Boot Disk Failure, Insert System Disk after Partition Magic 8 restart

Hi mark,
what is mobo's make/model?
BIOS?
RAID controller?
SATA-II hdds:make and model?

cu

Thanks all.  PM installed OK, but after I chose to create a new partition, and the computer restarted (presumably to boot into a (DOS?) PM8 program and do the task, is when it fails to boot, like it can't see the C drive.  What's curious is that I was able to do it ok on my other SATA-I Raid-0 machine's C-drive, using PM.  I learned that dos programs don't do SATA or raid because of trying to use Ghost to image that older machine.  Acronis is Linux-based not dos so it works pretty well with the newer type hardware.  I'm not sure what PM is.  I installed it from CD, and I didn't do any web updates to the PM program.  I don't remember if any were done, back when I sucessfully did the older machine.

Mobo is Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
bios is the newest, 1014
Raid Controller used for C drive raid-0 is the on-board nVidea sata raid (nforce4 mobo chipset)
SATA-II drives are Hitachi p/n 0A30358  model HDS728080PLA380

thanks for the info provided!
as a first suggestion ,why don't you try to ask at the norton's support page for partition magic using sata II,they could give you some recommendations,or you could explain there per e-mail the same problem as you did it here,,,
http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/pmagic/pmagic_8_contact_tscs_solve_install.html

what is the boot problem?
do you run through the post messages and when windows is trying to load ,the system hangs up?
if this is an original partition magic 8 cd then the cd is bootable also and you can try to boot the system with the cd.
there is also another version of partition magic:Norton partition magic 8;do you have this one?
i suspect two things:
1- the mbr has been changed
2-the boot.ini has beed changed

for the first problem.
you can use fixmbr from the windows xp repair consol to try to recover the master boot record,but firstly it's a sata II raid problem,so i could suggest you to try to reinstall you windows system in the same c partition and directory as it was,so you can use furthur the installed software in most cases,,i assume you have already diskette drivers for the raid controller onboard ,check the BIOS settings once again ,and try to reinstall windows XP with pressing the F6 key during the installation,so you can load the RAID drivers that windows can recognise the drives,thus you can go furthur and make a standart reinstallation of your existing windows xp,,,,

for the boot ini i found a tool at the norton's web side which must auto matically repair the file:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/powerquest.nsf/docid/2004071837491362?OpenDocument&src=hot&prod=PartitionMagic&ver=8.0&csm=no&tpre=


as a recovery software you could also try GetDataBack from :
www.runtime.org

later

I'm just putting together the software on a new system.  Nothing's been changed.  Everything was working perfect until I tried to add/resize a partition.

I tried Windows repair console once, for something different.  It did not go well at all, I would restore my image from Acronis backup image made the previous day before I did that, or before I re-installed windoze.  I talked to Symantec tech support, and they said PM does support SATA raid-0.  Well that makes sense....good.  So there must be more than an ancient dos app at the heart of it.

The Symmantec guy is sending me a file called bdedit.exe with instructions.  This is supposed to reset the bootmagic table to its previous value, and there is supposed to be a log to help see what happened.  I'll post back when I try that.  The guy didn't seem to think it being SATA-II would matter....  maybe the log will reveal why PM hosed up.   He suggested try the steps individually this next time:  Resize the C partition first, then create the new, etc.  Not sure why that'd matter but it might show better what is breaking down.

Here's the suooprt link, for those who are also having this problem:
http://service1.symantec.com/support/powerquest.nsf/docid/2004092569008862?Open&src=w

******************************************************
After resizing a partition with PartitionMagic, computer does not boot

Situation:
After changing the size of a partition with PartitionMagic, the computer does not start, and only a black screen is displayed.

Solution:
To fix this problem, edit the JumpCode and the OEM Name in the boot record using ptedit.exe .

Ptedit.exe is a DOS program. Copy the ptedit.exe file to a boot disk, boot the computer from the disk, and then run ptedit. Ptedit32.exe is also available, but is a Windows® program, and if the Windows is not running, this file will not work for you. You can find both of these programs on your program CD, or you can download them from the Symantec Web site. Click here to download ptedit.exe. Click here to download ptedit32.exe.

To edit the JumpCode and OEM name in the boot record:

Download and unzip either ptedit or ptedit32 using the above links.
Put ptedit.exe or ptedit32.exe onto a boot disk and boot the computer using that disk.
Run either ptedit.exe or ptedit32.exe.
Place the cursor in the top of the Boot column and click Boot Record.
Type valid values in the Jump and OEM Name boxes. For example, the following entries should allow the computer to boot:

Jump: EB 58 90
OEM Name: MSWIN4.1

Click Save Changes.
Click Close.
Exit ptedit.exe (or ptedit32.exe).
Restart the computer.

Technical Information:
This problem can be caused if the JumpCode and OEM Name in the boot record have been changed to invalid values. The following is an example of an invalid Jump Code and OEM Name that may prevent the computer from booting:
Jump: 52 52 612
OEM Name: ASWIN4.13
************************************

I don't understand the jump code and OEM name.  I wonder what I should put for those.  Jump: EB 58 90   OEM Name: MSWIN4.1 ........ do those look right for WinXP SP2?    And I mis-heard him when in the earlier post I said it was bdedit.exe.

I'll try this tonight, but this might not even work...   so if you have ideas or info on oem name & jump code please keep talking, this is really kind of urgent.

I tried booting to WinXP CD, into recovery console.  One knowledge article on Symntec site said to do that and rin both fixboot and fixmbr.  Fixboot replied that the boot sector was corrupt, detected FAT (?!) and "fixed" it.  When I typed fixmbr, nothing appeared to happen, I got the C prompt right back.  So Win recovery console was another dead end.  Upon reboot I got the same problem again:  goes thru POST fine, says "Invalid System Disk".

I tried the above thing that Kumar from Symantec sent me.  Same problem!!!!   Aghhh!  What a junk product...   well my last chance is the Acronis Image....

try the GetDataBack as i told you it has a RAID 0 support,,,

I appreciate your suggestions, I looked at databack.  But it isn't data I am trying to recover, but the whole working system drive.  When I need to recover data files, I already have Stellar Phoenix NTFS drive recovery.  It is for getting files off a corrupted drive.

After my efforts with windoze auto-fork-it-up-worse console, I feel that my problem is worse if anything so my focus now is 100% on restoring my image from my good backup image, made with Acronis TI-7.  Acronis True Image 7 does for a fact support SATA Raid-0.  But, perhaps because this mobo is fairly new, the Acronis Recovery boot CD that I made is not seeing the raid correctly.  Acronis did see it correctly when I made the image, using TI-7 while running in Windows.  So I think what I need to do is find out how to add the right drivers to that CD (make a new CD with them on).  As a last resort, I would re-create raid, install Windows with F6 drivers, install raid drivers CD, install Acronis TI-7.  Then running TI-7 from windows (where the RAID-0 should be seen properly) I could restore from the firewire drive the good image.  But I would much rather solve it so that the boot CD works.  Then I could know with confidence that my system restore-from-image plan would work, without too much work.

Here are the files on my Acronis Recovery boot CD:
  Name                       Size        Type
    bootmenu.exe         935 KB   Application
    bootwiz.sys            22 KB  System file
    f11.cfg                 1 KB  CFG File
    kernel.dat           614 KB   NeroMIX media files
    mouse.com               5 KB  MS-DOS Application
    ramdisk.dat        7,510 KB   NeroMIX media files

Here are the files on the boot floppy for my RAID, that I used to load RAID
driver when installing Windows XP SP2:
  Name                   Size  Type
    disk1                1 KB   File
    idecoi.dll         288 KB   Application Extension

    nvata.cat            9 KB   Security Catalog
    nvatabus.inf         6 KB   Setup Information
    NvAtaBus.sys        85 KB   System file

    nvcoi.dll           32 KB   Application Extension
    nvide.nvu            1 KB   NVU File
    nvraid.cat           9 KB   Security Catalog

    nvraid.inf           3 KB   Setup Information
    nvraid.sys          67 KB   System file
    nvraidco.dll        18 KB   Application Extension

    nvuide.exe         172 KB   Application
    txtsetup.oem         5 KB   OEM File

Please tell me if I can add some of the RAID files to a new boot CD, will
that allow the RAID to be recognized properly when the boot CD is used?
If so which files should I add?  Maybe I need to check the motherboard CD for nvidia drivers for Linux? (Since Acronis is a Linux-based app, not dos)

hi have you tried the ptedit.exe?
this seems like a MBR reader so the support man told you that the a right configuration of your booting partition should look like,as an example:

============================================================================
===============================
Boot Record for drive C:   (Drive: 1, Starting sector: 63, Type: NTFS)
============================================================================
===============================
 1. Jump:                  EB 58 90
 2. OEM Name:              MSWIN4.1
 3. Bytes per Sector:       512
 4. Sectors per Cluster:    8
 5. Reserved Sectors:       0
 6. Number of FATs:         0
 7. Root Dir Entries:       0
 8. Total Sectors:          0
 9. Media Descriptor:       0xF8
10. Sectors per FAT:        0
11. Sectors per Track:      63  (0x3F)
12. Number of Heads:        255  (0xFF)
13. Hidden Sectors:         63  (0x3F)
14. Total Sectors (>32MB):  0  (0x0)
15. Unused:                 0x80008000
16. Total NTFS Sectors:     8385866
17. MFT Start Cluster:      786432
18. MFT Mirror Start Clust: 524149
19. Clusters per FRS:       246
20. Clusters per Index Blk: 1
21. Serial Number:          0x70B85CA2B85C689C
22. Checksum:               0  (0x0)
23. Boot Signature:         0xAA55

============================================================================
===============================


so if  you find a different Jump entry and OEM Name you should change them to the :
Jump: EB 58 90
OEM Name: MSWIN4.1

then you must save the changes and this must work,,

Did you try that?

cu

Yes I tried using the partition editor and changing it to Jump: EB 58 90 and OEM Name: MSWIN4.1, but I still got invalid boot disk error.  This wasn't the problem.  He was using their database to search for matches to "boot fail" or something.  The OEM name was NTFS, that winXP puts there and I don't think that was any problem.  The jump number was slightly different.  I found one other case in their database saying to run fixboot and fixmbr from Win recovery console.  That didn't work either.  Now that I tried restoring the image to a raid drive that wasn't being recognized right I think I'm past just having boot problem, I need to get the Acronis image to restore properly, or else start over from scratch.

I tried the ptedit before messing with recovry console.  When it didn't help I changed it back.  I think there is something odd about the nvidia raid, so that programs which normally work ok with raids don't recognize it properly when woking at a lower level than windows.  Hence the corrupted boot stuff from PM8, as well as Acronis having trouble seeing the raid properly when booting from the TI-7 recovery CD.  That's what I get for buying a bleeding edge board...

Thanks Callandor, that was a lot of effort to help troubleshoot.
Mwnnj: I'd agree with your first sentence, and yes I did make the image before I tried PM8 so it should be fine.  There's no data to recover, I was just setting up a new system, but have quite a lot of hours in software setup, updating, configuring etc.  I want to solve the Acronis problem for two reasons; to save the work of starting from scratch, and to know that my recovery plan will in fact work, using Acronis to rectore the C drive.  Since raid-0 = 0 fault tolerance, being able to recover from my image was an key element in my decision to use it.

Please tell me another method for resize & create a partition.  I mean suppose I get the restore to work, and still want to add a partition?  What's the best way?  I think that PM should/might have worked except that particular nvidia raid doesn't seem to play well with apps that run outside windows.

Case #2, suppose I do start 100% from scratch, how should I create the 2nd partition?  I think when I define the raid I can give a size.  Or define the raid to use the max sixe then in windows when creating the C partition, don't use the whole size?  Leave some unallocated space, and go back later with disk management and make a small partition there with that unallocated part?

With RAID on motherboards, there is usually no option to just use part of the array - it's an all or nothing proposition.  The more sophisticated SCSI RAID cards let you do this.  You can partition a RAID array into multiple logical drives, but they are all still on the same array and operating in the same RAID configuration.

I got it!  I haven't solved how to get the Acronis boot CD to load the raid drivers yet, but I got my computer fixed.  At first I tried loading Windows on the Raid C drive, and the motherboard drivers, and Acronis.  Then I was going to restore the C drive, while booted from the C drive.... oops, that didn't exactly work out.  Then I stuck an pld 9GB xbox drive I had laying around into the IDE drawer.  Loaded Windows, etc.  Ran Acronis from there.  Now the raid is being seen correctly by Acronis.  Restored my good image!  Acronis is a really nice product.  This removable drive is taking the place of the boot CD, because of driver issues.  At least I know how to do it easy next time.

It doesn't matter to me that I solved it myself, I'm splitting the points because I appreciate your efforts to help me.  Thanks.

I'm glad it worked out for you!

CHEERS at you ,mark876543!
That was really smart ,how you "tricked out" this silly DOS-drivers-problem ,by using another running windows platform.
Fine thing , i'm really happy!
Thanks and have a nice time!


cu

Thanks.  I also found the answer from Acronis support, why the raid doesn't work off the boot CD:

"We regret to inform that current version of Acronis True Image doesn't support NVidia RAID when you boot from Acronis Bootable CD. The reason for this is lack of open source drivers for the NForce chipset. Currently you cannot add any drivers into Acronis Bootable CD. Please note that this CD is build-specific, not system-specific do it even doesn't matter on which computer it is created.

NVRAID support will be implemented as soon as the open source drivers for it are available.

Best regards,
Acronis Support Team"

So this explains why I better be real careful with 3rd party apps that try to boot into a program of their own to execute their business.... on this computer.  They're all very unlikely to see that raid correctly, which can really cause trouble...

I know Acronis does support a wide array of hardware, but apparently they don't do it by moving drivers to the bootable CD, it's more like "generically built in" to their stuff on the CD.  Sounds like nvidia is the culprit here for not making available what it takes to support their hardware.