Prev: Our Wandering MSRT
Next: BSOD in tcpip6.sys under Windows XP SP3
From: John John (MVP) on 2 Oct 2008 06:37
If I were you I would restore the laptop to factory conditions and see
if the problems persist, if they do persist call Lenovo and have them
fix the laptop. If you wait until after the warranty is over this may
be a costly repair ticket!

John

g61 wrote:

> So here is my problem: Occasionally, after reboot I get "Error loading
> operating system". After that the only thing I can do is shut down the
> computer and fix the windows MBR/Boot Sector (see bellow…).
>
> I'm running a clean install of Windows XP Pro SR3 on a Lenovo T61 laptop. I
> have confirmed that in the majority of times the problem with the MBR/Boot
> Sector happens during the windows session and not necessarily upon reboot.
> When it happens there are no symptoms in windows except for when I try to run
> chkdsk, I get the following error:
>
> "The type of the filesystem is RAW.
> CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."
>
> I've had my T61 for 6 months now and I've had this problem about 15 times so
> far. Obviously this makes my T61 unstable and is becoming a major problem (I
> like to shut down the computer before taking it anywhere, and I don't really
> use Hibernate).
>
> Solving this problem is very easy and takes 3 minutes… But the Win XP CD is
> needed for the fix and I don't want to carry it around with me everywhere.
> And anyway, it's annoying and makes my T61 crippled…
>
> To fix the problem:
> 1 Change AHCI -> Compatibility in BIOS.
> 2 Boot using the Windows XP CD.
> 3 Enter the Recovery Console (press R).
> 4 "fixboot"
> 5 "fixmbr"
> 6 Restart ("exit").
> 7 Change back to AHCI in Bios.
>
> After that the computer works perfect until the next time… Things I have
> tried so far:
> 1 Installed latest Bios for T61.
> 2 Checked firmware for HD (WD Scorpio WD1600BEVS) and it's the latest.
> 3 Installed all windows updates for Windows XP and all Lenovo specific
> updates.
> 4 Installed all latest drivers for T61.
> 5 Checked computer for Viruses, malware, etc. with 6 different scanners -
> it's clean.
> 6 Updated some of the programs that I thought might be causing problems:
> Avira , PerfectDisk 2008, TrueImage Home, etc. (I am not running any special
> esoteric software, only big label popular stuff).
> 7 Checked HD with PC Doctor, WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tool and CHKDSK
> - there are no problems.
> 8 Made sure EnableBigLba in the registry is enabled (although it should not
> affect SATA drives anyway).
> 9 Disabled Lenovo's "Active Protection System" - the problem persists.
> 10 Checked MBR/Boot Sector with TestDisk analysis - there are no problems.
>
> I am out of ideas. Something is corrupting the MBR/Boot Sector occasionally
> during the windows session or upon shutdown. But I can't find why or under
> what circumstances it happens… The only thing I didn't try was a completely
> new clean system install, a thing which I REALLY don't want to do. Except for
> this problem the system is great, very stable and I'm very happy with it.
>
> Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: Our Wandering MSRT
Next: BSOD in tcpip6.sys under Windows XP SP3