I just checked (and hopefully fixed) the DATA part of the MBR, it is possible that you are in one those rare cases where the BIOS simply does not "like" NTFS.

That would be consistent with "old" FAQ#10:

http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.n...SB/USBfaqs.html

What motherboard is it?

jaclaz

You fixed my MBR was that? Did you re-upload it to the last post?

I've had a read through the FAQ#10, i've tried all of them things, except the superfloppy and zip format. As they would probably boot up. haha

i've tried endlessly messing with the BIOS configuration. but nothing

i dont even know what the motherboard is, i've tried SiS Sandra, but thats only able to get generic data including my dell service tag as a serial number (**** you dell!) i'm currently sarching for the motherboard on the internet and maybe on the dell site (but dell being so great, i can't access their site.)

Mike

sandra.txt

Edited October 9, 200817 yr by Pyrox

You fixed my MBR was that? Did you re-upload it to the last post?

yes, I attached it here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/Windows-XP-Repai....html&st=13

including (brief) instructrions.

I thought THAT was failing.

Or did you think I "fixed" it again?

I've had a read through the FAQ#10, i've tried all of them things, except the superfloppy and zip format. As they would probably boot up. haha

Well the "good" news are that most probably, even if it booted as superfloppy or zip format it wouldn't be useful for booting a NT based system as no arcpath is generated, thus it may perhaps only work as installation media.

However, let's try another way, you are running Xp, aren't you?

Two further possibilities:

1) install the Hitachi Filter Driver and use "normal" Disk management:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14292

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=21572

2) try using Swissknife:

http://www.compuapps.com/download/Swissknife/swissknife.htm

I have seen reports that in some cases Swissknife (or other utilities) worked but failed to set the partition active.

Download Beeblebrox:

http://students.cs.byu.edu/~codyb/

and use it to make sure that after using any of the utilities the "Boot" field contains 80 and not 00.

jaclaz

D'oh, i changed the hardware id for cfadisk.inf to my corsair usb drive, ( i took the first one from the list, i even added all the hardware id's) but it did not install when i did update drivers. i've attached a screenshot, it i did as was instructed by dietmar's post.

Swissknife will only format the drive as fat32, even when using dummydisk (maybe theres different results with the hitachi one? )

p.s also yeah i did think you changed the MBR again haha i mis understood sorry.

D'oh, i changed the hardware id for cfadisk.inf to my corsair usb drive, ( i took the first one from the list, i even added all the hardware id's) but it did not install when i did update drivers. i've attached a screenshot, it i did as was instructed by dietmar's post.

Swissknife will only format the drive as fat32, even when using dummydisk (maybe theres different results with the hitachi one? )

p.s also yeah i did think you changed the MBR again haha i mis understood sorry.

I cannot see the screenshot

However, once the drive is formatted as FAT32 by swissknife, can you check whther a MBR has been written to it and post it?

Same procedure using Hdhacker....

After having saved and posted the MBR, what happens if you try formatting the stick through FORMAT?

And what if you try using convert.exe?

jaclaz

Oh, i must not have pressed upload on the screenshot, nevermind.

I've attached 2 MBR's, the one after i formatted with swissnife, the other after i converted to ntfs.

I ran format and tried to format as ntfs, but it failed becuase it's removable. so i formatted it as FAT, which worked

I then ran convert.exe converted it to NTFS which i will try and boot now.

EDIT: suprise! it didn't boot :/

2_MBR_S.zip

Edited October 9, 200817 yr by Pyrox

I've attached 2 MBR's, the one after i formatted with swissnife, the other after i converted to ntfs.

Both files are not MBR's they are bootsectors.

Something has clearly failed to work.

There must be something that we overlooked.

Can you try the MKIMG/MBRBATCH ?:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5000

And post the MBR of the resulting image/stick?

jaclaz