How to Restore Windows XP Boot Sector

The boot sector is an area on your computer's hard drive that contains specialized code needed to start Windows XP. If the boot sector is corrupted or damaged, you may no longer be able to start Windows XP. As a result, some computer viruses are specifically designed to attack the master boot record and the boot sector on Windows XP-based computers. However, if the boot sector on your computer has become damaged, you can restore the Windows XP boot sector using the Windows XP Recovery Console on the product installation CD.

Instructions

1. Place the Windows XP product installation CD in your computer's CD drive and start the computer. The computer will boot using the information on the product CD instead of the damaged information on the computer's hard drive.

2. Press the "R" key to select the recover option when the start-up process displays the "Welcome to Setup" screen.

3. Type in the administrator password for your Windows XP operating system when prompted, then click the "Enter" key. The Recovery Console will display a command prompt.

4. Type "fixboot" at the command prompt and then press the "Enter" key. This starts the fixboot utility, which rewrites the damaged boot sector on your hard drive.

5. Restart the computer when the fixboot utility is finished. The boot sector will be restored.

References

• Microsoft TechNet information on troubleshooting viruses that target the Windows XP boot sector
• Microsoft documentation on the fixboot command in the Windows XP Recovery Console