How to Create a New Boot Sector on a Disk

A boot sector, or master boot record, on a disk is the section of the disk from which the computer "boots" or loads into an operating system. If your boot sector becomes damaged or corrupt, you will not be able to use the drive to load into your operating system without first performing some repairs. This is possible using the FDisk tool, which is built into your operating system. Through use of the tool you can quickly rewrite the master boot record, including the boot sector.

Instructions

1. Open the "Start" menu and click on "Run."

2. Type in "cmd" and press "Enter."

3. Type in "fdisk /mbr" and press "Enter." This rewrites the boot sector information to your disk.

4. Reboot your computer.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use FDisk if your hard drive has more than four partitions, your computer is designed as a dual-boot machine (more than one operating system on the hard drive), or if the disk was originally partitioned using the "SpeedStor" program.

References

• Microsoft: FDISK /MBR Rewrites the Master Boot Record