How to install JUST the MBR. Need some help quick...

phantommaggot

Weaksauce
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Aug 25, 2014
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127
Hey guys.
Long story short.
I installed windows 10 on my new ssd while the old one was still plugged up.. I thought I unplugged it but I guess I missed that. Anyways, I pulled the old ssd today and put it in the PC I built my daughter for x-mas.
Now I can't boot.. SMH

If I stick the windows 10 install usb in and run repair, is there an option in there?
Any other way to handle this?
Google isn't helping me today -_-

Thanks in advance.

-j
 
You'd boot from the Windows 10 media (whatever you use, DVD or USB or whatever, doesn't matter), go into the Repair options, the Command Prompt, and issue two commands in sequence - if you don't issue them in sequence you'll fuck things up:

bootrec /fixmbr (then press Enter)
bootrec /fixboot (then press Enter)

That's it, in that sequence and you're basically done. If you do it out of sequence the /fixboot action gets overwritten by /fixmbr so, again, do it in the sequence exactly as stated above. That should be all that's required to resolve your issue.
 
Sweet. I figured there were commands.
There were NO auto options under repair.

I'm gonna give this a try now.

THANKS!!!!!
 
Ugh... and since I don't touch Windows 10 I can't help much further, my only suggestion is consider a fresh install maybe, perhaps someone else can offer more assistance with Windows 10 issues. It might be entirely possible to do it simply from the same Command Prompt but Microsoft made changes with Windows 10 and I refuse to use or support it personally - to me it's easier to start over again than waste time troubleshooting most problems. ;)
 
I really don't want to do a fresh install -_-
I mean, If I have to I will. But that would SUPER suck.
Thanks though.
Hopefully someone else will know.
 
I really don't want to do a fresh install -_-
I mean, If I have to I will. But that would SUPER suck.
Thanks though.
Hopefully someone else will know.

There isn't an easy way to keep going down the path to repairing your MBR. I'd just use your repair and you should be able to do a refresh keeping your files; have to reinstall programs but it'll be quicker in the long run.
 
Boot to the command prompt using recovery:

-Type: 'Bootrec /RebuildBcd' without quotes and hit enter.

If Bootrec.exe runs successfully it will display the installation path of a Windows directory. Add the entry to the BCD store by typing 'yes' without quotes - If the process is successful you will get a confirmation message.

If Bootrec cannot locate a Windows install, remove the BCD store and recreate it using the following procedure:

Type the following commands in order:

bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
bootrec /rebuildbcd

I've used this method many times and it's got me out of the shit. Use all information at your own risk of course.
 
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There isn't an easy way to keep going down the path to repairing your MBR. I'd just use your repair and you should be able to do a refresh keeping your files; have to reinstall programs but it'll be quicker in the long run.

Unfortunately, you cannot do a refresh unless you can first boot into Windows, if I remember correctly.
 
Unfortunately, you cannot do a refresh unless you can first boot into Windows, if I remember correctly.

The Bootrec method I posted above will fix the MBR using Windows boot media.

Windows repair is downright useless in many cases, especially in cases of failed Windows updates and bootlooping. Waiting for your kneejerk reaction where you claim I'm lying as Windows 10 must be perfect in your opinion.
 
So, I can use /RebuildBcd and it sees my windows install (D drive in my case)... But when I type "yes" it says Element not found....
Same as when I use /FixBoot. it tells me element not found...

I never had a MBR on this drive to begin with. So there's nothing to fix. I need the MBR.
So maybe the MBR is the 'element' it's not finding...
 
So, I can use /RebuildBcd and it sees my windows install (D drive in my case)... But when I type "yes" it says Element not found....
Same as when I use /FixBoot. it tells me element not found...

I never had a MBR on this drive to begin with. So there's nothing to fix. I need the MBR.
So maybe the MBR is the 'element' it's not finding...

Even if you never had an MBR, RebuildBCD should find a valid Windows install and create one irregardless. Your issue sounds more like you have a corrupt Windows install as opposed to any MBR issues.
 
Windows was working fine til I lost my MBR
Maybe I'll make a clean ISO drive or something to morrow and try again.
Shouldn't it be pulling the 'tools' from the ISO and not from my copy of windows?
 
Windows was working fine til I lost my MBR
Maybe I'll make a clean ISO drive or something to morrow and try again.
Shouldn't it be pulling the 'tools' from the ISO and not from my copy of windows?

Copy the ISO to boot media (DVD/USB Stick) and work from that.
 
That's what I'm doing now though.
I used rufus to make it IIRC.

I hope that works, Windows 10 doesn't play as well with third party ISO tools.

I don't know whether it's avaliable for Windows or not, but under Linux and macOS I use Etcher, although I do admit that when it comes to Windows 10 I've only ever used the MS media creation tool as it's just so simple.
 
I hope that works, Windows 10 doesn't play as well with third party ISO tools.

I don't know whether it's avaliable for Windows or not, but under Linux and macOS I use Etcher, although I do admit that when it comes to Windows 10 I've only ever used the MS media creation tool as it's just so simple.
I haven't had any problems using rufus for Windows 10 for the 3 installs I've done. Finding the ISO file I wanted was my issue.
 
This is weird. I've had the exact same problem but just ran a repair from the install media fixed it.
 
In extreme cases, the repair utility is about as useful as the proverbial 'ejector seat in a helicopter'.

It literally doesn't work.
 
Worst case, you can backup your files and install Windows fresh.
This is part of the problem, I can't get into windows from linux either.
SO, I can't back up anything.. -_-

Holidays have me all pushed for time. I'm positive the only things I need are in the 'Download' folder and 'My Documents'
 
This is part of the problem, I can't get into windows from linux either.
SO, I can't back up anything.. -_-

Holidays have me all pushed for time. I'm positive the only things I need are in the 'Download' folder and 'My Documents'

Windows is gone, it has to be.

At minimum the entire user profile is kaput.
 
It's a problem that people have gotten around.
I just haven't had the time to mess with it.
This shit just had to happen during holiday season.. SMH. LoL
 
When you say you can't get into Windows from Linux, what exactly happens?
 
Says there is an error mounting it.

"exited with non-zero status 14: Windows is hibernated, refused to mount. Failed to mount ‘/dev/sdb1’:Operation not permitted
The NTFS partion is in an unsafe state, please resume and shutdown.

Sorry, I'm on holiday hours, can't get around to doing anything I need to..
 
Says there is an error mounting it.

"exited with non-zero status 14: Windows is hibernated, refused to mount. Failed to mount ‘/dev/sdb1’:Operation not permitted
The NTFS partion is in an unsafe state, please resume and shutdown.

Sorry, I'm on holiday hours, can't get around to doing anything I need to..

Yeah, Windows 10 does that. You need to connect the drive to another Windows PC and perform error checking on the volume, once that's done Linux can access it.

The thing is, if you've got it connected to a Windows PC you may as well back up your profile from there while you're at it.
 
hey guys,
Finally got around to using the media creation tool to make a fresh windows 10 install drive.

Still having the same issues with bootrec.
bootrec /rebuildbcd sees my install at D:\Windows
I type Y or Yes and press enter when asked to add instillation to boot.. then it says element not found.
I'm assuming the element it's talking about at this point is the MBR...

Chkdsk /f D:
"windows has scanned the filesystem and found no problems" so, windows is still good I guess..
Gives me the information
then "Failed to transfer logged messages to the event log with status 50"

I think I'm gonna make a tiny partition at the end of the drive with GParted and install 10 there too... If it installs an MBR, then maybe i can wipe the windows portion of that partition and just have a mbr. Then use Gparted to move it to the end of the drive.. It's worth a shot anyways..

It would be nice if I could just install the MBR to a partition and then use bootrec to put my current windows OS in it.....
 
Little update.
Linux couldn't mount it for me to navigate but would let me edit it in GParted just fine.
made a 20gb part, installed 10 home on there and booted into that, could access the other windows folders no problem..
SO, at the very least I managed to save a few things I wanted to...

Still couldn't get into the MBR for some reason... so I reextended my partition and just created a 120mb fat32 partition, going to try to use the command prompt to do something about that, I'll get back to you with results.
 
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