MY post below is why I shouldn't write one line answers to a widely
distributed list, assuming others know what not to do. Now I'll give the
LONG VERSION.

> Alan Priol wrote:
> <big snip>
> > Still getting the same problem, so it could be in the MBR., but I don't
> > fancy running FDISK/MBR
> > And losing many GB,s of data.

You should only do the fdisk /mbr proceedure in NT 4.0 AFTER you've
protected the other logical disks on your system by making sure the rest
of the partition table is OK, and you've used a general purpose disk
sector editor as instructed below. I make a point of using a practice
floppy for safety's sake. Then you copy your corrected work to the hard
disk. THEN fdisk /mbr will restore the disk to function, and all other
logical drives are safe. What follows is a bit involved, but more
importantly, this may well be an indication that something OTHER than a
goofy NT 4.0 install is at work.

Don't just do a fdisk/mbr in NT 4 without looking at the rest of the
Master Boot Record with a general sector disk editor first. The problem
is with OTHER logical disks.

If you know enough about editing Hard Disk partition tables to use a
disk editor, look at offsets 1BE thru 1FD. Are they intact, or are they
all 0's? If you don't understand what this means, don't try editing the
MBR yourself. E-mail isn't the place to learn. Take your disk/system to
someone who is used to doing this kind of stuff.

Basically, you're problem could have started with a faulty NT install,
but it could also be more likely that something like a virus trashed
your partition table. Most viruses that do this stuff generally write
all 0's to sections of the partition tables.

First, use the NT 4.0 resource kit utility Disksave.exe to save a copy
of your MBR (Master Boot Record) to a floppy disk. Make 2 floppys. While
a part of the MBR is corrupted, it SHOULD have the partition tables of
your OTHER logical disks right.

Save one floppy in a safe place. It's insurance in case of messing up.

Now, from the FAQ:
> The best way to determine how to recover is to use a disk editor to see if the partition table entries
> are still intact. Each sector occupies 512 bytes. The first 446 bytes of sector zero contain the MBR
> boot code followed by the partition table entries, and ends with 55AA. If the partition table entries
> are still intact at offsets 1BE through 1FD, manually record their values, then write 55AA starting at
> offset 1FE. Once the signature 55AA is written the MBR boot code can be regenerated by using the
> Fdisk.exe program from MS-DOS version 5.0 or later.

That's why I said make 2 floppys. One floppy for back up, one copy as a
practice disk.
Practice your disk editor writes on the practice floppy first.

Now, from the Faq:
> If the only thing wrong with sector zero was that the last two bytes are not 55AA, this can be fixed
> with a disk editor such as Norton Diskedit. However, this message is usually indicative of something
> overwriting or destroying the entire boot sector (sector zero) including the partition table entries.

I'll assume, since you have mentioned gigabytes of data, you've backed
this up to a safe place. What gives me pause is the possibility that
something OTHER THAN NT has overwritten or destroyed the MBR. As I said
above, use the disk sector editor to see if the sections of the
partition table from offsets 1BE thru 1FD are intact. IF they're all 0's
or garbage, you've got something like a virus that's trashed your MBR.
If offsets 1BE thru 1FD are intact, then you can use fix your NT
partition table yourself using the above proceedures. Since you're
working on a floppy, you'll be able to check your work to make sure it's
right.  If you don't know how to use a disk sector editor, get someone
who is to do this and perhaps show you how.

NOW, if you've done the above correctly, you copy the "fixed" mbr from
the floppy to the hard disk, do an fdisk /mbr, and NT will still
recognise all your other logical disks.

THIS IS WHY I SHOULDN'T WRITE A SINGLE LINE MESSAGE TO THESE LISTS. I'LL
REPORT TO THE RACK IN THE MORNING.

best regards,
Jim Griffin

James E. Griffin wrote:
>
> Alan,
>
> Fortunately, running fdisk /mbr only reformats the Master Boot Record.
> The r4st of your data will still be safe.
>
> Best regads,
> Jim Griffin
>
> Alan Priol wrote:
> <big snip>
> > Still getting the same problem, so it could be in the MBR., but I don't
> > fancy running FDISK/MBR
> > And losing many GB,s of data.
> > A thought though, would adding a second HD and installing NT on it overcome
> > the problem?.
>
> --
> Prometheus was the first Beta Tester.
> Sisyphus was the Corinthian Systems Administrator.
>
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>                 PCSOFT mailing list -  http://nospin.com
>          Bob Wright:[log in to unmask] - Drew Dunn:[log in to unmask]

--
Prometheus was the first Beta Tester.
Sisyphus was the Corinthian Systems Administrator.

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