Error: INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD

I used Drive Image Pro to restore a disaster recovery archive of my
primary partition to the boot HD. Then when I tried to boot from it, I
got a blue screen with the error:

INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD

I had to use Win2K "Upgrade Repair" to fix it.

Why did I get that error?


--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
--Hermann Goering

Bob <> wrote in message
news:...

> I used Drive Image Pro to restore a disaster recovery
> archive of my primary partition to the boot HD.

Why did you need to do that ?

> Then when I tried to boot from it,
> I got a blue screen with the error:

> INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD

> I had to use Win2K "Upgrade Repair" to fix it.

> Why did I get that error?

Hard to say when you dont say much about the specifics.

Most likely you attempted to restore the partition
on a different system to the one it was created on.

The NT/2K/XP family cant be as easily moved between different
systems, particularly motherboards, as the Win9x and ME family.

On Mon, 9 May 2005 05:55:31 +1000, "Rod Speed" <>
wrote:

>> I used Drive Image Pro to restore a disaster recovery
>> archive of my primary partition to the boot HD.

>Why did you need to do that ?

The primary was corrupted. If I did not have the archive, I would have
had to rebuild Win2K from scratch.

I had the Win2K installation repartition it and reformat it. Then I
installed Win2K and it booted just fine. So I restored the archive
with Drive Image Pro and that is when I had the problems.

The archive was built using DIP.

>> Then when I tried to boot from it,
>> I got a blue screen with the error:
>> INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD
>> I had to use Win2K "Upgrade Repair" to fix it.
>> Why did I get that error?

>Hard to say when you dont say much about the specifics.

What specifics do you need?

>Most likely you attempt to restore the partition
>on a different system to the one it was created on.

Same machine.


--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
--Hermann Goering

Bob <> wrote in message
news:...
> Rod Speed <> wrote

>>> I used Drive Image Pro to restore a disaster recovery
>>> archive of my primary partition to the boot HD.

>> Why did you need to do that ?

> The primary was corrupted. If I did not have the archive,
> I would have had to rebuild Win2K from scratch.

OK, I was basically asking if you were replacing a
dead drive or moving that install to a different PC etc.

> I had the Win2K installation repartition it and reformat it. Then I
> installed Win2K and it booted just fine. So I restored the archive
> with Drive Image Pro and that is when I had the problems.

> The archive was built using DIP.

>>> Then when I tried to boot from it,
>>> I got a blue screen with the error:
>>> INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD

More likely it said "inaccessible boot device"

>>> I had to use Win2K "Upgrade Repair" to fix it.
>>> Why did I get that error?

>> Hard to say when you dont say much about the specifics.

> What specifics do you need?

Thats enough now.

>> Most likely you attempt to restore the partition
>> on a different system to the one it was created on.

> Same machine.

Basically that is a rather general error message that
indicates that 2K couldnt see what it expected to see
on the boot drive. That could be because what produced
the original corruption has corrupted the restore as well,
or because the image was done of a corrupted drive etc.

I'd run the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostics
on the drive to check if its dying etc first.

On Mon, 9 May 2005 14:17:14 +1000, "Rod Speed" <>
wrote:

>OK, I was basically asking if you were replacing a
>dead drive or moving that install to a different PC etc.

I have a backup disk in a removeable drive bay that I use to create a
disaster recovery archive using Drive Image Pro using the Disk to Disk
copy method. When dirt in the power supply(*) caused the machine to
act erratic, it corrupted my boot disk so I had to recover from the
archive.

I verified that the archive disk was a "primary" partition. Then I
restored the archive to the boot disk, but I got the boot record
error.

I repartitioned and formatted the failed boot drive using Win2K
installation CD, and it booted Win2K properly. I then restored the
archive to it again.

After the restoration DIP reported that the newly-created boot disk
was a "primary" partition that was "active". It should have booted
properly. But I got the same error again.

Then I used Win2K installation CD to do an "Upgrade Repair", which
worked to make the drive bootable again.

>>>> I got a blue screen with the error:
>>>> INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD

>More likely it said "inaccessible boot device"

OK.

>Basically that is a rather general error message that
>indicates that 2K couldn't see what it expected to see
>on the boot drive.

How could DIP have changed the boot record.

>That could be because what produced
>the original corruption has corrupted the restore as well,

After I used Win2K installation to perform an "Upgrade Repair" it
worked fine.

>or because the image was done of a corrupted drive etc.

The copy was done a week earlier from the boot disk which was OK.

>I'd run the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostics
>on the drive to check if its dying etc first.

My mainboard supports S.M.A.R.T. technology. I have no reason to
believe that either drive is dying. I may just low-level format the
disks to make sure - it has been a while.

I do not like it when things like this happen that should not happen.
I have restored like this before and did not have a problem.

(*) I try to keep the machine clean but when the weather turns muggy,
the slightest dirt gets conductive and starts screwing up. The weather
turned muggy the day this happened. "Muggy" along the Gulf Coast means
the dew point is 70F or higher. Once I blew all the dust out of the
power supply and off the main board - and ran the air conditioner to
lower the dew point inside the house - the machine came back alive so
I was able to restore the boot disk. That's when I ran into this boot
record problem.

If you can think of anything, please comment. Thanks for your
assistance.




--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
--Hermann Goering

Bob <> wrote in message
news:...
> Rod Speed <> wrote

>> OK, I was basically asking if you were replacing a
>> dead drive or moving that install to a different PC etc.

> I have a backup disk in a removeable drive bay that
> I use to create a disaster recovery archive using Drive
> Image Pro using the Disk to Disk copy method.

OK, that's likely the problem, using the Disk to Disk copy method.

> When dirt in the power supply(*) caused the machine to act erratic,

Thats unlikely.

> it corrupted my boot disk so I had to recover from the archive.

> I verified that the archive disk was a "primary"
> partition. Then I restored the archive to the
> boot disk, but I got the boot record error.

> I repartitioned and formatted the failed boot drive
> using Win2K installation CD, and it booted Win2K
> properly. I then restored the archive to it again.

> After the restoration DIP reported that the newly-created
> boot disk was a "primary" partition that was "active". It
> should have booted properly. But I got the same error again.

There's more than just primary and active involved
with a bootable device with the NT/2K/XP family.

> Then I used Win2K installation CD to do an "Upgrade
> Repair", which worked to make the drive bootable again.

Thats the evidence that the Drive Image Pro Disk to Disk
copy method isnt working properly in that specific situation.

You'd really have to carefully test the possibilitys, like
seeing what happens if the drive used for the backup
isnt in a carrier to see if that is the problem. The other
possibility is that whatever caused the original corruption
is also preventing the the Drive Image Pro the Disk to
Disk copy method from completely restoring the backup.
Its quite possible its just some quirk of the the Drive
Image Pro the Disk to Disk copy method too.

I'd personally try True Image in that situation and see if
that gets the same result etc. And wiping the boot device
first, to see if either restores everything necessary.

>>>>> I got a blue screen with the error:
>>>>> INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD

>> More likely it said "inaccessible boot device"

> OK.

>> Basically that is a rather general error
>> message that indicates that 2K couldn't
>> see what it expected to see on the boot drive.

> How could DIP have changed the boot record.

Quite a bit of what the NT/2K/XP family
uses to boot a device is in what DIP
restored from the drive in the carrier.

>> That could be because what produced the original
>> corruption has corrupted the restore as well,

> After I used Win2K installation to perform
> an "Upgrade Repair" it worked fine.

Yeah, but that may just be because it uses the
drive differently when you clearly do have a fault
which caused it to get corrupted in the first place.

>> or because the image was done of a corrupted drive etc.

> The copy was done a week earlier from the boot disk which was OK.

>> I'd run the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostics
>> on the drive to check if its dying etc first.

> My mainboard supports S.M.A.R.T. technology.
> I have no reason to believe that either drive is dying.

You do know that there is a problem somewhere,
something corrupted the drive in the first place.

> I may just low-level format the disks
> to make sure - it has been a while.

Thats very unlikely to help.

> I do not like it when things like this happen that should not happen.

Sure, I dont either, and test it carefully to work out why it happened.

> I have restored like this before and did not have a problem.

That may just be because whatever DIP doesnt restore properly
wasnt affected then, but did get screwed by the corruption.

The proof of that possibility would be to wipe the boot device
completely and see if the restore using DIP makes it bootable again.

> (*) I try to keep the machine clean

That isnt necessary.

> but when the weather turns muggy, the slightest
> dirt gets conductive and starts screwing up.

That shouldnt be happening. You
must have a fault there somewhere.

> The weather turned muggy the day this happened.
> "Muggy" along the Gulf Coast means the dew point
> is 70F or higher. Once I blew all the dust out of the
> power supply and off the main board - and ran the air
> conditioner to lower the dew point inside the house

And you let everything cool down in the process too.

> - the machine came back alive so I was able to restore the
> boot disk. That's when I ran into this boot record problem.

Most likely because DIP isnt restoring everything.

> If you can think of anything, please comment.
> Thanks for your assistance.

Have a look at the boot.ini in the backup on the drive in the carrier
and on the boot device, you may find that that's what is not being
configured correctly when the original boot.ini is corrupted by the fault.
http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/editbini.htm

"Rod Speed" <> wrote in message
news:...
>
> Bob <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Rod Speed <> wrote
>
>>> OK, I was basically asking if you were replacing a
>>> dead drive or moving that install to a different PC etc.
>
>> I have a backup disk in a removeable drive bay that
>> I use to create a disaster recovery archive using Drive
>> Image Pro using the Disk to Disk copy method.
>
> OK, that's likely the problem, using the Disk to Disk copy method.
>
>> When dirt in the power supply(*) caused the machine to act erratic,
>
> Thats unlikely.
>
>> it corrupted my boot disk so I had to recover from the archive.
>
>> I verified that the archive disk was a "primary"
>> partition. Then I restored the archive to the
>> boot disk, but I got the boot record error.
>
>> I repartitioned and formatted the failed boot drive
>> using Win2K installation CD, and it booted Win2K
>> properly. I then restored the archive to it again.
>
>> After the restoration DIP reported that the newly-created
>> boot disk was a "primary" partition that was "active". It
>> should have booted properly. But I got the same error again.
>
> There's more than just primary and active involved
> with a bootable device with the NT/2K/XP family.
>
>> Then I used Win2K installation CD to do an "Upgrade
>> Repair", which worked to make the drive bootable again.
>
> Thats the evidence that the Drive Image Pro Disk to Disk
> copy method isnt working properly in that specific situation.
>
> You'd really have to carefully test the possibilitys, like
> seeing what happens if the drive used for the backup
> isnt in a carrier to see if that is the problem. The other
> possibility is that whatever caused the original corruption
> is also preventing the the Drive Image Pro the Disk to
> Disk copy method from completely restoring the backup.
> Its quite possible its just some quirk of the the Drive
> Image Pro the Disk to Disk copy method too.
>
> I'd personally try True Image in that situation and see if
> that gets the same result etc. And wiping the boot device
> first, to see if either restores everything necessary.
>
>>>>>> I got a blue screen with the error:
>>>>>> INACCESSIBLE BOOT RECORD
>
>>> More likely it said "inaccessible boot device"
>
>> OK.
>
>>> Basically that is a rather general error
>>> message that indicates that 2K couldn't
>>> see what it expected to see on the boot drive.
>
>> How could DIP have changed the boot record.
>
> Quite a bit of what the NT/2K/XP family
> uses to boot a device is in what DIP
> restored from the drive in the carrier.
>
>>> That could be because what produced the original
>>> corruption has corrupted the restore as well,
>
>> After I used Win2K installation to perform
>> an "Upgrade Repair" it worked fine.
>
> Yeah, but that may just be because it uses the
> drive differently when you clearly do have a fault
> which caused it to get corrupted in the first place.
>
>>> or because the image was done of a corrupted drive etc.
>
>> The copy was done a week earlier from the boot disk which was OK.
>
>>> I'd run the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostics
>>> on the drive to check if its dying etc first.
>
>> My mainboard supports S.M.A.R.T. technology.
>> I have no reason to believe that either drive is dying.
>
> You do know that there is a problem somewhere,
> something corrupted the drive in the first place.
>
>> I may just low-level format the disks
>> to make sure - it has been a while.
>
> Thats very unlikely to help.
>
>> I do not like it when things like this happen that should not happen.
>
> Sure, I dont either, and test it carefully to work out why it happened.
>
>> I have restored like this before and did not have a problem.
>
> That may just be because whatever DIP doesnt restore properly
> wasnt affected then, but did get screwed by the corruption.
>
> The proof of that possibility would be to wipe the boot device
> completely and see if the restore using DIP makes it bootable again.
>
>> (*) I try to keep the machine clean
>
> That isnt necessary.
>
>> but when the weather turns muggy, the slightest
>> dirt gets conductive and starts screwing up.
>
> That shouldnt be happening. You
> must have a fault there somewhere.
>
>> The weather turned muggy the day this happened.
>> "Muggy" along the Gulf Coast means the dew point
>> is 70F or higher. Once I blew all the dust out of the
>> power supply and off the main board - and ran the air
>> conditioner to lower the dew point inside the house
>
> And you let everything cool down in the process too.
>
>> - the machine came back alive so I was able to restore the
>> boot disk. That's when I ran into this boot record problem.
>
> Most likely because DIP isnt restoring everything.
>
>> If you can think of anything, please comment.
>> Thanks for your assistance.
>
>

On Tue, 10 May 2005 04:43:37 +1000, "Rod Speed" <>
wrote:

>Have a look at the boot.ini in the backup on the drive in the carrier
>and on the boot device, you may find that that's what is not being
>configured correctly when the original boot.ini is corrupted by the fault.
>http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/editbini.htm


boot.ini for current boot disk (C
[" on the boot device"]

[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="Microso ft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect

===

boot.ini for old archive disk
["in the backup on the drive in the carrier"]

[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="Microso ft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect



--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
--Hermann Goering

OK, its clearly not that.

Bob <> wrote in message
news:...
> Rod Speed <> wrote

>> Have a look at the boot.ini in the backup on the drive in the carrier
>> and on the boot device, you may find that that's what is not being
>> configured correctly when the original boot.ini is corrupted by the fault.
>> http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/editbini.htm

> boot.ini for current boot disk (C
> [" on the boot device"]
>
> [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="Microso ft Windows 2000
> Professional" /fastdetect
>
> ===
>
> boot.ini for old archive disk
> ["in the backup on the drive in the carrier"]
>
> [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="Microso ft Windows 2000
> Professional" /fastdetect

On Tue, 10 May 2005 04:23:18 +1000, "Rod Speed" <>
wrote:

>OK, that's likely the problem, using the Disk to Disk copy method.

I have no reason to suspect Drive Image Pro since I have been using it
for years and it has not caused any problems.

Why would DIP contaminate the boot record on a target disk cloned from
a source disk that booted successfully? Something else is going on.

>> When dirt in the power supply(*) caused the machine to act erratic,

>Thats unlikely.

You do not know all the facts. Consider this:

* The memory report on POST was wrong. I have 3 128 MB sticks in yet
the POST reported only 2 sticks.

* The mouse cursor was not responding properly and when it did come
back it would jump all over the place. Finally it stopped working
altogether, even when I booted into DIP using Caldera DOS.

* A couple of my INI files for applications like the firewall and the
proxy filter became corrupted and lots of information was lost.

On the other hand here is what I observed:

* S.M.A.R.T. from both the BIOS and from Norton did not report any
disk problems.

* Except for the problems stated above, the system worked properly.
When the mouse quit I had to learn how to use the keyboard to
navigate, which is really fun. HA! I still do not know how to invoke a
right click - and I hope I never have to learn.

* After reinstalling Win2K on the "corrupted" boot disk, it worked
just fine.

* After restoring to the boot disk, and overcoming the boot record
problem by using Win2K Upgrade Repair, it worked just fine. I am using
it now and I do not detect *any* problems.

* When I blew dry compressed air into the power supply it looked like
a lifetime of crap came out. I can't believe we overlooked the PS when
we periodically cleaned the MB.

>There's more than just primary and active involved
>with a bootable device with the NT/2K/XP family.

What could be relevant in this case? When I built the DIP archive I
told it to verify writes. No problems were reported.

>> Then I used Win2K installation CD to do an "Upgrade
>> Repair", which worked to make the drive bootable again.

>Thats the evidence that the Drive Image Pro Disk to Disk
>copy method isnt working properly in that specific situation.

I have used it successfully in the past and in this instance I have no
evidence that it failed.

>You'd really have to carefully test the possibilitys, like
>seeing what happens if the drive used for the backup
>isnt in a carrier to see if that is the problem.

Carrier of what?

>The other possibility is that whatever caused the original corruption
>is also preventing the the Drive Image Pro the Disk to
>Disk copy method from completely restoring the backup.

If that is the case then why did DIP not report a problem?

>Its quite possible its just some quirk of the the Drive
>Image Pro the Disk to Disk copy method too.

Again I mention that I have never had this problem and I have been
backing up my boot disk on a monthly basis for 5 years now. 60 backups
and no problems until now.

>I'd personally try True Image in that situation and see if
>that gets the same result etc. And wiping the boot device
>first, to see if either restores everything necessary.

I opened another thread about the Enermax backup device but no one has
responded. I am considering a new way of creating disaster recovery
backups. I do not like this DIP method - it's so primitive. I mean who
boots to DOS anymore (and I am an old DOS assembly hack).

>> How could DIP have changed the boot record.

>Quite a bit of what the NT/2K/XP family
>uses to boot a device is in what DIP
>restored from the drive in the carrier.

Then there should have been no problem. I never had a problem like
this before.

>> After I used Win2K installation to perform
>> an "Upgrade Repair" it worked fine.

>Yeah, but that may just be because it uses the
>drive differently when you clearly do have a fault
>which caused it to get corrupted in the first place.

The cause of the corruption was secondary to a flaky system caused by
humid dust in the power supply. Once I cleaned it the system has not
caused any problems.

>You do know that there is a problem somewhere,
>something corrupted the drive in the first place.

A flaky PS is my best guess.

I have a motherboard monitor utility that I have been watching the
votages with and so far none of them has gone out of range.

Many years ago I had a 286 system that would crap out when the PS got
the least bit dirty. I had to blow it out all the time and then the
machine would work. So I am not the least bit surprised a filthy PS
caused me the flaky problems I experienced.

But that is not the issue. Once the PS was cleaned the system showed
no problems. What did happen was that I could not boot from a restored
archive on my boot disk. That is the real issue here.

>That may just be because whatever DIP doesnt restore properly
>wasnt affected then, but did get screwed by the corruption.

I made the archive a week before any corruption occurred.

>The proof of that possibility would be to wipe the boot device
>completely and see if the restore using DIP makes it bootable again.

I am going to low-level format all my disks before I implement any new
RAID box.

>> (*) I try to keep the machine clean

>That isnt necessary.

We have a high humidity problem in Houston, so I would not overlook
that. If you do not run a/c your house will mildew. The home insurers
have dropped mildew protection because it has gotten bad even for
people who have a/c.

>> but when the weather turns muggy, the slightest
>> dirt gets conductive and starts screwing up.

>That shouldnt be happening.

You don't know Houston mugginess/

>You must have a fault there somewhere.

I think the PS needs replacing.

>> The weather turned muggy the day this happened.
>> "Muggy" along the Gulf Coast means the dew point
>> is 70F or higher. Once I blew all the dust out of the
>> power supply and off the main board - and ran the air
>> conditioner to lower the dew point inside the house

>And you let everything cool down in the process too.

Yes, heat does exacerbate the humidity/conductivity problem.

>Most likely because DIP isnt restoring everything.

I posted the boot.ini files from the two disks in a separate post and
they are the same.

I do not like the fact that Win2K can't find the boot device when it
is the very same disk that it found before the archive was restored.

When I did the Upgrade Repair, the Win2K installation process did
something to the disk to enable it as a boot device.

What did it do?


--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
--Hermann Goering