, the rest are about booting into windows 98, running partition magic 7.0 and things like that. I chose the first option and get the error:

'Running WPROSECT.dat
No-Emulation type image (raw)
0000080000000001
Press any key to boot from CD...'

At this point the motherboard has crashed do I can't boot from the CD. Would that be what I need to do, or am I doing something wrong before this error occurs? I wondered whether I should have left the drive as a slave in the other computer and run the repair option from windows, but I wasn't sure if that would just make the drives conflict or something?
I looked at the partition magic 7.0 option which is pretty much like partition magic 8.0, except I couldn't see an option to change drive letter...
What am I doing wrong???

 

Are you using a 'Multi-Boot' CD?

Two things come to mind:
1. The CD Drive is bad.
2. The CD is bad.

 

The Cd has windows XP Home and Pro. Its an office version from work...

 

Oh.

It's the drive
or
It's the CD

If you have an extra drive, change it out for the one in the system.

Then try.

 

Also, get a license for XP.

We do not support or codone piracy at this site.

 

Hi again.
I changed the CD drive but the emulation error still occurs. I'm sure the cd is ok however, as I only installed windows a few days ago with it. I'm only using the office version of xp as it has windows xp pro and my version is xp home. I prefer xp pro but don't want to buy it again and my xp home serial dosn't work on pro...
I think I've recieved this error before when installing windows on another drive, is it possible that being formated in NTFS is causing this problem? I fixed the problem on the other drive by formating it in FAT 32 then formatting it back to NTFS once windows started the installation. I don't really want to do this on this drive though as i'd loose al my stuff...
Thanks for your ongoing help!

 

No your XP Home Key won't work with XP Pro. If the CD will boot, you can use the recovery console to fix the disk with the instructions I provided. I that fails you can do a repair install. Your data will still be there after a repair install. I it becomes absolutely necessary to repartition the drive put it back in the other computer as the slave drive and back up your data.

 

I just realised that I can boot from the CD. Its this really annoying problem I have on my computer where 9 times out of ten it will crash when I restart and if it dosn't crash at retart, things like the bios or partition magic, running linux installation, etc. crash after about a minute. It kept crashing at the point where it says 'boot from CD'. this is the 1 time out of ten it actually boots from the cd. I think its the motherboard.
Anyway, i'll go and follow your intructions now and cross my fingers!
Thanks!

 

You maybe right about the Mobo, could be your CPU or memory. Partition Magic can cause significant problems with resizing and adding or deleting partitions.

 

Hi again.
I followed your instructions and everything went OK. When I typed in 'type c:\Boot.ini I didn't get an error, but It said this:

[bootloader]
timeout=30
default=signature(12d012c)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
signature(12d012c)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

As it didn't say the missing or damaged Boot.ini error i figured it was OK. After this i typed exit, but it still dosn't boot, after the bios loads I get a cursor flashing at the top left of the screen and nothing else happens.

Should I write a new boot.ini file to a floppy like the one you described earlier, as the one I have is completely different?

 

yes write a new boot.ini, like the example.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect