Booting problem **URGENT - still no solution :(**

[vm]

ugh, what a bad night...

I'll (try to) be brief:


-I reboot my computer


-It then says it can't boot from my HD ("INSERT SYSTEM DISK")


-After swearing alot and trying to figure the problem out, I get my XP CD and try to re-install the OS. Setup copies the file, I reboot, it still displays the same message.

-More swearing. I format my C: drive...run setup again, reboot, same message.

-I try another HD i had months ago, XP is on it...still won't boot.

-By chance i find a bios backup, I install that... this time it it works.

-I install XP, works fine

-I reboot, and it STILL says "INSERT SYSTEM DISK"

-I put in my XP CD back in and that time it boots in XP

-I run Norton Antivirus 2002, it doesn't find any viruses


In resume: I can't boot back into my OS without having my XP CD in the drive, so that leads me to believe i have a boot sector virus somewhere in my memory, but AV didn't detect it...i have no idea what to do now.

what is the solution to this? I think i have to check for viruses from a bootable diskette right?

any help would be appreciated.

thanks

 

[SnowPunk98]

First off

<< After swearing alot >>

lol... moving on first I would go into your BIOS make sure your HDD is the first boot option, load the fail safe defaults then make sure HDD is first give that a shot if not and you wanna hit your MBR up type format /mbr or fdisk /mbr I cant remember its late

 

[vm]

Done and done.

what would /mbr do? I know it means master boot record, but would i have to format or anything?

answer from a friend " the boot record (mbr = master boot record) is basicly a VERY tiny partition...fdisk /mbr replaces the curent on eon the HD with the one you just booted with (boot disk)"

 

[vm]

I used my win2k booting diskette, did fdisk /mbr, rebooted, and it did the same thing :/

 

[bacillus]

boot with the xp cd & do a repair. sounds like you need the fixboot command!

 

[vm]

I tried that earlier, it asks for the "Repair diskette", which i don't have...

and I tried booting from the HD i haven't used in a month earlier too, it did the same thing. so it's probably a boot virus that's loaded in my memory..problem is both McAfee and Norton Antivirus don't even detect it..

 

[RSI]

Do you have the latest virus definition updates? If not, then don't even bother running antiviruses, as an outdated one is as good as none at all.

-RSI

 

[vm]

Yes I do, i ran Live Update twice just to make sure...

does NAV and McAfee both detect ALL viruses, even the ones attached to my memory?

If so I have no idea what the hell is the problem here...it can't be the MBR since I tried that other HD which worked fine just 1 month ago..

maybe a problem with my motherboard?

 

[vm]

<< boot with the xp cd & do a repair. sounds like you need the fixboot command! >>



I tried fixboot and it still does the same thing.

edit: fixmbr didn't fix it either.


UGH

 

[vm]

ttt

 

[Cosmo3]

Please give specs on your system so we can help you. We need to know what motherboard and cpu and are they new had you used them before? Also what cards do you have installed, and in what slots. If you give this info maybe we can help.

 

[vm]

I don't see what my hardware has to do with this problem but..

epox 8kta3
1.1 ghz tbird
ethernet card
sb live
gf2

slots: doesn't matter at all..

i've had this system for almost a yr.

 

[Cosmo3]

Ok this is a shot in the dark but have you tried removing cards one at a time to see if this fixes it? The first one I would try is the network card as they have problems on lots of motherboards and opperating systems. Try that to see if it works and you may have to set the IRQs manually to get around the problem.

 

[vm]

Didn't work.

i've used the exact same computer for a while, to the exception of my master hard drive, and that one was an exact copy of the HD i had used for months before that...

all I did was a simple restart.

 

[Muadib]

I think you may have a bad zero sector on your hard drive, but try this. Get a windows 9x boot disk, and run fdisk/mbr, then reboot with your floppy. Once it boots to an A: prompt, run fdisk, and make sure you have 1 partition. Now delete it, then exit fdisk and reboot again. Now go back into fdisk and make sure you have no partitions. Now create one, exit fdisk, and reboot. Once you are back to the A:, do a format c:/s this will make the drive bootable. Ater it's done, removed the floppy and reboot. If you boot to a C: then you should be good, if not, then it's time for a new drive.

 

[vm]

it's not a hard drive issue...like i said 2 times, i tried another HD i used for a yr before i bought that one, and I got the same error message. It worked before I took it out a month ago.

 

[Muadib]

Did you try your drive in another pc to see if it boots? What is the boot order in your bios?

 

[vm]

I don't have 2 pc.

right now it's at

1st - HDD 0
2nd - CDROM
3rd - disabled

boot other device - enabled


i've tried different combinations...

and if i take off everything but the main HD, it says 'no system disk'


that's a sign of a boot sector virus...
i scanned with mc afee, AFG (free scanner), and Norton AV2002
they didn't detect anything...

could be a DOS only way to detect it though..but i dunno how : (

i'd had the same exact BIOS settings for the past 10 months..

 

[Muadib]

and if i take off everything but the main HD, it says 'no system disk' that's a sign of a boot sector virus...
You will also get this when the zero sector goes bad, and when you have no power to the hard drive. Disable boot other device, and change you boot order back to:
1. floppy
2. HDD 0
3. CDROM

Then write protect your boot floppy and see if you can boot to it. Did you make norton repair disks?

 

[vm]

so why does it do it with the other HD too? I guess it's sectors went bad while sitting on my desk?

no norton repair anything..just a virus check.

i don't know what you mean by booting from the floppy (as in that wouldn't prove anything. besides i don't have 6 free floppy disks right now)..i boot fine from the CD rom (that's how i can go back in XP)

 

[Muadib]

Work with me dude. I'm not saying it's the hard drive, but we have to start somewhere. The reason I want you to boot from the A: drive is to see if we can isolate the problem. By having you boot from the A: I hope to prove that your bios is set correctly and working properly.

 

[DN]

<< so why does it do it with the other HD too? I guess it's sectors went bad while sitting on my desk? >>



And if you think that then why are you so concerned with viruses -- unless you suddenly got a virus on the 2nd HD while it was sitting on your desk.. *cough*

 

[OpalFrost98GT]

I don't think it's a virus because you get the same symptom with the other drive....this rules out the zero sector also. I suspect a dead primary IDE Controller. Since you can boot from your CD and I suppose it's on the Secondary Controller...let's move the HD to to the Secondary Controller and set it to master and set the cd to slave.

 

[DN]

<< I don't think it's a virus because you get the same symptom with the other drive....this rules out the zero sector also. I suspect a dead primary IDE Controller. Since you can boot from your CD and I suppose it's on the Secondary Controller...let's move the HD to to the Secondary Controller and set it to master and set the cd to slave. >>



Correct, it's the only thing that would make sense with the information he's currently provided..

 

[Muadib]

It might be the cable, but I dont think it's the controller since it looks for the drive, and he's not getting a controller error during boot.