±Recent Visitors

Recent Visitors to Com-Central!

±User Info-big


Welcome Anonymous

Nickname
Password

Membership:
Latest: cgsimpson
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 6645

People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 597
Total: 597
Who Is Where:
 Visitors:
01: Community Forums
02: Downloads
03: Home
04: Photo Gallery
05: Community Forums
06: Home
07: Community Forums
08: Downloads
09: Photo Gallery
10: Photo Gallery
11: Home
12: Community Forums
13: Community Forums
14: Home
15: Community Forums
16: Community Forums
17: Community Forums
18: Community Forums
19: Photo Gallery
20: Community Forums
21: Community Forums
22: Community Forums
23: Member Screenshots
24: Community Forums
25: Photo Gallery
26: Photo Gallery
27: Downloads
28: Community Forums
29: Community Forums
30: Member Screenshots
31: Photo Gallery
32: Your Account
33: Community Forums
34: Member Screenshots
35: Home
36: Community Forums
37: Community Forums
38: Downloads
39: Community Forums
40: Home
41: Home
42: Downloads
43: Community Forums
44: Community Forums
45: Community Forums
46: Community Forums
47: Community Forums
48: Community Forums
49: Photo Gallery
50: Photo Gallery
51: Community Forums
52: Community Forums
53: Community Forums
54: News Archive
55: Photo Gallery
56: Community Forums
57: Home
58: Photo Gallery
59: Downloads
60: Community Forums
61: Community Forums
62: Community Forums
63: Photo Gallery
64: Community Forums
65: Home
66: Photo Gallery
67: Community Forums
68: Photo Gallery
69: Community Forums
70: Community Forums
71: Photo Gallery
72: Photo Gallery
73: Community Forums
74: Community Forums
75: Community Forums
76: Home
77: Community Forums
78: Community Forums
79: Community Forums
80: Community Forums
81: Community Forums
82: Community Forums
83: Community Forums
84: Community Forums
85: Home
86: Photo Gallery
87: Community Forums
88: Community Forums
89: Community Forums
90: Photo Gallery
91: Photo Gallery
92: Community Forums
93: Community Forums
94: Your Account
95: Home
96: Home
97: Home
98: Home
99: Community Forums
100: Community Forums
101: Downloads
102: Community Forums
103: Home
104: Member Screenshots
105: Photo Gallery
106: Home
107: Home
108: Community Forums
109: Community Forums
110: Community Forums
111: Community Forums
112: Community Forums
113: Community Forums
114: Community Forums
115: Community Forums
116: Community Forums
117: Home
118: Community Forums
119: Community Forums
120: Community Forums
121: Member Screenshots
122: Community Forums
123: CPGlang
124: Your Account
125: Photo Gallery
126: Community Forums
127: Community Forums
128: Community Forums
129: Community Forums
130: Photo Gallery
131: CPGlang
132: Home
133: Photo Gallery
134: Community Forums
135: Community Forums
136: Community Forums
137: Community Forums
138: Downloads
139: Photo Gallery
140: Home
141: Community Forums
142: Community Forums
143: Community Forums
144: Community Forums
145: Home
146: Community Forums
147: Community Forums
148: Photo Gallery
149: Downloads
150: Community Forums
151: Photo Gallery
152: Community Forums
153: Community Forums
154: Community Forums
155: CPGlang
156: Community Forums
157: Home
158: Community Forums
159: Community Forums
160: Community Forums
161: Community Forums
162: Community Forums
163: Member Screenshots
164: Community Forums
165: Your Account
166: Your Account
167: Community Forums
168: Community Forums
169: Photo Gallery
170: Photo Gallery
171: Home
172: Photo Gallery
173: Photo Gallery
174: Community Forums
175: Community Forums
176: Photo Gallery
177: Community Forums
178: Community Forums
179: Community Forums
180: Community Forums
181: Community Forums
182: Community Forums
183: Community Forums
184: Photo Gallery
185: Community Forums
186: CPGlang
187: Community Forums
188: Community Forums
189: Community Forums
190: Home
191: Photo Gallery
192: Community Forums
193: Photo Gallery
194: Photo Gallery
195: Downloads
196: Community Forums
197: CPGlang
198: Community Forums
199: Home
200: Community Forums
201: Home
202: Photo Gallery
203: Home
204: Photo Gallery
205: Photo Gallery
206: Community Forums
207: Community Forums
208: Community Forums
209: Community Forums
210: Photo Gallery
211: Community Forums
212: Photo Gallery
213: Community Forums
214: Community Forums
215: Community Forums
216: Community Forums
217: Community Forums
218: Photo Gallery
219: CPGlang
220: Community Forums
221: Community Forums
222: Community Forums
223: Community Forums
224: Community Forums
225: Community Forums
226: Community Forums
227: CPGlang
228: Community Forums
229: Community Forums
230: News Archive
231: Your Account
232: Home
233: Photo Gallery
234: Home
235: Home
236: Home
237: Community Forums
238: Member Screenshots
239: Home
240: Home
241: Downloads
242: Community Forums
243: Community Forums
244: Photo Gallery
245: Home
246: Home
247: Photo Gallery
248: Photo Gallery
249: Home
250: Community Forums
251: Photo Gallery
252: Community Forums
253: Home
254: Community Forums
255: CPGlang
256: Home
257: Home
258: Community Forums
259: Community Forums
260: Community Forums
261: Photo Gallery
262: Community Forums
263: Photo Gallery
264: Home
265: Photo Gallery
266: Your Account
267: Home
268: Downloads
269: Community Forums
270: Home
271: Community Forums
272: Community Forums
273: Community Forums
274: Community Forums
275: Community Forums
276: Community Forums
277: Photo Gallery
278: Photo Gallery
279: Community Forums
280: Your Account
281: Community Forums
282: Community Forums
283: Community Forums
284: Community Forums
285: Community Forums
286: Community Forums
287: Photo Gallery
288: Community Forums
289: Your Account
290: CPGlang
291: Community Forums
292: Community Forums
293: Community Forums
294: Community Forums
295: Community Forums
296: Your Account
297: Home
298: Community Forums
299: Community Forums
300: Community Forums
301: Community Forums
302: Member Screenshots
303: Home
304: Community Forums
305: Member Screenshots
306: Community Forums
307: Community Forums
308: Home
309: Photo Gallery
310: Community Forums
311: Home
312: Community Forums
313: CPGlang
314: Photo Gallery
315: Photo Gallery
316: Community Forums
317: Community Forums
318: Community Forums
319: Community Forums
320: Community Forums
321: Member Screenshots
322: Community Forums
323: Community Forums
324: Photo Gallery
325: Home
326: Community Forums
327: Community Forums
328: Photo Gallery
329: Community Forums
330: Community Forums
331: Community Forums
332: Home
333: Downloads
334: Community Forums
335: CPGlang
336: Community Forums
337: Member Screenshots
338: Community Forums
339: Community Forums
340: Home
341: Community Forums
342: Community Forums
343: Photo Gallery
344: Community Forums
345: CPGlang
346: Community Forums
347: Community Forums
348: Photo Gallery
349: Community Forums
350: Home
351: Community Forums
352: Community Forums
353: Community Forums
354: Community Forums
355: Community Forums
356: Community Forums
357: Community Forums
358: Community Forums
359: Community Forums
360: Downloads
361: Community Forums
362: Community Forums
363: Downloads
364: Community Forums
365: Community Forums
366: Community Forums
367: Community Forums
368: Community Forums
369: Community Forums
370: Community Forums
371: Home
372: Community Forums
373: Photo Gallery
374: Community Forums
375: Community Forums
376: Photo Gallery
377: Your Account
378: Community Forums
379: Community Forums
380: Community Forums
381: Community Forums
382: Home
383: Community Forums
384: Photo Gallery
385: Home
386: Community Forums
387: Community Forums
388: Photo Gallery
389: Member Screenshots
390: Photo Gallery
391: Community Forums
392: Home
393: Community Forums
394: Community Forums
395: Community Forums
396: Community Forums
397: Community Forums
398: Community Forums
399: Community Forums
400: Community Forums
401: Community Forums
402: Home
403: Community Forums
404: Community Forums
405: Photo Gallery
406: Community Forums
407: Community Forums
408: Community Forums
409: Community Forums
410: Home
411: Home
412: Community Forums
413: Community Forums
414: Community Forums
415: Member Screenshots
416: Home
417: Photo Gallery
418: Community Forums
419: Community Forums
420: Community Forums
421: Community Forums
422: Community Forums
423: News
424: Photo Gallery
425: Community Forums
426: Photo Gallery
427: Community Forums
428: Photo Gallery
429: Community Forums
430: Community Forums
431: Community Forums
432: Community Forums
433: Community Forums
434: Community Forums
435: Your Account
436: Photo Gallery
437: Home
438: Community Forums
439: Home
440: Community Forums
441: Community Forums
442: Community Forums
443: Community Forums
444: Photo Gallery
445: Community Forums
446: Home
447: Home
448: Home
449: Member Screenshots
450: Downloads
451: Home
452: Member Screenshots
453: Community Forums
454: Community Forums
455: Community Forums
456: Downloads
457: Home
458: Community Forums
459: Community Forums
460: Your Account
461: Community Forums
462: CPGlang
463: Community Forums
464: Downloads
465: Community Forums
466: Community Forums
467: Community Forums
468: Community Forums
469: Home
470: Community Forums
471: Community Forums
472: News Archive
473: Community Forums
474: Community Forums
475: Community Forums
476: Community Forums
477: Community Forums
478: Community Forums
479: Community Forums
480: Community Forums
481: Your Account
482: Home
483: Photo Gallery
484: Community Forums
485: Community Forums
486: Community Forums
487: Home
488: Photo Gallery
489: Community Forums
490: Community Forums
491: Community Forums
492: Community Forums
493: Community Forums
494: Community Forums
495: Community Forums
496: Photo Gallery
497: Community Forums
498: Home
499: Community Forums
500: Community Forums
501: Photo Gallery
502: Photo Gallery
503: Community Forums
504: Community Forums
505: Photo Gallery
506: Home
507: Community Forums
508: Community Forums
509: Community Forums
510: Community Forums
511: Photo Gallery
512: Home
513: Community Forums
514: Community Forums
515: Community Forums
516: Community Forums
517: Community Forums
518: Community Forums
519: Home
520: Community Forums
521: Community Forums
522: Community Forums
523: Community Forums
524: Community Forums
525: Photo Gallery
526: Your Account
527: Downloads
528: Statistics
529: Home
530: Photo Gallery
531: Home
532: Community Forums
533: Community Forums
534: Community Forums
535: Community Forums
536: Community Forums
537: Photo Gallery
538: Community Forums
539: Community Forums
540: Photo Gallery
541: Community Forums
542: Community Forums
543: Home
544: Community Forums
545: Home
546: Community Forums
547: Community Forums
548: Community Forums
549: Community Forums
550: Community Forums
551: Community Forums
552: Community Forums
553: Photo Gallery
554: Community Forums
555: Community Forums
556: Community Forums
557: News Archive
558: Photo Gallery
559: Community Forums
560: Home
561: Community Forums
562: Home
563: Community Forums
564: Photo Gallery
565: Downloads
566: Community Forums
567: Community Forums
568: Community Forums
569: Downloads
570: Photo Gallery
571: Your Account
572: Home
573: Photo Gallery
574: Photo Gallery
575: Photo Gallery
576: Community Forums
577: Community Forums
578: Community Forums
579: Community Forums
580: Photo Gallery
581: News
582: Home
583: Home
584: Community Forums
585: Community Forums
586: Community Forums
587: Member Screenshots
588: Community Forums
589: CPGlang
590: Community Forums
591: Community Forums
592: Your Account
593: Community Forums
594: Community Forums
595: Community Forums
596: Community Forums
597: Community Forums

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!
What happened to the MBR? :: Archived
This is a forum for Software related items such as OS', Virus notices, cool or free programs, etc. Gaming software should go in the gaming folder pertaining to the current info.
Post new topic    Revive this topic    Printer Friendly Page     Forum Index ›  Software

Topic Archived View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Shadow_Bshwackr
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Posts: 7015
Location: Central Illinois, USA
PostPosted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 11:34 pm
Post subject: What happened to the MBR?

It seems as if there's been a rash of XP crashing that involves destroying the MBR Partition(Master Boot Record) not only making it impossible to boot, but the damage seems to extend to Windows not seeing the HardDrive(s). Symptoms will be...

1) After you reinstall XP, the computer will reboot to finish the install only to keep crashing and starting the reboot process over while staying in this loop.

2) Reformatting the drive(s) doesn't fix the problem even though XP seems to install normally until the reboot process, then the loop issue comes back.

The process of fixing is in using the utility program called "Ranish Partition Manager". This little program will let you 'boot' and fix all kinds of issues including the Master Boot and HD partitions.


Ranish Partition Manager

A word of note, if you don't know anything about this sort of thing..STAY AWAY as you could do more harm than good. On the other hand, if the computer seems hosed, what do you have to loose...lol

To get Ranish Partition Manager, Click HERE!

Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
Uhu_Rodion
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Nov 14, 2004
Posts: 1437
Location: L'Aquila, Italy
PostPosted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 9:11 am
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

Saved the link, Jerry, thaaaaaaank, you Smile

I'm just a bit confused - I suppose it's not the XOSL tool the one you refer to, though it looks great if, as I plan, I'm going to make a new Linux partition and need a multiple boot loader.

Amongst the Partition Manager versions there enlisted, which is the one you're actually using? The "stable" 2.40 or the "beta beta beta" 2.44?

Anyway, I'm downloading them all Mr. Green
Wink
Marco
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website MSN Messenger Photo Gallery
Shadow_Bshwackr
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Posts: 7015
Location: Central Illinois, USA
PostPosted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 9:56 pm
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

I used the 2.44 Marco...:wink:
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
Uhu_Rodion
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Nov 14, 2004
Posts: 1437
Location: L'Aquila, Italy
PostPosted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 5:44 pm
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

I just got back my rig, with the following changes (some had been in the plan already before the crash, so I just took advantage of the circumstance):

1. old HD moved to slave - I expressely asked not to make anything at all to it - wanted to see what was going to happen.
2. new 160 Gig master HD, Ultra-ATA 133 7200 rpm, only Win-XP pro installed.
3. replaced old two ram cards by 256 Mb's each, clock 266, with two 1 Gig each clock 333 - the maximum my mother-board can bear.

After the intervention, the old HD shows all its old content perfectly available and usable, not a file corrupted, so that I could restore all my archives in no time. I also re-installed 90% of the previous apps, this time FS9 on the renamed F:/ drive, and FSX on the new C:/ (yes, I got it, hehe!).

Have to go in a rush, I'll add some lines later.
Laughing
Marco
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website MSN Messenger Photo Gallery
Shadow_Bshwackr
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Posts: 7015
Location: Central Illinois, USA
PostPosted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 2:21 am
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

That's great news Marco!! Did you try the Ranish program?
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
Uhu_Rodion
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Nov 14, 2004
Posts: 1437
Location: L'Aquila, Italy
PostPosted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:45 am
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

Not yet, Jerry, but that's exactly what I'm going to do since Monday on - not today: I want to keep FS9 safe for until this Sunday flight is over Wink

As I wrote, the old HD's content was integer, and that makes me wonder, as I supposed a missing partition would have wiped out all the stuff in there. So I start thinking it really was a damaged Windows registry, and still asking myself how it could happen. Shocked

Yesterday evening I simulated an attempt at installing Linux, just to see if it could see the Win partitions on both HDs, and, yes, it did, both marked as NTFS as they were. I stopped at that point, 'cause I'm not yet sure about how to cut a portion of a Win partition for Linux without damaging anything. What Linux suggests me is not at all what I want, and undertaking an "expert" procedure gives birth to some riddles I'm not yet able to solve.

It's at this point that the Ranish Partition Manager might be of help, and I also want to see what the graphic XOSL tool can do, but not before tomorrow Mr. Green


Marco
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website MSN Messenger Photo Gallery
Shadow_Bshwackr
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Posts: 7015
Location: Central Illinois, USA
PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:21 am
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

I'm updating this post to include another great utility for Master Boot Record or MBR repair. This on is called Super Grub and as always, it's a another one with my favorite price of FREE...

To see what SuperGrub is and get the download, Click HERE!

Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
JG300-Stoopy
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 5840
Location: Group W bench
PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:34 pm
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

This recently happened to Stoopy Mk.II's brand-new new computer and although the onboard disgnostics are limite, the symptoms are exactly as described and I suspected the same thing. In our case, it turned out to be worthwhile to let the manufacturer suspect it was a bad drive and let them send a new drive (better unit, Western Digitial as opposed ot the Hitachi drive of same capacity it came with) and they ALSO sent us the REAL software install CD for XP and all the programs it came bundled with.

Turns out the "System Restore" CD in the box has practically NOTHIGN on it at all other than a routine that activates the "restore partition" on the hard drive...which was munched since the MBR was taco'd. So in reality, we'd have had no way to reinstall everything if we'd found out any different.

I was told that there's usually a $20 fee for "creating" the actual reinstall media DVD, but since we had a "bad hard drive" and it wasn't our fault, they provided it for free as partof the warranty action. Something to keep in mind on when purchasing some new systems.

Any word yet on what may be behind this sudden outbreak of HD/MBR problems?

_________________
"Once your reputation is ruined, you can live quite freely."
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
Shadow_Bshwackr
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 21, 2005
Posts: 7015
Location: Central Illinois, USA
PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:49 pm
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

No, I haven't heard anything that's causing those problems, but I have noticed it seems more likely on SATA drives than the older IDE drives. (At least that's been my personal experience).

My own machine munched the MBR not long ago and I ended changing the active partition to another partition I had made earlier on that drive. It seems the old partition just wouldn't 'take' the OS for some reason. By changing the active partition to different partition, the OS went on without a hitch. Odd I know, but it works. Shocked

With SuperGrub, you can 'fix' your MBR, but if the partition is hosed, you're still outta' luck I'm afraid. Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
Uhu_Rodion
Janitor

Offline Offline
Joined: Nov 14, 2004
Posts: 1437
Location: L'Aquila, Italy
PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:57 pm
Post subject: Re: What happened to the MBR?

More than three months passed since this happened, so I forgot some of the details, but the thing was, as I wrote before, that once the old HD had been moved as slave, I was able to see all its content again, and so I managed to save all the archives and precious stuff there stored.

The first thing I did then was not, as it would have been obvious maybe, a reformatting of the HD, but instead I begun to delete the content, folder after folder, until it came out that there was a single file in the Windows folder that I wasn't allowed to delete, because the system told me it was in use.

Unfortunately, I failed to note down the name, but it was a very large one, and the statement it was "in use", no way, had to be false, because the system was now operating from another HD. In the end, I couldn't get rid of it, and the only thing left to do was, at last, to reformat.

I came to the conclusion that somehow that file was scrambled, and possibly responsible for the failure of the MBR - evidently, that file was not on the MBR - several Mb's big, too big for it.
Shocked
I'm still wandering what really happened, and if possible I'm even more surprised reading that this is apparently a rather common problem, though there's no clear explanation.

The only thing I'm sure about: the affected disk wasn't a bad one - a deep scandisk found no damaged sectors, and now it is devoted exclusively to FS9 and faultlessly working. In brackets, it was not a SATA, but a standard ATA-EIDE HD; my new HD is a Ultra-ATA one, so I'm crossing my fingers, though I don't think the trouble is related to this.

Hope you manage to solve your problem quickly, Stoopy, and please report of any news that can shed light on the mistery.
Wink
Marco
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website MSN Messenger Photo Gallery
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    Revive this topic    Printer Friendly Page    Forum Index ›  Software
Page 1 of 1
All times are GMT - 6 Hours

Archive Revive
Username:
This is an archived topic - your reply will not be appended here.
Instead, a new topic will be generated in the active forum.
The new topic will provide a reference link to this archived topic.