Desktop

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Windows Update

0 helpful
7 replies

by daygo

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have a computer that was running Windows XP Pro just fine. This weekend I ran the windows update and installed the needed programs. When I re-booted my computer......before getting to the O/S the following error message came up:

Missing operating system

Now this HDD does have two partitions. My data of course is on the second. I have:

formatted the first partition
did a sys C:
did a FORMAT /MBR

I put in the Windows XP installation CD and change the BIOS to boot from that CD. Start the installaion......everything is fine.....when the computer reboots after the files are copied I change the BIOS so that the computer boots from the HDD to finish the install. But then the same error comes up

Missing Operating system.

The HDD can be seen in the BIOS. But if I re-boot using a start-up diskette and go into FDISK....it does not recognize the partition as FAT32.

any help?

7 replies

by sgt_shultz

well, i would not use fdisk maybe. i would let XP install handle formatting the partition...if you use a startup disk, can you at least read from the drive?

by ervin_rob2002

try using partion magic on the xp os and than you can partion the second os :) but first have a os that functions.

by robert tw

Have u tried spfdisk?
U may have to create a boot/ start up disk up from win 98 or whatever OS? Then u can run spfdisk.
That may help.
In case ur wondering what SPfdisk is? It's similar to FDISK but much more advanced. It will detect NTFS format as well. It will check if u partition it correctly. Also will check to see if the sector is bad or not

by jfortin1

Do not change the bios settings until the install is completed. The computer will boot from the hard drive after the setup files are copied.

This discussion is closed to new replies.