Windows XP wont boot - MBR problem?

[makaio]

Hello all. I had Windows Xp pro installed on my computer, and then i decided to make a 2nd partition to install redhat linux 8. I set it up to dual boot, and i used LILO as my boot manager. Instead of installing linux to boot from /boot on the partition, i installed it into the mbr. I realize now i shouldnt have done this. Well, i decided to delete linux off of my system. I deleted the linux partition, along with the swap partition it made, and then boot partition it made. So i deleted all 3 of them, leaving the windows xp partition as the only partition left, like before. I restarted my puter, and now windows xp will not boot. I get part of linux still booting up, not finding the LILO boot manager. I get this prompt: GRUB> I have tried the windows xp recovery console, using the fixmbr command, and fixboot command. I also used the fdisk /mbr command from an old windows startup disk. Now that i have used those commands, I get an error finding operating system printout to the screen. The GRUB> prompt is gone now. Nothing has worked so far. Any suggestions? Please, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Matt

[makaio]

The error i receive on the screen is "error loading operating system", as previously indicated.

I use and IDE drive, not SCSI. This is most definitely not a hardware problem.

I use Norton Antivirus 2003 - with Norton Internet Security.

The problem occured when I deleted RedHat Linux 8 off my system using PQ Magic.

I deleted the linux partition, along with the two other ones Linux needs to correctly operate - the swap and boot partition.

I did not need to restart my puter when I deleted these. PQMagic did this automatically. When I did restart, that is when I got the GRUB> prompt.

I used the Recovery Console with Windows XP, and used the fixmbr command and fixboot C:

I restarted again, and no GRUB> prompt. Now I get the error "Error Loading Operating System", and thats as far as it gets.

This occurs right after the POST, but never gets to the Windows XP screen, because it does not know where to look for the boot files at.

If anyone needs more information, or details, I would be more than happy to give them. I have worked with these kind of problems on previous OS's, just not Windows XP, so I am very familiar with terms that are used. Specifics are ok, lol. Thanks.

[swoolgrove]

Hi Makaio, have you tried using an XP bootdisk from

http://www.bootdisk.com

it has a newer version of fdisk. Then try
fdisk /mbr

Good luck

Steve

[makaio]

Steve,

Thanks for the advice. It worked! I downloaded xpboot.exe, and made a floppy disk from it. I used the fdisk /mbr that came with it, and next thing you know, my computer was booting windows xp again with no problems. Must be a new version, although I dont know why fixmbr with the xp recovery console didnt work. But at least its workin. Thank u very much.

Matt