Boot from a boot disk containing FDisk and use the command  'fdisk /mbr'
As far as I'm aware, this will rewrite the master boot record (there are 2,
in case of this sort of emergency) and may enable you to reboot normally.

However, using fdisk /mbr can have it's dangers.  If you can get on the net
on another machine, I suggest you go to www.cknow.com/vtutor/vtfdiskmbr.htm
to see what you should check for before you use it.

Ian Porter
Computer Guys
Arrowtown
New Zealand
[log in to unmask]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Johnson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2002 7:01 PM
Subject: [PCBUILD] File Recovery from Corrupted Drive


> Calling all data recovery experts.....
>
> What are your suggestions to recover data files from a hard drive with
> missing/corrupted partition table, boot sector, FATs and root directory?
>
> The drive still works and the files are probably all there. It's a
> 4.55Gb Quantum Bigfoot with, as far as I know, a single FAT32 partition.
>
> I have tried unsuccessfully to recover the drive with Norton Disk
> Doctor. I can read the data on the drive with Norton Diskedit and
> similar programs. But I can't retrieve any files. DOS and Windows can't
> access the drive at all, and Diskedit just shows five gobbledygook
> filenames in the root directory and no directory entries. I'm dreading
> the huge job of searching out and piecing together files using just a
> sector editor...Ugghh!!
> I've tried three other programs which claim to recover files in these
> sorts of circumstances. None of them worked. There must be a way...What
> is it???
>
> Cheers
> --
> Kevin Johnson
> [log in to unmask]
>
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>               Mandrake Linux or Red Hat Linux CD sets along
>          with our NOSPIN Power Linux CD...  at a great price!!!
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>

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