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From: Pegasus [MVP] on 1 Aug 2010 02:06


"Ant" <ant(a)zimage.comANT> wrote in message
news:2radncSywNqEmcjRnZ2dnUVZ_qIAAAAA(a)earthlink.com...
> Hello.
>
> I think I screwed up my old HDD's bootup setup on an old Dell Optiplex
> GX280 test PC. I was trying to install three different 32-bit Windows
> onto this machine for testing purposes. It is a single boot setup and
> not dual/triple boots as well.
>
> IIRC, this is what happened... I had slipstreamed Windows XP Pro. SP2/3
> (forgot which one) installed in C: drive and made a Symantec Ghost image
> (use its boot CD-R) of it D: drive. Then, I accidently installed either
> Vista or Windows 7 into D: drive (was supposed to be in C: drive!) so my
> PC thinks I am dual booting which I did not want to do! I need to undo/fix
> this, but I think I made it worse as I tried to fix this!
>
> I tried to restore XP back to C: with my Ghost image backup, but the
> dual boot was still there! I tried restoring Vista/W7, but that didn't
> help either. I also tried clean reinstalling XP form its setup CD
> (booted from PC's bootup) into C: from scratch, but it didn't fix the
> problem. I tried booting up XP Pro. SP2 CD's recovery console to use
> fixmbr.exe \Device\HardDisk0 on the drive based on
> http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/bootcons_fixmbr.mspx
> instructions and rebooted, but that didn't work either (same problem).
> Maybe I did it wrong? I have never used it before, but then I never had to
> fix/undo multi-boot setup before.
>
> What am I missing and how do I have PC just boot to pure Windows that is
> installed on the current C: drive? I knew I should had been more careful
> with installation (C: and not D:). Do I have to do a full clean format on
> the computer? I don't want to lose Dell recovery partition/drive (don't
> have its original recovery discs for it either) too. :(
>
> Thank you in advance. :)
> --
> "I'm not afraid of insects taking over the world, and you know why? It
> would take about a million ants just to aim a gun at me, let alone fire
> it. And you know what I'm doing while they're aiming it at me? I just sort
> of slip off to the side, and then suddenly run up and kick the gun out of
> their hands." --Jack Handy from Saturday Night Live
> /\___/\ Phil./Ant @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
> / /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
> | |o o| |
> \ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
> ( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
> Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

To force WinXP to boot off partition C:, you must launch diskmgmt.msc, then
mark drive C: as active. You may then have to boot into Recovery Console
mode and run these commands:
- fixboot
- fixmbr
- bootcfg /rebuild
A general remark. You write " I was trying to install three different 32-bit
Windows onto this machine for testing purposes" and "I don't want to lose
Dell recovery partition/drive (don't have its original recovery discs for it
either)". When you wish to experiment you use a separate disk but never a
disk that holds irreplaceable things. Disks are cheap!

From: Ant on 2 Aug 2010 16:30
> You need to use the BOOTSECT.EXE program which you should have in the
> BOOT directory of your Wind7 DVD. You do this from a command window:
>
> BOOTSECT /nt52 c:
>
> to restore the XP single boot up sector

OK, I restored XP Pro. SP2 from its Ghost image to the drive (weird, it
restores to D: [that doesn't seem right]). I rebooted to 32-bit W7 DVD's
repair's cmd.exe and did "BOOTSECT /nt52 c:". I rebooted again and it
worked. Although, the drive letters are wrong. I will have to fix that.
I hope I don't screw it up more again (C: became D:, D: became C:). I
have backup of Ghost images just in case. Hopefully, restoring all my
images and booting each one up works correctly.
--
"There are things in the Universe billions of years older than either of our races. They are vast, timeless, and if they are aware of us at all, it is as little more than ants and we have as much chance of communicating with them as an ant has with us. We know. We've tried and we've learned that we can either stay out from underfoot or be stepped on. They are a mystery and I am both terrified and reassured that to know that there are still wonders in the Universe, that we have not explained everything. Whatever they are, Miss Sakai, they walk near Sigma 957 and they must walk there alone." --G'Kar - Mind War
/\___/\ Phil./Ant @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.
 | 
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