Tech Support: Fix your PC’s boot
Try as I might I just can’t get along with Linux. It’s a great system to use, incredibly secure and becoming more user friendly with each incarnation but it lacks the programs that I have become accustomed to on a Windows system. OK, I’m sacrificing the peace of mind that my system is nigh on bulletproof but I want to use Photoshop! I want to use Dreamweaver and play the games I love. It is what I was taught on, it’s what I want from a computer.
As such I (once again) deleted my Ubuntu partition and subsequently lost access to my Windows install because of the GRUB bootloader which overrides the Windows one.
Now, in the event that you want to stay with Windows you’ll need to fix the Master Boot Record (MBR). The MBR is the starting point on the Hard Disk which gets passed to the processor that allows it to actually start up the Operating System.
If you have a Vista or 7 install disc then you simply pop it in the drive and boot the CD as though you were going to install Windows again. However rather than install Windows again and lose everything, you need to:
- Select Repair your Computer, let it scan the Disk and
- Select the Operating System you want to get back.
- Once you have found it hit Next,
- In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt then type the following commands exactly as they are written:
bootrec.exe/FixMbr
bootrec.exe/FixBoot
If you have a Windows XP disc then you follow the same methodology but:
- Type R to open the repair screen then select the OS
- If needed type the Administrator password
- When the command prompt screen appears type in FDISK.exe/Mbr
This will repair the MBR and system boot, restart the computer and you should be ready to go!
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