How to fix hard drive with corrupted boot sector for Windows XP

[WSW]

I have a small 3G hard drive that had served me well through the years as my test machines.

It was once used in a machine running Windows 98SE. Then it was re-partitioned with NTFS and then installed with Windows XP on another machine. Recently it was re-partitioned with FAT32 and then installed with Windows 98SE again in anther machine. Now I want to re-partintion the drive with NTFS and install Windows XP again.

This time when I tried to install Windows XP onto the drive, it failed the XP installation process. The PC will copy files from the XP CD into the hard drive. After file copy is completed, Windows XP tried to re-start the PC but it will flash a blue screen and re-start. The blue screen flash so quickly that I don't know what is the error message.

When I re-boot using the XP CD and tried to get into repair concole, it asked me for the administrator password. Since this is a new install and I don't know what administrator password the CD expects. I guessed at the administrator password 3 times and failed. The PC had to be re-booted. I still cannot complete the XP install process.

Looks like my hard drive's boot sector is corrupted. How do I clean up the hard drive's boot sector so that I can do a clean install of Windows XP?

[mike breck]

Hi WSW,

Why don't you download the Diagnostics software and Zero fill utility from the HD manufacturer's Website.

Then you can test the HD and if it passes, wipe the drive completely.

If the HD passes the tests, is wiped clean, and you still can't load XP, then the fault must lie elsewhere.

[WSW]

The hard drive is a Fujitsu drive. I did download the Diagnostic software from Fujitsu and did a zero fill to clean the drive before installing Windows XP.

The drive was wiped clean and pass drive diagnostic test.

I can go back to install Windows 98SE into the drive and have no problem with Windows 98SE. However, after I clean the drive and tried to install Windows XP, I always have this restart problem. It just stuck in a non-stop restart mode and I have to power it down to stop it.

I have installed Windows XP many times but never seen this problem. I could not figure where the problem lies.

I got a ECS socket 370 motherboard with Celeron 553 and 256MB SDRAM. This hardware runs fine with Windows 98SE. Would this hardware configuration caused my Windows XP install problem?

[rice&noodles]

I'm not sure if you want to do this but if you delete all the files off your hard disk, then install XP, it might help...

[njskatchmo]

Maybe the hard drive is just full?

[WSW]

Now I am able to get into Recouvery Console. I copied ntldr and ntdetect.com from CD to hard disk. I also did a fixmbr and fixboot.

Unfortunately the problem remains the same. When boot from hard disk, it simply flashes the XP logo screen than flashes a blue screen with error message so fast that I cannot read the content. Then the PC restarted itself.

When I was in recovery console, I checked the C drive and it is not full.

[azscary]

Could this be a bad driver or driver conflict? I understand that XP is pretty finicky over drivers. Perhaps a video card or other component went South or is having a driver conflict? Just a guess.

[mike breck]

So have you ever have XP running successfully on this system, in the past?

Did you run the XP compatiblity check on the system?

Disable automatic reboot on stop error.

Start > Control Panel > Settings > System (in the Classic-style

Start menu, Control Panel is under Settings).

Click Advanced > System And Recovery > Settings.

In the System Failure section, clear the Automatically Restart

check box, then click OK.

Now instead of rebooting, you will get get a BSOD which will give you a message which should identify the problem.

To escape from the BSOD, you'll have to hit the reset button.

You might also try reducing the hardware on the PC to the absolute minimum and seeing if that helps. You can then install the hardware back one at a time until the error occurs again.

Also check out the Hardware compatiblity list

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx

[glc]

I'd lay odds on XP not liking the bios in that old ECS board (flaky ACPI or something like that) - or the board has some flaws that only show up with XP.

[WSW]

This hard drive was used in other systems before with different motherboards and video cards. In the previous systems, I had success with both Windows 98SE and Windows XP.

The hard drive has not been used with the current ECS motherboard and video card before.

I am trying to set up a test system. The motherboard and video card are left over parts from previous projects. With this ECS motherboard I was able to install Windows 98SE into this drive. As a matter of fact it is running fine with Windows 98Se now.

I just don't understand why I have no luck with installing Windows XP nor 2000 into this drive now. Both XP and 2000 shows the same prblem, i.e. after copying files from CD into hard drive, it will restart. When it boot to the XP or 2000 logo screen, it'll do a disk consistency check, pass the check but then it will restart. It'll stuck in this restart loop for ever.

I'll take glc's advice and try the drive on another motherboard tonight. May be the drive is fine. May be my old (year 2000) ECS socket 370 card is flaky.

[WSW]

I changed to an Abit motherboard, cleaned the hard disk by zero fill and tried to re-install Windows XP. I got the same problem as the ECS motherboard. The PC just stuck in a re-start loop.

I still suspect the problem is in the boot sector of my hard disk. It bugs me that I cannot pin point the problem.

After I failed the XP installation, I go back and install Windows 98 and everything works fine with 98.

I guess the hard disk just does not like XP or 2000.

[mike breck]

Is the Abit mobo an old one as well?

It would have been helpful to see what the BSOD was saying. It may refer to ACPI.

Following on from glc's comment about ACPI, try installing W2K or XP with a Standard HAL (Standard PC).

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;299340

The OS is supposed to do it by default if it detects the mobo is not ACPI compliant - but it does no harm in forcing it to do so.

See how that affects the problem.

[WSW]

It is an old Abit BX6 motherboard.

I cleaned Windows 98 from the disk. Tried re-install Windows XP from CD. At the XP setup screen I hit F5 for the list of PC types. I selected Standard PC.

Unfortunately, as before, after XP copied files to disk, it re-boot. After the XP logo screen, again it flashes the blue screen too fast to see the exception codes. It then stuck in the re-start loop.

I also changed the SDRAM and the video card. I got the same problem.

[Haasman]

I had multiple hard drives fail and couldn't understand why until a long talk with an IBM tech support person. He stressed formating the drive with only XP or XP based tools. He also claimed that there is now an Fdisk-2.

The most recent drive I used XP to create the partition by booting from the XP CD. It has worked well.

[lglance]

try updating the bios
then use you Diagnostic software do a another zero fill
do not repartion the drive
load the xp cdrom useing the f5 key load a APIC configuation
let xp partion the drive

[janno7]

I had this problem, and I disconected my cd writter, and found it was that, it was a lite on 24 speed and a liitle pre XP, so I replaced it with an XP compatible 52 speed lite on writter and all is fine now. As was said earlier you may have to disconsect each device as I did.
Hope that helps

[dwhalen]

look at your ram xp seems to not like ram to much when it is loading the os try differnt types untill it loads and try not to use 512 or more when loading as xp seems to wine about the much ram more often then not

[Yard_Don]

If the hard drive works in 98 and does not work in XP I think it could be bios related. Turn of shadow bios etc as XP is more aggressive in memory usage.
Regarding the Administrator sometimes pressing ENTER will get you in as most people do not set their passwords.
You could also install 98 and try to upgrade it to XP rather than re-installing XP.
HTH
YD

[funguy]

hi there guys, newbie here, and was reading over the posts, by the others, regarding hd problem. well my self i got the hd problem after my sys rebooted, on its own last night. now when i try bootingup with the hd, or adding it as an extra drive, on a new drive i put on, it still reboots the puter, after the bsod goes on for a brief second. w/o this hd on, the sys run normal. is there a way to recvover data from a hd that just want to keep rebooting sys..?..anything i can do..?.,...my o.s is xp..thanks in advance funguy

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by funguy hi there guys, newbie here, and was reading over the posts, by the others, regarding hd problem. well my self i got the hd problem after my sys rebooted, on its own last night. now when i try bootingup with the hd, or adding it as an extra drive, on a new drive i put on, it still reboots the puter, after the bsod goes on for a brief second. w/o this hd on, the sys run normal. is there a way to recvover data from a hd that just want to keep rebooting sys..?..anything i can do..?.,...my o.s is xp..thanks in advance funguy

You really should start your own thread instead of hijacking a 2 year old one.

Cricket

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by Cricket You really should start your own thread instead of hijacking a 2 year old one. Cricket

Well said, Cricket. Funguy, please start your own thread in order to get proper assistance. I'm closing this one.

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