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Thread ID: 78203	2007-04-07 06:16:00	I broke my PC, how do I fix it?	Optical Illusion (12097)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
538750	2007-04-07 06:16:00	Hello, I have a bit of a problem . . . I had Windows XP installed on my computer . I then installed Windows Vista on a seperate disk partition . Today I decided that Vista was working well, if not better than XP and I wanted to get rid of the XP partition to reclaim the disk space . I didn't see any obvious "uninstall XP" button and it wouldn't let me format a disk with system files on it so I went into the disk partition, pressed ctrl+a to select all the files and pressed shift+del to delete all the files and skip the recycle bin stage . Then I still couldn't format the drive so I restarted the computer . Now it refuses to boot up Vista, it just says "couldn't find NTLDR" . I think this is because the XP partition was the primary partition and now it doesn't know where to look for the boot files . Does anyone know how to fix this problem? The Vista boot disk isn't much help, but it does allow me to access a dos window so I can type basic dos commands . Thanks in advance!	Optical Illusion (12097)
538751	2007-04-07 06:22:00	Try a startup repair windowshelp.microsoft.com	snoopy (74)
538752	2007-04-07 06:25:00	That's the best laugh I've had all week :thumbs: Really, if you know enough to be able to press all those key combos you should know you were gonna screw up pretty soon. Yep, you've wiped the master boot record. You could try a repair install of XP, but my bet is things will just get more screwed up if you've gotten rid of the partition. I suggest that you start again... just install Vista this time if you like it more than XP. Oh, and smack your own hand while you're at it :blush:	Shortcircuit (1666)
538753	2007-04-07 06:31:00	Yup, I tried that, but it couldn't find a problem and advised me to remove any devices I had recently connected to my computer such as a digital camera (I haven't connected any device lately though).	Optical Illusion (12097)
538754	2007-04-07 06:33:00	That's the best laugh I've had all week :thumbs: Really, if you know enough to be able to press all those key combos you should know you were gonna screw up pretty soon. Yep, you've wiped the master boot record. You could try a repair install of XP, but my bet is things will just get more screwed up if you've gotten rid of the partition. I suggest that you start again... just install Vista this time if you like it more than XP. Oh, and smack your own hand while you're at it :blush: Damn, I was hoping I could somehow change the primary boot from the XP partition to the Vista one from dos. Now that I think back to it, maybe deleting an entire disk drive was a bad idea... EDIT: The XP partition is still there, it is just blank. If I install XP back there will it still be able to boot?	Optical Illusion (12097)
538755	2007-04-07 06:42:00	EDIT: The XP partition is still there, it is just blank. If I install XP back there will it still be able to boot? Definitely give it a go... it can't hurt. A new install of XP will also provide a new MBR If there's anything on there it will just overwrite it. then go to plan B	Shortcircuit (1666)
538756	2007-04-07 06:44:00	Thanks, I'll give it a go as soon as I find that disk...	Optical Illusion (12097)
538757	2007-04-07 06:48:00	Just recreate the MBR? would be the most logical idea. Might be time to invest in some decent partitioning software. Fix up all your partitions in the order you want them and then just recreate the MBR!	Pete O'Neil (6584)
538758	2007-04-07 06:59:00	good luck with that option... been down that track before!	Shortcircuit (1666)
538759	2007-04-07 08:44:00	Well, I pressed restart, took out the Vista boot disk and inserted the XP one. Before the disk had a chance to load I looked at the screen and Vista was booting up normally! It turns out the startup repair actually worked, I just needed to take the disk out of the drive for it to boot properly. Thanks for the great help guys, an amazingly fast response. I'll be sure to check back next time I have problems.	Optical Illusion (12097)
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