MBR Error 3?

[NooNoo]

If the partitions become inexcessable then excuse me there gone, wiped, inexcessable whatever there still not going to reapear ... using FIXMBR is not the best utility to use.....

accessing partitions whose visibility has been masked by rebuilding an mbr is very simple and there are plenty of free utilities to do it. Inaccessible does not mean wiped, never has done, never will do.

[NooNoo]

MS says using FIXMBR can cause the other partitions to become inexcessable
its not the utility to use plane and simple, Using System Restore or Chkdsk are my suggestions if you want to save your data!!!

OK how do you rebuild an mbr then using chkdsk?

[shamus]

OK how do you rebuild an mbr then using chkdsk?

Or Sytem Restore?

[NooNoo]

OMG/Daffy CHKDSK does NOT rebuild the MBR. Chkdsk uses the partition tables and FAT or MFT (NT equivalent) to do the check. Where is the partition table? In the MBR. So if your MBR is corrupt chkdsk /f will merrily report all these lost clusters and chains and turn your entire hard disk into FILE00n.chk files. Chkdsk /r looks for and remaps bad sectors.

If you want to run chkdsk, then run it first without any parameters to get a list of errors. Then the errors can be accounted for and the most effective course of action decided.

[shamus]

NooNoo:

The persons computer boots the second HD has been swapped between two computers IMHO the second HD MBR is the one thats become corrupted thus CHKDSK would be my preference on fixing this insodence.

Did you actually read what Noo posted? CHKDSK will not fix or repair a corrupted\damaged MBR. Plain and simple. If you or OMG have knowledge of it being possible, I would really like see some links to information that supports it.

[shamus]

Yes in fact using FIXMBR will not rebuild the MBR it rewrites the MBR I've seen it render computers unbootable. and no I've no idea who OMG is, this is suppose to be a support forum not a gang on others that try to help.

No gang up here. Look, rewriting the MBR is the same as rebuilding it...just a matter of symantex. Bottom line, it gets replaced. This is a support forum and posting misinformation is not going to help anybody. You and OMGmissinglink keep insisting about CHKDSK being the only way to safely fix MBRs and that is simply wrong.You still haven't posted anything that proves your point.

[shamus]

No gang.... what is it you call assuming that I've got any part of OMGmissinglink's posts!!! and apparently the persons computer does not have the problem on booting issues thus there is no reason to run FIXMBR... MS even cautions using FIXMBR !! the second Hard disk they swaped between computers thus the second drive size is being miss reported... per the persons post... thus chkdsk with the correct commands can fix the problem without taking risks on making the computer unbootable or partitions not accessable.

Whatever.
I'll wait for Noo to wade in on this but I personally would not advise anyone to take your advice.
Your wrong.

[MobilePCPhysician]

Wow. I'm raising my rates. Plus, I'm calling DriveSavers, and getting my commision raised.

When the Noo speaks, she most often speaks the truth.

Giving info that is wrong on a forum is not always bad, but if it results in data loss, then some intervention is required...

[Spoot]

Basic troubleshooting steps (Impatient? Scroll to the end ):

First you need to figure out what's wrong. This bit usually takes between 60% and 90% of your time.

In my case, I got an error message. Something about mbr 3. Always google this stuff, usually fixes the problem or gives clues.

Then to fixing. Go by the 7 layers of the OSI model
Application
Presentation
Session
Transport
Network
Data Link
Physical

Yep, 3 years of networking means I know that off the top of my head. Sad but true

Starting at the bottom, work up through all the connections in and out of the case. You'd be surprised as how many problems are caused by 5 years of dust buildup (you DO clean your case every Christmas, right?) If you're dusting, make your catchphrase non-static. Radiators are a good way of getting rid of static, but a general rule is never stick your hand in there, you're a walking battery full of lightning and therefore harmful to ESD sensitive bric-a-brak.

After you've cleaned out your case of dust and gnomes (look up welsh folklore on machines, they reckoned each machine had a gremlin that needed to be kept happy. Might not be wrong ), swap the ends of your SATA cables. Worked for me, fixed an MBR error somehow... Most cables can have their ends swapped. If you have fresh spares, all the better. Clean off the ends carefully seeing as you've gone to the trouble of disconnecting stuff. Now put the whole thing back together, grab some 4 leaf clover and a pinch of salt and turn it on again.

No sparks? Good. If you're problem still aint fixed, then you at least know it's more than likley a software issue. In such cases, a cool beverage is advisable, although evenings tend to call for tea and biccies. If you start to feel a bit headache, hold the fleshy bit of your hand (the bit at the join of where your thumb meets your hand) between your left thumb and finger. This is one of those reflexology things that supposedly cures headaches.

Now that you've saved a few pennies on asprin, you can probably afford to upgrade any faulty parts. If you do get back to your desktop, update your virus defs, run spybot/adaware et al. and do a virus scan.

Then do that backup you've been putting off. If you're any persuasion religious nut like myself (don't worry, the ATF and I get along just fine), say a thank you prayer to Saint Isidore of Seville (http://www.scborromeo.org/saints/isidores.htm )

So to sum up, before you go firing commands into a DOS line, clean your computer out and make sure the cables and interfaces (techy for sockets) are all dust and grime free.

[biotheif]

Hey buddi i bow down to yer knowledge except the reflexology bit lol im a sports and holistic therapist and its acupunture points for pain relef however gettin drunk and dealin with the problem seems to work well lol cheers for the advice fella