Question about function after reading manual

No, WinXP will not replace it, mainly because without a working MBR, Windows will never be able to boot!

Roughly, the sequence for booting Windows NT/2K/XP goes like this:

1. Power on.
2. The CPU starts executing the BIOS code (contained in a little EEPROM) on the motherboard.
   .
3. The BIOS code searches for bootable devices (diskette, CD/DVD, USB, HD, or even the network). The sequence is determined by how you configure the BIOS).
   .
4. If a HD is found, the BIOS checks if it contains a Primary partition. And if the Primary is Active. If both are true, it reads the MBR from the Primary & Active partition into memory and transfers control to this "unknown" code.
   
   Normally, the MBR is created by Windows during the initial partitioning and contains a micro-sized program specifically made by Microsoft and for Windows.
   .
5. The Windows MBR locates the start of the Primary & Active partition, and loads yet another piece of boot code - the Partition Loader - this time somewhat bigger than the MBR code.
   
   Note: This means that each partition have its own boot program, e.g. one program for booting Windows, one program for booting Linux (LILO, GRUB), etc.
   .
6. The Windows Partion Loader knows how to read both FAT and NTFS partitions, and locates ntldr on the Primary & Active partition.
   .
7. ntldr in turn loads boot.ini and presents you with the boot menu. This is where you can press F8 for Safe Mode, ....
   .
8. Based on your choice, ntldr reads the corresponding entry in boot.ini and now knows
   
   1) which controller,
   2) which disk on that controller,
   3) which partition on the disk on that controller, and
   4) which directory in the partition on the disk on the controller
   
   that contains the Windows installation you want to boot.
   .
9. And now the fun starts: ntldr loads ntoskrnl.exe which loads hal.dll and many, many other programs.

If ANYTHING is this long sequence is not working, well .....
Repairing (or rather: Re-installing) the Windows MBR can be done from the Windows Recovery Console on your Windows CD.

But if you have done "weird" stuff like installing Acronis Secure Zone Manager (which replaces the standard Windows MBR with an Acronis one), then SZM is gone. Or if you have installed Acronis OS Selector which employs similar tricks, then that is gone too. Or if you have installed a LILO or GRUB Linux loader. Or ....

 

Hi Minimax,

That's quite clear and interesting. Thanks for the education!

 

Minimax - Hi, is it possible to backup critical files as mentioned above by you for possibility to restore them if anything from your listing steps is corrupted ?

I remember that Norton utilities had some recovery diskettes that backup some of them (+ fat tables ...) but free solution will be appreciated.

 

I *know* there are tools to save partition table info as "ordinary files", but I have not used such tools. I think BootIT NG has such a tool.

The system files (ntldr, ntdetect.com, hal.dll) are on your Windows CD if you need them, but they might be outdated versions, so I would prefer to backup the real ones from the hard disk.

As for copying, all these files are ordinary files (although some of them might be flagged as Hidden and/or System), so they can be copied by any normal Windows tool. If you want to automate the process, create a CMD-file and use XCOPY to copy them to a diskette. Something like this should do:

Code:

@echo off

echo Please insert diskette in drive A:
pause

xcopy C:\ntldr A:\ /H
xcopy C:\ntdetect.com A:\ /H
xcopy C:\boot.ini A:\ /H
.....

Or why not try the new favourite on the block: Karen's Replicator

 

That is indeed a VERY dangerous assumption. I know of NO ONE who reads a manual for software before installing and using it. The manual is generally a place to go if you encounter a problem. It seems to me to be a case of CYA. You can say that the customer was warned because it's "in your manual". You know very well that no one reads the manuals. If an application is so complicated and problem-ridden that an end user must read the manual before using it then I'd say that application has serious problems and should not be recomended.

That's just my humble opinion

 

I read the manual for everything I buy - software (including games), appliances, hardware, automobiles, firearms, etc. Not reading the manual is irresponsible at best and can result in any number of problems and difficulties. I find it very dangerous to assume one need not read a manual.

 

You are a rare and unique individual, Detox. I applaud you for your dilligence. However, I don't think most of us have the time to read a manual (especially a poorly written one) just to use a backup program that ought to be self-explanitory. I'm convinced that if you were to poll users on this forum you'd find you were in about 1% of all and that the other 99% don't read them and hope they never have to.