Need to reinstall Windows XP boot loader

[timmay586]

I had a dual boot with Windows XP Pro and Ubuntu Linux, but for reasons I won't go into here I decided to delete the Linux partition. I didn't think this through very well in advance, and I had my grub boot loader on the Linux partition. Now, obviously, I don't have a boot loader so I can't boot to Windows. I tried doing a repair from my Windows CD and that didn't reinstall the boot loader. Can someone tell me how to get my Windows XP boot loader back? If not, I think I should be able to reinstall Linux and grub and get back to where I started, but then how would I delete the Linux partition without having this problem?

 

[stash]

Boot into the recovery console and run FIXMBR.

 

[timmay586]

I tried that and it gave me the following message:

**CAUTION**
This computer apprears to have a non-standard or invalid master boot record

FIXMBR may damage your partition tables if you proceed

This could cause all the partition on the current hard disk to become
inaccessible.

If you are not having problems accessing your drive, do not continue.

Are you sure you want to write a new MBR?


This worried me...should I say yes anyway?

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: timmay586
I tried that and it gave me the following message:

**CAUTION**
This computer apprears to have a non-standard or invalid master boot record

FIXMBR may damage your partition tables if you proceed

This could cause all the partition on the current hard disk to become
inaccessible.

If you are not having problems accessing your drive, do not continue.

Are you sure you want to write a new MBR?


This worried me...should I say yes anyway?

That is normal after you've loaded a Linux boot loader on it..
you will proceed

 

[timmay586]

Yep that fixed it, thanks a lot!

 

[postmortemIA]

You didn't install grub loader on linux partition. if you did, then formatting it wouldn't have any effect on MBR.

 

[pcgeek11]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
You didn't install grub loader on linux partition. if you did, then formatting it wouldn't have any effect on MBR.

^^^ Yeah the GRUB had to be on the MBR for this to be an issue.

pcgeek11