Windows wont load? Assistance needed urgently

[quiksilverx181]

Hi, got my last paper due for my summer school college class in a week, so i need my computer up... and fast. Pretty much, I have a 120gb hard drive and an 80gb hard drive... I used to have all my data backed up on my 80 and my 120gb used to be my windows hard drive.. But I wanted that to change. I formatted and installed windows xp on my 80gb hard drive, then dragged all the stuff BACK to my 80gb hard drive so that i could format my 120gb.... Well i formatted in windows, and then i restarted. Well, when i formatted, it told me i was missing windows files (i had it so that my hard drives will boot first, with my 80gb now the master and my 120gb now the slave)... So I was like wtf...

Restart the computer, and then it asks for the windows cd. I provide that, and it takes me to setup... WTF?

Right now im formatting my 120gb/installing windows again.... I didnt want it to be this way, I still got my stuff on my 80gb (for the time being while my 120gb formats... Help?

Summary:
-Originally had 80gb hard drive as backup, 120gb as windows xp hard drive
-Wanted to change it so that 120gb hard drive was backup, and 80gb was windows hard drive
-Format 80gb hard drive after dragging backup stuff onto my 120gb hard drive
-Install windows xp on 80gb hard drive
-Drag stuff back to 80gb hard drive so that i could format 120gb and put my backups on that drive once format was done
-Format in windows
-Turn off computer
-Reset jumpers/IDE cables accordingly
-Get an error saying that the computer cant locate a file and that I need my xp disc
-Insert xp disc
-Get taken to xp setup screen, im like ah.. hell, ill just format it from here.
-Delete partition, then format my 120gb hard drive, now its automatically installing windows back onto it...
-In the end, nothing got solved...

HELP!!!

edit: btw, i tried both my original jumper/ide config and my new jumper/ide config, same thing happens

[zappa86]

When you installed windows on your 80 gig harddrive was the 120 gig master or slave at that point (and was it even in)?

The reason I ask is if the 120gig was master and 80 was slave it may have installed the things that it needs to boot onto the 120 gig (pointing to the partition on the 80 gig). Therefore the 80 gig may have windows but no bootloader and such. I suggest that you make the 80gig master, boot from the CD and go to the recovery console. From there rebuild the master boot record.

[ThreeDee]

...or if all else fails , unplug the 120- completely , then reinstall windows , and after loaded , add the 120 back in

[quiksilverx181]

Ok, what i will do right now is take your advice. I am going to now drag all my backed up info BACK to my 120gb hard drive, then im ganna format the 80gb as the primary, then I am going to go back into windows, drag all my stuff back to my 80gb, and then format my 120gb, hopefully that works..


how does that sound guys? Lemme know

[zappa86]

TO save time you dont have to reformat. You could use the recovery console and rebuild the MBR on the 80gb drive.

[quiksilverx181]

TO save time you dont have to reformat. You could use the recovery console and rebuild the MBR on the 80gb drive.
How do i rebuild the MBR in recovery console? Never used that before...

[quiksilverx181]

whats the command to recover the master boot record... Im in recovery console, and its just a blank C:\windows prompt...

[zappa86]

Stick in the XP cd and boot from the CD. Keep clicking on next and so on. Keep looking at the bottom of the screen where it says the status. at one point it will say press f6 (i think) to enter the recovery console. Type HELP and it will display the commands

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314058

I think you want to do a combination of FIXMBR and FIXBOOT. If this fails, just unplug your 120 and install onto your 80.

If you type "fixboot /?" and "fixmbr /?" you will see the arguments you need. Also, check out the link above.

[quiksilverx181]

Stick in the XP cd and boot from the CD. Keep clicking on next and so on. Keep looking at the bottom of the screen where it says the status. at one point it will say press f6 (i think) to enter the recovery console. Type HELP and it will display the commands

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314058

I think you want to do a combination of FIXMBR and FIXBOOT. If this fails, just unplug your 120 and install onto your 80.

If you type "fixboot /?" and "fixmbr /?" you will see the arguments you need. Also, check out the link above.
Yea it failed, ill just unplug my 120 and install my 80

[zappa86]

Sorry it could not be more help. Luckly youll get it installed on the 80 without further problems. I had the similar problem twice on two different comps. And doing the recovery console worked on one but the other. Odd... Now that technique is 1 for 3.

[djnes]

What you should have done from the beginning was to unplug the 120 since it had valuable data on it. Install XP clean on the 80 GB and once XP was installed, updated, etc, reconnect your 120. Why add extra hurdles and make a simple process more difficult?

[zappa86]

What you should have done from the beginning was to unplug the 120 since it had valuable data on it. Install XP clean on the 80 GB and once XP was installed, updated, etc, reconnect your 120. Why add extra hurdles and make a simple process more difficult?

Yeah, thats what I do too. What really gets me is when your windows drive is not drive c: