Simple hard drive question

[JeffPr]

Where you install an operating system onto a hard drive, I am not sure the exact process, I am wondering what is installed to the MBR and where the MBR is located. Is it just a set of instructions to tell the BIOS where to find the data needed to load the operating system? I'm just wondering if I install an operating system on a hard drive, can I hook the hard drive up to another computer and have it still load the operating system, or will I run into a problem because the MBR will be different?

Do you think your friend could feed my cat? Heisenberg wasn't sure. ~ Erwin Schrodinger talking of his revolutionary paradox

 

[Blujacket]

The MBR is part of the hard drive and created when a drive is formatted and an Operating System is installed, whether MS-DOS or Windows or Linux, etc., or just the system files from a boot disk. It doesn't write anything to the BIOS.

The problem with putting a drive in a different computer is in recognizing the changed resources of the motherboard, sometimes it's as simple as running the CD that came with the motherboard after the OS loads or having it at hand when Windows asks for the various drivers.

 

[dakota81]

Yeah, the only problems you really run into when putting that harddrive into another machine is the device drivers; and in particular, the device driver for the IDE controller. To put the harddrive into another machine, before you remove it from the first, you need to go into safe mode & remove the IDE controller driver (this is a definate must do), and then you might as well just remove all the other motherboard drivers as well, but the IDE controller is the main one.

 

[SYAR2003]

Good summary found on webtopia:
MBR:
Short for Master Boot Record, a small program that is executed when a computer boots up. Typically, the MBR resides on the first sector of the hard disk. The program begins the boot process by looking up the partition table to determine which partition to use for booting. It then transfers program control to the boot sector of that partition, which continues the boot process. In DOS and Windows systems, you can create the MBR with the FDISK /MBR command.


This is also a good to have util:
Can save the MBR to a file , and restore it .

http://mbr.bigr.net/

Options:
MBRWiz - Version 1.52 for Windows XP/2K/PE November 13, 2003
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 Roger Layton

http://mbr.bigr.net

[tt]
Usage: MBRWiz [/option]
/List List MBR Entries
/Disk=# Selects the disk to use. 0 is used if not specified
/Hide=# Hides the Partition number specified by #, or * for all
/Unhide=# Unhides the Partition number specified by #, or * for all
/Active=# Activates the Partition specified by #
/Inactive=# De-activates the Partition number specified by #, or * for all
/Del=# Deletes the partition specified by #
/Wipe=# 1=Wipes the MBR, 2-Wipes the first 63 sectors of disk
/Save=x Saves the MBR to filename 'x'
/Restore=x Reads and restores the Disk MBR from filename 'x'
/ShowFile=x Shows contents of an existing MBR backup file named 'x'
/BootMenu Allows user to select an active partition from a menu
/Sort Sort MBR Entries by disk location
/IsSorted Returns 0 if MBR partitions are already sorted
/Shutdown=# 1-Forces OS shutdown, 2-Forces OS Reboot
/Result Shows Errorlevel code
[/tt]

syar