# i need to restore windows mbr



## bigstick (Feb 25, 2011)

OK i will be installing windows xp tomorrow and i don't know if it would automatically write over ubuntu mbr during the installation as i only installed xp 1 time

i fixed the same problem yesterday but forgot exactly what i was reading as i was sleepy but i did it from ubuntu 9.10 cd live and i couldn't download the package i needed because of some windows intellectual property rights dispute with linux

well i think i did something along the lines of restoring lilo boot loader and then downloading/installing the ms-sys manually

sudo apt-get install lilo
sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr

i forgot how to download and install the ms-sys

http://www.ubcd4win.com/contents.htm

should i use this bloated live CD with mbrfix under the partition section?


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## 1002richards (Jan 29, 2006)

Hi,
This shows how to fix mbr using an XP disc:
http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/fix-mbr-xp-vista/

Is that what you're looking for?

Richard


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

> OK i will be installing windows xp tomorrow and i don't know if it would automatically write over ubuntu mbr during the installation ...


Yes, it will. Microsoft does not acknowledge the existence of any operating system that does not have "Windows" in its name. (Maybe MS-DOS is an exception.)


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## bigstick (Feb 25, 2011)

1002richards said:


> Hi,
> This shows how to fix mbr using an XP disc:
> http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/fix-mbr-xp-vista/
> 
> ...


yep thats what i needed but then this happened after pressing r in the setup

Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.

Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected
to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is
correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic
or setup program.

Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3

sorry i have 2 threads up on this now, somehow they become the same problem

http://forums.techguy.org/linux-unix/983168-there-any-explanation-why-ubuntu.html#post7832150


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

If a Xp installation disc cannot see the hard disk the most common fault would be the Xp has no SP3.

Older Xp installation discs need a driver to see any Sata disk. The message is displayed at the bottom of the screen when the CD is loaded. MS later in the SP3 package added the necessary Sata drivers

*Cure:*

Just get any later Xp installation that has SP3 or make a new XP installation by streaming the SP3 package into one that does not have it.

Another alternative is to use a Win7 or Vista installation DVD which can fix MBR for both Vista/Win7 and Xp/Win2k.

*Comments :*

As far as I know no official Linux boot loader does the restoration of a MS system MBR as the program is proprietary. However that does not stop some Live CDs like SystemRescue CD or Grub4Dos from offering such a facility.

MS system from Dos to Xp share a common MBR which boots whatever of the 4 primary partition that has the booting flag switched on. One can use this feature to boot a primary that has nothing but a Linux boot loader!


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## bigstick (Feb 25, 2011)

I opened up control panel/system/general and it says i have xp professional version 2002 SP3 and this iso is a VLK distribution copy.

I don't know? Iv installed it on a asus tower over a knoppix installation/hard drive installation.

I'm also getting no prompt to ''press any key to boot disk drive'' i really don't understand this one as this happened right after i had ubuntu running live and i walked away from the computer but it restarted some how and loaded the other ubuntu from the hard drive. i didn't edit anything in live CD.

After that happened its been having problems loading prompt to boot from cd, it doesn't show up? like its being skipped and goes straight to the hard drive boot?

No matter how i arrange the boot settings in bios it still happens


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## bigstick (Feb 25, 2011)

OK knoppix fixed it! Luckily i already had knoppix 6.2 i just had to dig it up.

followed these simple instructions

http://blog.jonadair.com/2007/11/knoppix-rescues-windows-again.html

ran this command live

ms-sys -m /dev/sda

and knoppix wins again !!

THANK YOU KNOPPIX !!

and thanks for all your suggestions, i learned allot threw this ordeal


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