Forums

Malwareteks :: Forums :: Help and Guidelines :: Knowledge Base		<< Previous thread \| Next thread >>
Restoring the Master Boot Record (MBR)


Moderators: ShadowPuterDude, Greg, D3m3nt3d, Brandon, Vmarm, peterparker, siljaline, jholland1964, TurcoLoco, Windsor, JeanInMontana, KZ, RatHat, Jason Amison, MrCharlie	This thread is now closed

Author

Post

ShadowPuterDude

Mon May 08 2006, 05:55PM

...the Shadow knows

Registered Member #1

Joined: Thu Apr 27 2006, 04:52PM
Location: Northern NY
Posts: 217
Thanked 10 times in 10 posts

This is a Self-Help Procedure. MalwareTeks is in no way liable for anything which may go wrong.

Restoring the MBR

Please print out these instructions so that you can operate with All Browser Windows CLOSED.

You must repair the MBR if it becomes corrupted and you can no longer access any volumes on that disk.

Use the Recovery Console. You can use the fixmbr command in Recovery Console to repair the MBR. You can start Recovery Console by booting from the Windows XP Professional operating system CD; so this troubleshooting method is available even if Windows XP Professional does not start in normal or safe mode. However, you cannot use Recovery Console to repair partition tables that were damaged by viruses or other corruption.

Using the Recovery Console to Replace the MBR

You can use the fixmbr command in Recovery Console to rewrite the MBR to resolve a corrupted MBR on a startup disk. However, running fixmbr overwrites only the master boot code, leaving the existing partition table intact. If the corruption in the MBR affects the partition table, running fixmbr might not resolve the problem.

Caution

Use this command with care because it can damage your partition table if any of the following apply:
- A virus is present and a third-party operating system is installed on the same computer.
- A nonstandard MBR is installed by a third-party disk utility.
- A hardware problem exists.
It is recommended that you run antivirus software before you use the fixmbr command.

To start the computer and use the Recovery Console to replace the MBR

1. Insert the Windows XP Professional Setup CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.

2. Restart the computer. If prompted to press a key to start the computer from the CD-ROM, press the appropriate key.

3. When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts. Press the R key to repair a Windows XP Professional installation.

4. If you are repairing a system that has more than one operating system installed, from the Recovery Console choose the Windows XP Professional installation that you need to repair.

Note

If you press ENTER without typing a number, the Recovery Console quits and restarts the computer.
The Recovery Console might also show valid installations of Windows NT 4.0. However, the results of attempting to access a Windows NT 4.0 installation can be unpredictable.

5. When prompted, type the Administrator password. If you do not have the correct password, or if the security database for the installation of Windows XP Professional you are attempting to access is corrupted, Recovery Console does not allow access to the local disks and you cannot repair the MBR.

6. To replace the MBR, at the Recovery Console command prompt, type:

fixmbr

Verify if you want to proceed. Depending upon the location and the cause of the corruption within the damaged MBR, this operation can cause the data on the hard disk to become inaccessible. Press the Y key to proceed, or press the N key to cancel.

"Only those who fail greatly can ever achieve greatly" - Robert F. Kennedy
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Consumer Security (2007-2008)
Member - Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals - Since 2006
Linux Registered User # 363218


Jump: Back to top