I deleted a partion and now it does not boot to Windows. So I used Fdisk to go and check out what I have left. This what I have, Partion 1 Status A Type EXT DOS Volume Label Mbytes 19085 System Usage 50% My HD is 40 GIGs. If I had Windows 2000 and then installed Win XP. Didn't touch Win 2000. Booted with Win XP cd and installed it. I deleted C: which had Win 2000. So with Partion Magic I deleted it. Because I thought I was just getting rid of Win 2000 and left with XP. So thats where I am now. Boot and nothing. Does its POST. Is there anything left or was it all deleted when I flushed my C: D: was Win XP. And all my data was on Win XP. Bottom line is is it still there or did I loose everything. And if not how do I get it back. Thanks

You're posting in the wrong forum, but I'll try to answer your questions anyway. All of your data, including the OS, are still safe on your D: partition, but WinXP is no longer bootable. The reason for this is that the boot files were on the C: partition, which you deleted. There are 2 ways to fix the problem. 1) Create a new C: partition, using Partition Magic from DOS. Then do a "Repair Installation" of WinXP to restore the boot files onto the C: partition. 2) If you're unable to use PM from DOS to create the new partition, you'll have to do the repair installation first, then use PM from within XP to create the new partition. This will (again) render XP unbootable, requiring another repair installation. HTH Dave

I have messed around with partions and both created and resolved situations similar to what you describe. However, I am not totally clear about how many partions you had to start with and which one you deleted. Also, I do not have WinXP but have some experience with Win2000, WinME, Linux and DOS. I also use Partition Magic 8. So anyway if I more or less understand your situation correctly, there are probably several possible solutions to your problem. For the first solution I am assuming WinXP uses a boot-up sequence similar to Win 2000 (I hope that is true). If so there should be a hidden file on drive C: called Boot.ini. Inside that small file should be a line that says something like what is below: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINNT In the above example from my computer the "3" tells it that Windows is on partition 3. The first partiton would be 1 not 0 by the way. Anyway, deleting a partition ahead of it means that the partition number is wrong and must be changed. Win NT and Win 2000 can be booted from a floppy disk. I hope the same is true of WinXP. The floppy disk might need to be formated by the same version of Windows. Three or four files need to be placed on the floppy disk. You could get them from some other computer that has the same version of Windows. On the floppy disk place these files: Ntdetect.com Ntldr Boot.ini Ntbootdd.sys (needed only if you have SCSI) Using some other functioning computer edit the Boot.ini file so that the partition layout represents current reality. Then place the disk into your computer and boot it up. If it does not boot up try again and press DELETE or whatever key combination you need to get into the BIOS setup menu. Once in there set it to boot fist from a floppy, then reboot. Once Windows sucessfully boots up it will most likely automatically correct the Boot.ini file. If not open notepad and go to C:\ and type in Boot.ini as the filename. You will not see the Boot.ini filename listed because it is a hidden file but it is there and notepad will open it for you. Once Boot.ini is open check to see if that line needs to be edited. If you have a good WindowsXP book you might look up the above procedure to see if I have described how to do it correctly.

If the above doesn't work you might to just give up on Windoze. Personally I like Linux better anyway (others might disagree). You could also add DOS on another primary partion. You could go to the FreeDOS.org web page and download the image files needed to create the DOS installation disks. Then install DOS on the 1st primary partition. Next install some version of Linux such as either Red Hat Linux, Mandrake Linux or SuSE Linux. Their image files can be downloaded for free or they come in a box for about $39. After Linux is installed log in as root and copy the contents of your Partition Magic CD onto the DOS partion. Of course that assumes that you know how to use Linux to mount the DOS partion, mount the floppy and copy the files. Next, boot up into DOS and if you are lucky the contents of your Partion Magic CD included the DOS version of Partition Magic that I use. If so install Partition Magic from DOS. It will most likely add WinXP to the 3 choices on your boot menu. You can then try to boot up into Win XP. It might actually boot up without editing the Boot.ini file because the new DOS partiton is now replacing the missing partiton. If WinXP does not boot up at least you will have Linux and DOS. Hopefully, you will not miss the Win XP too much!

Here is my 3rd and hopefully final suggestion. Insert the WindowsXP CD and boot up your computer into the installation program. If it does not boot up go into the BIOS setup menu and tell it to boot 1st from a CD. Anyway, once the setup program is running select the repair option. One choice inside that option will drop you off at a DOS prompt where only a few DOS commands are avaiable to be used. At least that is how things work under Windows 2000, I do not know for sure about XP. Examine the Boot.ini file and without the help of Notpade or the Edit program find some way to edit or replace the file. You would need to figure out the details. If that does not work for you. Reboot once again from either the Win XP and reinstall it from scratch. If you have the upgrade version of XP it might ask you to insert your Win 2000 disk to prove that you have one. Good Luck!

Actually their is NO DOS in XP or in any NT it is command line! and this should not be in this forum, but hey who cares anyway! Boot from CD or if not work download the setup diskette set from M$ http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q310994 and boot from them. Eventually it will give you an option to repair your existing XP, this will take you to the command line and typing HELP will give a list of available commands, you need the ones that repair you boot files. If you type the command you are interested in and hit enter it will give further guidance and if not what you want can choose to cancel the action. Another option is to miss this repair section and carry on to install it may give the option to do a repair install / upgrade of your existing O/S. Good luck.......

I think none OS can boot up form EXTDOS partion. At your bottom line, you can creat a DOS partion by FDISK, then install any Windows system (expect XP). At that time, all data are D Driver, you can backup it and do everything!