Backing up boot sector in XP ?

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Is there a way to do this ?

Also does fdisk work in 2000/xp ? Could you use the fdisk/mbr command to repair the sector ?

Thanks !

Martin

 

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you can use the recovery console command 'fixmbr'

dunno if fdisk works, dont partition much in windows anymore

 

Fdisk only works in 9x operating systems

for 200/XP its disk partition from command prompt (diskpart) or the disk management console in computer management in administrative tools in tne operating system.

recovery console only avail in xp pro not home

hope this info is some help

Pie

 

the mbr is backed up by default in 2k/xp (or at the very least in xp), its that section in the middle of the drive that shows up as immovable when you try to defrag the drive!

Fergal

 

I'm possibly wrong here, but I always thought that the mbr was the first sector of the drive (Cylinder 0, Head 0, Sector 1)? Also the immovable part in a defrag is the pagefile? Doesn't make sense to have a mbr in the middle of a drive?

Boot files will be backed up as part of the System State Backup in 2000/XP, but NT4 is different as it hasn't got the same backup utility.

Fdisk will work on a NTFS drive but in a limited fashion. Fdisk will allow you to activate a NTFS partition and also let you delete a non-dos partition...Fat lot of use! But I once marked the incorrect partition as active on an NT4 computer via the GUI, after I did this the PC came up with Missing NTLDR on boot-up, silly me! I had to use FDISK to reactivate the correct partition.

 

Tried looking up a few things on Windows XP and fdisk. Don't know if this will help.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/honeycutt_02october07.mspx

http://www.cyberwalker.net/faqs/how-tos/reinstall-faq.html

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prkd_tro_oxhc.asp

 

you're half right drum, the mbr is indeed held in the first sector of the drive, but because its so important (the drive is screwed without it), windows automatically backs it up by copying the data to the middle of the drive. this means that the user doesnt have to manually back it up on a regular basis, and if things go arse up, then they can simply copy the backup back to the correct location and they have a functional system again!

As for the page file, i honestly couldnt tell you where it is held, it could be held in the same area as the backup, but i couldnt say for definate

Fergal

 

ah wait...... i stand corrected, after posting i went and double checked that, and found that its actually the Master File Table (MFT) which is backed up in the centre of the disk (or at least the most important portions of the MFT), *not* the MBR.

oops

 

Also, the page file is movable, as it's possible (and often useful) to move it off the system partition altogether, eg onto a partition on a second HDD. This can give performance increase, but I'm bushed right now and a b0ll0xed if I can remember the actual explanation at the mo

However, try it - it works

 

Yes Gav, but the pagefile cannot be moved by the defrag program...therefore it is immovable during the defrag, especially since part of the defrag program may indeed lie in the pagefile (virtual memory) untill a page fault calls it up...suppose it depends on how much RAM you have. After the event, however, you can put it anywhere you like!

I think norton colour codes the area as "Pagefile", but I don't think the M$ one does...not to sure??

 

Good point well made, Sacha - thanks for clarifying

 

Cheers Gav...

Apologies to Flamehearted for going off topic with regards to the original forum topic! LOL !!!!!

Sacha