Boot Disk failure / BIOS doesn't see HDD

I have 2 PC's: PC1 has 8.4gig HDD, running W2K. PC2 has 2 HDD's (60 gig and 60 gig) both running XP, with a dual boot configuration (1 for normal, 1 for music). Went out last Sat leaving music version of PC2 running; got back to find PC crashed. Since then, PC 2 BIOS can't see either HDD, flags "Boot Disk Failure ". If either PC2 HDD is plugged into PC1 as slave, PC1 BIOS sees HDD, Win2K recognises all partitions, files etc. I can't boot PC1 from either of PC2's HDD's - get "NTLDR missing message ".

So: both PC2's disks are more or less intact, but neither is bootable. My diagnosis? I think I got a boot sector virus attack or something similar. My problem: what can I do to restore these HDD's to working order? What would FDISK /mbr do? Is my only option to rescue all the data from both disks, format both and start again?

Any and all suggestions welcome.

 

Hi Smackenzie: Welcome to this board.

Have you tried booting PC2 with the XP CD? I think that is what I would do if I had that problem, as I have done it in the recent past. (like this afternoon.) The repair preserved everything on the drive, even the problem that caused my networking to quit.

When the install screen comes up, click you want to install, not repair. Have your Product ID number handy, you might need it along the way. Just don't accept the first repair option, wait for the second one. Read the options carefully, the wrong click will wipe the disc.

When XP installs it files and scans your computer, it will then ask if you want to do a fresh install or repair an existing installation and will display the installations on your machine and ask which one to repair.

I never have done this on a dual boot machine, so I guess you'll have to use your best judgement on which install to repair.

I also don't know what will happen to your dual boot setup, espcially if the bios continues to fail to recognize the unrepaired drive.

I suggest you consider this approach, but hold off for a while to see who else might chime in with better/additional advice.

Good luck,

Martin

Edit 1. Maybe you should do this with only one of the drives in the machine a master. Again, maybe wait for some more advice.