create mbr when ERD console doesn't work (W2K)

[2ndwindranch]

Anyone know how I can manually repair/create the MBR on Win2K server running on an IDE system when the emergency repair console process isn't available?

The situation is this... We pulled an image using a Linux utility (partimage from the system rescue cd) of just the Win2K partition with the OS on it. Before pulling the image, we ran sysprep, since the image was going on a PC with totally different hardware.

Once we got to the new machine, the image pulls down properly and can see all the data is good through the linux utility, however, we can't boot to it. The system had previously been running Win2K Pro (vs. Win2K Server) so we were hoping the existing MBR would suffice since I put the new image in the same partition as the old one.

Now, when I run the Win2K emergency repair process to try and repair the MBR, it wants to login as Administrator but none of our passwords work (we're thinking since they really don't exist because of the sysprep process in the image). So, since there's no valid password we can't even log in to repair the MBR. Make sense?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Tracey

[beerman]

have you tried the repair console off of the windows 2000 cd?

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i don't complain. i just tweak until my arms
fall off.... tweakability is the code name of windows.
if it 1st down work. tweak it out until it does.

[2ndwindranch]

Yes, but that's when it asks me for the Admin password that doesn't work. We think it's because the image is still in the sysprep state and the Admin password doesn't exist. We've tried all password combos + blank password, nothing gets us paas that password request.

[beerman]

well i hope this link helps in some way...http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
i don't complain. i just tweak until my arms
fall off.... tweakability is the code name of windows.
if it 1st down work. tweak it out until it does.

[2ndwindranch]

I'll check that out, but here's what we've been working on in the meantime...

Installed a side-by-side Win2K OS. Still wouldn't even boot to that. Created Win2K Bootable floppy. Didn't allow us to boot to the /winnt (from the image), but did allow us to boot to the newly installed /winnt2 OS.

That allowed us to at least get to the repair console and run the fixboot and fixmbr commands. Still won't boot unless we use the floppy and only to the /winnt2 OS (not the original image).

Funny thing is we can see all the files just fine when booting to /winnt2 of the /winnt OS.

Anyway, now, I'm re-installing Win2K from scratching blowing away everything, I'll name everything the same as the image and make sure I can boot fine from the hard drive. If so, I'll try pulling my image down again and placing it over the partition again??? It's about all I can think of at this point.

Tracey