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[HOW TO] Get back your Windows XP Bootloader


81 replies to this topic * * * * - 5 votes

#1 vetAaron

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Posted 03 March 2005 - 23:26

If for some reason you find the need to get back to your Windows XP bootloader instead of the one installed by your Linux distro, simply follow these instructions:

1. Boot up with your Windows XP disc.

2. Select the option Recovery Console.

3. At the prompt, type "fdisk /mbr" (without the quotes of course)

4. Restart your computer.

Edited with correct info from the following posts...


#2 OP vetAaron

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 03:02

Jeez, leave it to me to have a typo in my very first HOW TO. Mark, fix that would ya?

#3 MR_Candyman

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 03:21

For me and some others you might need to type "fdisk /mbr" instead of "fixmbr"

just thought I'd add that before people start saying it doesn't work

#4 Hurmoth

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 03:25

Thanks for the info :D This might come in handy

#5 SpeedyTheSnail

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 03:33

Which if you still need linux you better have a boot disk. you can also type "fixboot" (without the quotes) to get it fixed.

#6 acerr

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 03:34

is there a way to recover the winlogin.exe

#7 QuarterSwede

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 04:00

MR_Candyman, on Mar 3 2005, 22:21, said:

For me and some others you might need to type "fdisk /mbr" instead of "fixmbr"

just thought I'd add that before people start saying it doesn't work

View Post

Hahaha, you beat me to it!

Yeah, Fixmbr and Fixboot both don't work. I know, I've tried several times. All they do is jack up the NTLoader.

Edited by Jstphish, 04 March 2005 - 04:09.


#8 Help

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 04:06

Nice how to, might be useful one day.

#9 Mr. Dick C. Normous

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 04:11

acerr, on Mar 3 2005, 22:34, said:

is there a way to recover the winlogin.exe

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Of course there is :) Boot into the recovery console and use this command.
expand d:\i386\winlogon.ex_ c:\windows\system32\winlogon.exe

D: = drive Xp cd is in
C: = drive Xp is installed on

Edited by Mr. Dick C. Normous, 04 March 2005 - 04:17.


#10 vetmarkjensen

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 19:36

Armeck, on Mar 3 2005, 22:02, said:

Jeez, leave it to me to have a typo in my very first HOW TO.  Mark, fix that would ya?

View Post

Not a problem. Done.
You should always be able to go back and edit your first post. All members are able to do this. At least that is how I understand it to work. :unsure:

And, by the way, thanks for the quick write-up! This gets asked an awful lot.

#11 butterflychoke

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 20:31

What if you do not have an XP cd, just recovery discs? Are you out of luck?

#12 vetmarkjensen

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Posted 04 March 2005 - 20:36

butterflychoke, on Mar 4 2005, 15:31, said:

What if you do not have an XP cd, just recovery discs? Are you out of luck?

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I would think that borrowing a friend's XP CD would be a good solution.

#13 MR_Candyman

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Posted 05 March 2005 - 03:40

I like using the windows 98/me boot discs the best. You can freely download them from the net

#14 Krpano

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Posted 22 March 2005 - 23:36

Jstphish, on Mar 4 2005, 04:00, said:

Hahaha, you beat me to it!

Yeah, Fixmbr and Fixboot both don't work.  I know, I've tried several times.  All they do is jack up the NTLoader.

View Post


Agreed with that.
It always mess with the NTLoader.....arghhhhhh...gotta hate windows.

#15 glasscleaner

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Posted 25 March 2005 - 22:53

fdisk /mbr

work well too :)