Problem booting after imaging, Problem booting after imaging External links Options

[bootski]

Let me first say that USB Mulitboot is incredible!

Here is my issue. I just got done imaging some Lenovo X200 tablets with Zenworks Imaging 7. They won't boot however, I just get the blinking cursor. When I have a USB key plugged in that has USB Mulitboot I can choose Boot XP from Hard Drive 1 and the OS comes up perfect! So I'm guessing my MBR is somehow looking for the wrong hard drive (hard drive 0 to boot?). Usually I can fix this problem by booting to the recovery console and running fixboot followed by fixmbr, but it is not working this time. Fixmbr just screws up the MBR even worse and then I can't even boot from USB Multiboot. Is there a way that I can edit the MBR to fix this?

[was_jaclaz]

Let me first say that USB Mulitboot is incredible!

Here is my issue. I just got done imaging some Lenovo X200 tablets with Zenworks Imaging 7. They won't boot however, I just get the blinking cursor. When I have a USB key plugged in that has USB Mulitboot I can choose Boot XP from Hard Drive 1 and the OS comes up perfect! So I'm guessing my MBR is somehow looking for the wrong hard drive (hard drive 0 to boot?). Usually I can fix this problem by booting to the recovery console and running fixboot followed by fixmbr, but it is not working this time. Fixmbr just screws up the MBR even worse and then I can't even boot from USB Multiboot. Is there a way that I can edit the MBR to fix this?

Sure there is a way to edit the MBR, in the sense of HOW.

Difficult part is finding a way to edit the MBR, in the sense of WHAT.

Some Lenovo (read IBM) notebooks often have a BIOS that use a "strange" nx240x63 CHS geometry that may be connected to the problem, more recent netbooks have SSD's originally partitioned in a "queer" manner.

Usually the blinking cursor is a consequence of a problem in the bootsector, rather than in the MBR.

I don't know how Zenworks Imaging 7 works nor how you used it (i.e. to image the drive=partition or to image the entire disk), if the first, you might have recreated a MBR with a "default" geometry of nx255x63 or maybe with a different number of hidden sectors.

Read these two threads:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=8233&hl=
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=135364

Which more or less contain all that you need to know to create a zipped file with BOTH the MBR and bootsector (to attach to your next post, so that I can have a look at them).

You can also try running TESTDISK on those systems, some hints about it's usage are given in this other thread:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=133933



jaclaz

[bootski]

Sure there is a way to edit the MBR, in the sense of HOW.

Difficult part is finding a way to edit the MBR, in the sense of WHAT.

Some Lenovo (read IBM) notebooks often have a BIOS that use a "strange" nx240x63 CHS geometry that may be connected to the problem, more recent netbooks have SSD's originally partitioned in a "queer" manner.

Usually the blinking cursor is a consequence of a problem in the bootsector, rather than in the MBR.

I don't know how Zenworks Imaging 7 works nor how you used it (i.e. to image the drive=partition or to image the entire disk), if the first, you might have recreated a MBR with a "default" geometry of nx255x63 or maybe with a different number of hidden sectors.

Read these two threads:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...ic=8233&hl=
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=135364

Which more or less contain all that you need to know to create a zipped file with BOTH the MBR and bootsector (to attach to your next post, so that I can have a look at them).

You can also try running TESTDISK on those systems, some hints about it's usage are given in this other thread:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=133933



jaclaz

jaclaz, thanks for your in depth response and help. Since I can boot the tablet into XP with my USB Multiboot thumb drive I was able to run TESTDISK and fix the MBR with the MBR Code option. The tablet will then boot into XP just fine.

ZenImaging 7 has been always been problematic for us the last few years, especially on the Lenovo tablets. We can never get an image that actually boots without some intervention on our part. Sometimes we have to login with a Live Linux CD to flag our NTFS partition as bootable and delete some other mystery partition. Other times we have to boot from an XP SP2 Cd and run chkdsk, fixboot and/or fixmbr. Each image that we create has a unique set of problems and fixes. It has motivated me to learn more about the MBR and boot sectors (I have a long way to go because I didn't understand a good portion or your reply). Thanks again for telling me about TESTDISK. I now have another tool for my boot problem toolbox.

[was_jaclaz]

It has motivated me to learn more about the MBR and boot sectors (I have a long way to go because I didn't understand a good portion or your reply).

Use the links given in these posts to "deepen" your knowledge on the topic:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...33933&st=33
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=2959&st=2
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?...c=6893&st=1
As well, my old page, if read accurately, contains some good info that can be useful even outside the "USB stick" topic:
http://home.graffiti.net/jaclaz:graffiti.n...B/USBstick.html

If you are proficient in/used to BATCH programming, reading some of my small batches:
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3191
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2362
may also give you some info/ideas.

Thanks again for telling me about TESTDISK. I now have another tool for my boot problem toolbox.

Only too happy hearing about another story of success!



jaclaz