Stop Error 7b

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In Windows recovery mode, I get:
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(Windows recovery mode can't (L)ocate the partition to do the automatic tests, it only lets me start the console)
C:\>DIR
(list of all my files and stuff)

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C:\>CHKDSK /p
Volume System created 01/01/02 11:45p
The volume Serial Number is 9469-5330
CHKDSK is checking (stuff)... (No errors reported)

40957684 kilobytes total disk space <--- This says 40 gigs, not 114!
28311996 kilobytes are available

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
10239421 total allocation units on disk
7077999 allocation units available on disk.

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C:\>FIXMBR

** CAUTION **

This computer appears to have a non-standard or invalid master boot record.

Warning. Blan blah blah.

Are you sure? YES

Writing new master boot record on physical drive \Device\Harddisk0\Partition0

(rerunning FIXMBR does the same thing over and over i.e. FIXMBR never creates/finds a happy MBR)

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C:\>FIXBOOT
The target partition is The file system on the startup partition is unknown. FIXBOOT is attempting to detect the file system type.

FIXBOOT cannot open the partition.

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C:\>MAP

? 0MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition0
? 114GB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition1
D: \Device\CdRom0

(There is also a 4 disk software raid array attached to my on-board raid controller, but this doesn't really have any critical data on it.)

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Partition Magic's Rescue disks don't work. They boot ok, but complain:

"Error #91: Disk Manager has been detected on drive 1, but Disk Manager is not running. If you are booting from a floppy, remove the floppy disk and reboot. Press and hold the key as your computer restarts. When prompted insert your boot floppy and continue booting."

I am using a USB floppy drive, and my bios is configured to boot from USB floppy. I may or may not have installed partition magic on the computer prior to this problem.

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systemrescuecd-x86-0.2.13.iso
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run_qtparted (a linux partition resizer) appears to have no more interesting options or information.

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root@cdimage /root % sfdisk -d /dev/hda

#partition table of /dev/hda
unit: sectors
/dev/hda1 : start = 63, size = 234436482, Id=42, bootable
/dev/hda2 : start = 0, size = 0, Id= 0
/dev/hda3 : start = 0, size = 0, Id= 0
/dev/hda4 : start = 0, size = 0, Id= 0

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root@cdimage /root % parted
GNU Parted 1.6.11
(Copyright and warning)

Using /dev/ataraid/disc0/disc
Information: The operating system thinks the geometry on /dev/ataraid/disc0/disc is 20023/255/63. Therefore, cylinder 1024 ends at 8023.499M.

(I have no idea what that means)

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BIOS Information:

Drive id: WDC WD1200JB-75CRA0

IDE Primary Master [AUTO] (yes)
Access Mode [AUTO]

Capacity 120 GB
Cylinder 57444
Head 16
Precomp 0
Landing Zone 57443
Sector 255

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Here is my boot.ini file

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Win2k..." /fastdetect

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is all the stuff on there really really important cuz I think that you'll need to do a clean install if a repair doesn't work.

Note on Partition Commander 8.0. It doesn't like NTFS dynamic disks. Sees em as a Unix format and not NTFS. Also if there isn't any free space on the disk, it won't resize period. It needs freespace to move files back and forth as it resizes the drives. I tried to resize the system partiton on my home computer which is a basic disk using space from another partiton which is a dynamic disk. Partiton commander 8.0 wouldn't do it. Didn't have enough free space on the disk and it didn't like the dynamic disk.

I'll add, disk management software/drive overlay software probably is the biggest culprit to your problem. That and NTFS. DOS disk utilities won't work on NTFS as you know. If you get rid of the disk management software thats loaded you might be able to recover with a repair install of Windows, or use partition commander to repartition the disk and move what you want to save to another partition and do a new install. If you think you will ever need to resize disks and want to use something like partition commander, don't convert to dynamic disks. leave em as basic disks.

I had the same stop error when my harddrive failed. I tried everything, including contact the tech support, and had to replace it. I was able to recover all of the data. I simply setup the OS on a new HD, then installed the failed HD as the slave, and transfered the data from the slave to the new master. This worked for me and I was able to recover everything.

I FOUND MY PROBLEM WITH ERROR 91 DISK MGR HAS BEEN DETECTED.... ON ANY POWERQUEST RESCUE DISKS SUCH AS DRIVE IMAGE 2002, BOOTMAGIC, PARTITION MAGIC 7 AND 8..."RESCUE DISKS". SOURCE OF PROBLEM..MAXTORS DISK FORMATING FOR PREPARING HARD DISKS. IF ANY ONE DISK HAS BEEN FORMATED WITH MAXTOR DISK PREPARER, THE PRIMARY MASTER, THE PRIMARY SLAVE, OR EVEN AN EXTERER ONE TOUCH EXTERNAL 2.0 USB DRIVE, ATTACHED TO A SYSTEM, THE RESCUE DISKS WILL COME UP WITH THE ERRROR 91. I USED MAXTOR'S UTILITY TO QUICK FORMAT WITH WRITING ZEROS TO THE INFECTED DRIVE, BOOTED UP WITH PARTITION MAGIC FLOPPIES, PARTITIONED DRIVE AND ALL WAS FINE. I AM CONTACTING MAXTOR ABOUT THIS TO SEE IF THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND IF THERE ARE ANYOTHER SOLUTIONS. THERE IS NOT AN ACTIVE OVERLAY, BUT SOMETHING IS EMBEDDED IN A "MAXTOR PREPARED DRIVE" THAT THE POWERQUEST RESCUE DISKS SPOT AND THEN WILL NOT BOOT IN PROPERLY. WESTERN DIGITAL MIGHT DO THE SAME, I DON'T KNOW. HOPE THIS HELPS SOME OF YOU.
JOE B.