Boot Sector Problem

[kmmcdanie]

I have a boot sector that continues to become corrupted every time I reboot. If I run recovery console it lists the windows partion as

F:/Windows

I don't know how or why it became F: instead of C: but if I go ahead and choose 1. and go into recovery and run fixboot the machine boots fine into windows. But as soon as I reboot it fails to boot again.

I tried to enter fixboot c: but it says that there is no floppy or cd in the drive. Somehow the drive letters are all jumbled.

Any idea what may be causing this to happen and how to resolve it?

Thanks!
Kathleen

 

[johnodq]

Try using FIXMBR instead, fixboot does not repair the MBR.



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Johnodq
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[bcastner]

Do you have a removable drive, such as a Zip drive?

 

[linney]

You may need to build a boot sector on your C drive (copy ntldr, ntdetect.com & boot.ini to it). These are hidden and system files

responsible for booting XP.

100323 - Intel x86-Based System Boot Sequence and Files

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;100323&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

326683 - Drive Letters Change Unexpectedly When You Install Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;326683&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

304776 - Windows Setup Detects an Installed Zip Drive as a Hard Disk

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304776&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

HOW TO: Change Drive Letter Assignments in Windows XP (Q307844)

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307844&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

thread779-274165

Thread779-197666

"Changing the drive letter of the system volume or the boot volume is not inherent to Disk Management.
Many MS-DOS-based and Windows-based programs make references to a specific drive letter (for example, environment variables). If

you modify the drive letter, these programs may not function correctly."


How to Use System Files to Create a Boot Disk to Guard Against Being Unable to Start Windows XP (Q314079)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q314/0/79.asp

Q305595 - HOW TO: Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q305/5/95.asp

 

[kmmcdanie]

Yes I do have a removeable drive, it's a Buslink USB drive and that was the drive that was originally the F: drive. I also have a usb memory reader that is drive G:

I suspect that what is happening on reboot is that it is trying to reboot from the buslink drive which is not longer installed and was not bootable anyway. Fixboot seems to set it right again but upon rebooting it reverts back.

I did not change any drive letters manually but let windows designate one for each device as normal.

I will have to take a look at the links you have provided to try and see if I can rebuild the boot sector.

Thank you very much for the help you have provided so far.
Kathleen