What is the MBR? MBR stands for Master Boot Record and it’s the first sector of your hard drive that basically tells the BIOS where to look for the operating system on your computer.
If, for any reason, the MBR becomes damaged or corrupt, then the operating system will be unable to load. You will normally see error messages like:
Error loading operating system
Missing operating system
Invalid partition table
These messages are definitely not fun, especially if you are not familiar with computers. Most people would automatically assume their computers are dead! However, that’s not true. Being in IT myself, these errors are actually preferably to other types of Windows errors. Why?
Well, it’s actually fairly easy to fix the Master Boot Record in XP and Vista. All you have to do is load up the Recovery Console and run a simple command. All of your data, applications, settings, etc are still intact on the drive and once the MBR is fixed, the computer will load normally.
So how can you repair your damaged MBR? Here are the steps to follow:
1. First, restart your computer with the Windows XP setup disk in the CD drive. If you don’t have your original disk, borrow one or download a ISO image from a torrent site.
2. When prompted, boot from the CD drive by pressing any key. If Windows loads automatically, you will first have to enter the BIOS setup and change the order of the boot devices to start with the CD drive.
3. Once the setup loads, you will see the option to press R to repair a Windows installation.
4. Once the Recovery Console loads up, you will have to type in a number that corresponds to your Windows installation. This is normally just 1. Press Enter and then type in the Administrator password.
5. Now at the prompt, type in fixmbr. Your damaged MBR will now be replaced with a new master boot record and your computer should now be able to boot properly. Note that you may also want to run the fixboot command to repair the boot sector with a new one.
Also, make sure you only use these commands on a system with one operating system installed. If you have more than one operating system installed, fixmbr and fixboot could mess up everything.
Fix MBR in Vista
In Vista, the procedure to fix the master boot record is a bit different. You have to start up Vista in the Recovery Environment and then run the bootrec command. Here’s how.
1. First, load up the Windows Vista disc in your drive and press any key to boot from the disc.
2. Choose the language, time, currency, etc and click Next. Now click on Repair Your Computer.
3. Choose the operating system to repair and click Next. When the System Recovery Options dialog comes up, choose the Command Prompt.
4. Now type bootrec.exe and press Enter. This will rebuild the boot configuration data and hopefully fix your problem. You can also run the command with switches to fix just the master boot record (/fixmbr), the boot sector (/fixboot), or rebuild the entire BCD (/rebuildbcd).
If you are still having trouble with loading Windows, post a comment and I’ll see if I can help! Enjoy!
Hi,
I've had this problem fo a while now. When starting up my Vista, I get the message "0200 Failure Fixed Disk 0" with the options of continuing by pressing F1 or going to BIOS with F2. I've tried loading the Vista installation disc with some success; when I get to the System Recovery options menu my OS isn't displayed. I just left that alone, pressed next, and edventually got to the Command Prompt.
Typing in bootrec.exe only yielded other commands. I then tried the cmd "bootrec.exe /FixMbr" but got the message "The drive cannot find the sector requested." I'm assuming that that's because my hdd isn't being recognised. I know, however, that my hdd isn't dead yet; I can still hear the disc spinning. (This all originally started when my laptop randomly froze and I restarted it) I've also tried putting a working hdd in my laptop, which yielded success, but when my hdd was put into a different machine, I got the same error message.
I really hope that you can help and thanks in advance.
it says my OS is on E: when in the recovery counsel, don't know why, shouldn't it say it's on C:? how did it get moved? all options on the recovery counsel will not work I have tried all the above options on this page, thanks
Ok I have a black screen saying MBR ERROR.. I have windows xp cd loaded I push any key and it remains the same.. Please help me !!
I have a disk that says it is not initialized which in fact is. What am I looking for to repair this problem?
once i put on my xp cd and boot it on the setup straight away goes to the part where u should install xp(they ask to choose what partition to use) and it doesnt come across the part where the say press "R" to go to recovery console. Why is this
Hey Aseem,
Thanks for the tip. BUT…
I hear my XP ISO dvd spinning, after I press a key following the prompt: Boot from CD.
In the BIOS I have the CD Rom drive as 1 and 2 (hard disk as 3rd), but STILL the computer won't boot from the dvd.
Every time it will go straight to the screen:
Windows Boot Manager. There it repeats "Windows failed to start" 0xc0000098 and "[...] does not containa valid OS entry".
I can't get past the Windows Boot Manager screen…
What to do? Any idea's, Aseem? Hope so…
Thanks,
Dave
There is no OS choice to repair in my system recovery options. What could be the problem?
Thanks! Great, concise post.
I deleted a Linux partition and GRUB prevented me from booting Windows. This advice worked perfectly.
Use the fixboot for xp guys. Fixmbr is useless!
Hi, I had originally installed vista 64 bit on my primary hdd but i think I had the sata cable in the wrong spot on my motherboard because it's disk note says it's disk1 instead of disk0 which my secondary hard drive is located and it's also where the mbr is located.
Can I use the repair to move the mbr to my primary hard drive now without losing all the programs ive installed and/or having to reinstall the os + formating?
Thanks,
Line
Thank you! Helped me to rewrite a new MBR and save my Windows install! :-)
Thank you so much for the tip with "bootrec.exe /fixmbr /fixboot"! I was searching for fixmbr.exe like crazy :)
Hello,
I downloaded ubuntu and I'm using a usb disc to try. After I shut down the computer, I cannot start XP again. If I leave the usb disk out, I get a message on booting up saying "verifying DMI pool data-a disk read error occurred. Press control, Alt and delete to restart." I do this and after a while it comes back to the same message. If I leave the usb disc in with the Ubuntu it boots straight to Ubuntu. I am not very technical so I would appreciate any assistance to enable me to get my XP starting again please.
gil
Thanks for the tip. :) You saved my life.
I am unable to boot from my Vista CD. I just get a blue blank screen and nothing happens after that.
Any suggestions ?
I am running Windows Vista. I ran the System Repair and found no problems. I have tried fixmbr and still am unable to get my computer to boot into Windows.
Help. I have tried to restore from last known good backup, but it did not find any.
Thanks so much.
I have a 6-month-old ASUS laptop and nothing would work. I called their tech support and they wanted me to do a complete factory restore. They had no clue.
This was less than a 5-minute fix. Thanks again.
I have installed the Windows 7 Ultimate, but their is one problem that occurs. My system is not detecting the hard disk and also I am trying to format the system using Windows XP. It gives the error of no hard drive found.
Please, help me.
I have a dell laptop. I get the Dell loading bar and then nothing, just a black screen with a little white line in the top left corner. When I run the diagnostics, there are no errors. Could this be my MBR? Will I wipe any data from my hard drive if I do this repair? What is it if it isn't my MBR?
Thanks
For Vicki.
I have the same problem with my computer. Have you fixed yours yet?
What did you do? I have that problem since last week and I don't know what to do. Bootmgr is missing and no operating system.
I have a problem with my hard disk. I have a 500 GB hard disk which contains 5 volumes, and now I'm able to view only 3 volumes in any of the operating systems (i.e., Win XP, Win 7). I tried to mount the drive through disk management and failed. An error occurs while checking the properties of the other 2 volumes. I formatted my OS drive many times and I'm still unable to fix the problem. Right now, I'm using Win 7 OS.
Can anyone help me and suggest a solution by posting to my mail id?
Hi.
My Vista machine refuses to boot EVERY time. I just get a black screen with a flashing cursor after the BIOS loads. I can do nothing. By repairing the MBR, it sometimes allows me to boot up, but sometimes I have to repeat the operation several times before success. But, on the next reboot I ALWAYS have the same problem.
Can anyone suggest why and what I can do about it please?
WOAH! It worked!
I have a dual OS Dell laptop. I have Windows XP on the primary and Ubuntu on the secondary. I deleted the Ubuntu partition and then the grub rescue comes out. I managed to fix the error by just referring to this one, particularly using fixmbr!
It worked man! Thanks!
My windows vista won't boot. I have same important documents and photos.
Can you help me?
I have done this many times in the past. I was researching a problem I am currently having and this site popped up.
When there is not a password set for "Administrator" and someone is using a different account this does not work. You are required to enter a password. But there is no password for the account.
So what now? Does anyone have an idea?
There is one additional set of steps that will be required if bootrec /fixboot fails with the error message "the volume does not contain a recognized file system." In my case, this occurred because no partition was marked as active. The solution was to fire up diskpart from the same command prompt and mark the volume that had my OS as active:
diskpart
list volume (to identify the disk and partition that is NTFS formatted and has the OS)
select disk 0 (the disk with Windows)
select partition (the partition with Windows)
active
exit
(Then perform the bootrec tasks)
The /fixboot option apparently works by looking for the active partition for guiding the change that it makes to the boot record. In the case of linux/unix dual boots, the Windows partition is no longer marked active, hence the failure.
When I turn off or shut down my laptop, it's so slow, it took 5 to 10 minutes. So, what should I do?
Thanks for the tip. You saved my life.
I accidentally made a second partition active (and yes I ignored the warning when I did it for some reason). Now, Vista won't boot and I followed your instructions above but it doesn't see the existing Vista install, only the disc install in the D: drive.
I don't mind having to do a re-install, if needed, but I do have about 4 gig of data not backed up.
Thanks,
Mark
Hello,
OK I will try to explain this. First off, I am running Vista Home Premium 32.
I bought and installed a new 1tb Sata 2 HD which I formatted and was working perfectly (K drive). It is purely for gaming and nothing else. I was installing a game for my daughter to the new drive and was away from the computer when I heard that dunt sound for a crash or error box. I looked and the computer was rebooting, which was normal. Well, it loaded to where it says something about NVRAM, then went to a black screen with a cursor in the upper, right corner of screen. It has been that way every time I try to boot the system up now. I tried to clear the NVRAM via Bios and when it reboots it says checking NVRAM, then something fails and goes to the evil cursor.
My main boot hard drive was C: and, as this is a system with the Vista disc for recoveries, etc., on it (came with no cd was pre-installed from JB Hi Fi), the drive was broken into two parts: C: has operating system on it and D: has the recovery, etc., things on it.
I have done a lot to try and figure this out. It started yesterday I wasn't at the PC, but was installing a game for my little girl and heard the error sound. I looked and the system was rebooting, which was fair enough. Well, after it got to the NVRAM, it went to a black screen with a flashing cursor in the upper left of the screen and that is where it stayed. I left it for 20 minutes or more and no change. From there, I tried a couple more times to boot and the same thing happened. I went into DEL (Bios) screen to make sure everything was in order. My C: drive was the first to load, then it was the DVD, then removable stuff which is the way it always has been.
I checked advanced and both my hard drives show up as well as the DVD, etc. The new drive is a Sata 2 and the old one was sata. I didn't get a Vista 32 DVD with my unit. I had to get my daughter's mom's copy of Vista 32 Home Premium.
I can boot the DVD. I can get to the options to system recovery, etc., but if I click any of them, they do not work saying I am missing a hard drive or DVD etc. I can use the command line feature in the system recovery. I can do a CHKDSK, but I can't do CHKDSK c:/r or /f. It said I don't have permission. Also, in the recovery tool, etc., when it says I am missing something, I can browse or rescan. I browse and it's very odd. Neither of my hard drives are there nor is my DVD. Instead of C: or D: etc., it's X:Sources. I have no X drive.
I opened it and see folders like Program Files and Windows, etc., but none have what the recovery wants. So, basically System recovery isn't detecting my operating system or either of my hard drives and I wonder if it even reads the Vista DVD after I get to that point as I am sure there are the missing items I need on it. It feels to me like there is some sort of conflict going on, but no clue why it would be. I have disabled the new hard drive and even disconnected it to see if the main one would boot to windows but sadly, no. I disconnected the old hard drive to try and install Vista on the new one but the same thing happens. When I'm at the prepare screen of the install, it says I am missing a hard drive or a DVD etc., and to browse etc. Of course, I made the new one the master before the install attempt. So, in short, Bios sees everything correctly, the drive size, etc., but beyond Bios, nada. DEL (bios) and F12 work. No other F keys work while booting, so, no safe mode, etc. While booting, I get no errors that show unless I set the NVRAM to clear itself from Bios then it says when I reboot, Checking NVRAM Update Failed. Then, off to the black screen again.
I have read through a ton of forums and got bits and pieces of info, such as the boot might be corrupted and to use the Vista DVD, which don't help. It won't let me recover, etc. I can use the command console part, though I just don't know any commands and no site seems to have much info for me there either. I know my drives are fine and the new one was just a few hours old. They, as I said, both show up in Bios and are in the correct booting order. I am not using raid anything so it's not that either.
More or less, this is how I see it. I need to fix this using the recovery console part of system recovery on the Vista 32 DVD or do something in bios that I missed. Either way, I am clueless at this point. I am 100% sure it's a software issue not hardware. I have a feeling when the new drive went in and I quick formatted it as instructed as it was new, when the system rebooted, it got confused or something.
Any help is most welcome. This is driving me insane.
Originally, I have a Windows XP running in a partition in one hard disk. I have 3 partitions. I decided to install Ubuntu 10.10 on one of the partitions. Now, I have removed Ubuntu, but I can't boot Windows anymore. What should I do?
Help me please. All my files are in Windows XP.
This is priceless, been looking on how to remedy this mbr problem and looks like I've already found a very interesting solution. Thanks for the tips.
I don't know how to thank you. I have a trip to europe and so much to do. the instructions you gave worked perfectly for me and i didn't even have a full version of the windows xp disk (all i had was the update version of windows) but it worked and so glad you have the pictures so i could know if where i was going was correct step by step. all i can say is i owe you a fine dinner. email me for retrieval. THANK YOU.
this worked great. thank you thank you thank you !!
What can i do if i have there isn’t a cd crive on my laptop ??
Thanks for the great post. You saved my life. excellent/.
Thanks Aseem, that is a great help. I just seen ‘MBR error 2′, when i just restarted my pc everything was ok until i used Acronis True Image Home (2009) this morning to create a safe zone and I looks like that was doing its own partitioning, that must where my problem originated from.
Hi, Been having a BOOT problem as PC will only start in REPAIR mode but will not located VISTA on system. I ran the bootrec.exe /rebuild command and the system returned no VISTA installations found – file system corrupted – can you help?
you are the reason I want to go to school for computer science! Thank you so much!!! I had to visit your site via mobile phone because my computer wouldn’t start up after it went into hybernate. then the disk thing happened when I did a hard shutdown.. so I reinstalled vista.. and the same thibg happened again. you definitely saved me because I was on craigslist looking for a new comouter and decided to google to see if there was a fix. Thank again! ***** 5 star rating :-D