Re: BCD error...

On 3/11/2010 3:38 PM, Mike wrote:
> On Mar 12, 4:42 pm, "c_atiel"<fac_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> When an otherwise stable computer tells you it cannot find the boot record,
>> and you are sure you have not sustained some massive malware hit, it usually
>> means hardware failure, most likely the hard drive itself. I am not aware of
>> any boot sector viruses that get past antivirus software these days and
>> Vista is supposed to prevent that as well ("supposed to").
>> First check that the cabling between the hard drive, motherboard and power
>> supply is seated properly (connections between the hard drive and the
>> motherboard can loosen on laptops also and are easy to check) and the drive
>> is visible in the BIOS. Your BIOS may also give you SMART data.
>> If you can boot from a Vista/Win 7 installation/boot disc you should be able
>> to get to a command prompt and see if you can read the hard drive. Versions
>> of Ubuntu that boot an entire OS from an installation CD can be useful for
>> examining hard drives-- if Ubuntu boots from the CD and works properly that
>> usually means your power supply and motherboard are ok, laptop or desktop.
>> However the best way to check the hard drive, if it is the only hard drive
>> in the laptop/desktop, is to remove it and use an inexpensive adapter
>> (universal SATA/PATA external adapters are less than $20) to see if you can
>> read the drive on another computer. That way you can back-up your data and
>> then run tests on the drive. If the drive is OK it is best to try to
>> reformat and reinstall.
>
> I cannot guarantee that it didn't take some kind of malware hit.
> I booted off a BartPE disk& was able to se drive, etc.
> I was also able to put drive in a docking station& access from
> another computer.
> The only Vista CD I have is a Dell branded Vista Business CD& this HP
> desktop I'm dealing with ran Vista Home.
> I will probably copy docs, music, etc., to an external drive& then
> try the HP system restore disk& see if it gives me the option to keep
> existing files, like how an XP repair install used to work.
>
Good luck with that approach! I've used HP's restore disks and they put
the computer back in the same condition it was shipped in, bloatware and
all.

Bill

When an otherwise stable computer tells you it cannot find the boot record,
and you are sure you have not sustained some massive malware hit, it usually
means hardware failure, most likely the hard drive itself. I am not aware of
any boot sector viruses that get past antivirus software these days and
Vista is supposed to prevent that as well ("supposed to").
First check that the cabling between the hard drive, motherboard and power
supply is seated properly (connections between the hard drive and the
motherboard can loosen on laptops also and are easy to check) and the drive
is visible in the BIOS. Your BIOS may also give you SMART data.
If you can boot from a Vista/Win 7 installation/boot disc you should be able
to get to a command prompt and see if you can read the hard drive. Versions
of Ubuntu that boot an entire OS from an installation CD can be useful for
examining hard drives-- if Ubuntu boots from the CD and works properly that
usually means your power supply and motherboard are ok, laptop or desktop.
However the best way to check the hard drive, if it is the only hard drive
in the laptop/desktop, is to remove it and use an inexpensive adapter
(universal SATA/PATA external adapters are less than $20) to see if you can
read the drive on another computer. That way you can back-up your data and
then run tests on the drive. If the drive is OK it is best to try to
reformat and reinstall.