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Orochi 
Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Aug. 2009
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Posted on: Apr. 09 2011,11:48 |
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I was trying to fix my windows installation and ran:
Bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force. I forgot that I had a usb plugged into my computer. Of course bootsector was written on my usb drive as well.
I decided to run balder's easyboot-usb script. The script formated my usb stick with grun4dos. Then I put all my programs back to usb including installation of windows 7 with a bootmgr in the root of the usb.
The problem is now when I boot from usb drive, I don't see grub menu, instead windows 7 starts installing itself.
Can i somehow fix this without formating my usb again?
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| Post Number: 2
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balder
Group: Members
Posts: 1942
Joined: Oct. 2008
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Posted on: Apr. 09 2011,12:03 |
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@Orochi
Quote: ”I forgot that I had a usb plugged into my computer”
Well nobody is perfect  – happens to me as well 
Quote: “I decided to run balder's easyboot-usb script”
If you run this script you are asked first to choose between using floppy image or to use ISO-file.
If choosing ISO-file, you are then asked to locate and double-click to ISO-file.
So what ISO-file did you choose?
This is vital: Please show what’s on the text-file “menu.lst” that you have on the root of your USB device
This can give me vital information to help you solve your problem 
Regards balder
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Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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| Post Number: 3
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| Post Number: 4
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Orochi
Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Aug. 2009
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Posted on: Apr. 09 2011,12:37 |
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Another thing also.
When I ran grub installer I don't see Whole Disk MBR option anymore. Instead I have whole disk FAT32 option only.
http://img834.imageshack.us/i/20110409123347.jpg
PS: I think when your script ran it did not fully rewrote MBR, there must be something left from NT60 command that interferes with grub4dos.
Edited by Orochi on Apr. 09 2011,12:49
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| Post Number: 5
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balder
Group: Members
Posts: 1942
Joined: Oct. 2008
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Posted on: Apr. 09 2011,14:07 |
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@Orochi
Quote: “PS: I think when your script ran it did not fully rewrote MBR, there must be something left from NT60 command that interferes with grub4dos.”
Well what did you have before?
Did you have several partitions or only one partition and NTFS-file-system?
What actually did you have on USB device (partitions file-system etcetera)?
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Some brief information how script works
Script overwrite MBR-code to USB device everytime(your USB device seems like a 16 GB USB Stick\Thumb-drive if I’m correct) and as size is less than 32GB, it automatically create one FAT32 partition.
If USB device is larger than 32GB script instead automatically change to NTFS (can be overridden by checking “Force Format to FAT32).
Note1: FAT32 is the overall best file system to use on USB devices (particular USB stick\Thumb-drives).
Note2: If script finds out that you are using any USB device that is a “fixed” drive (normally a hard drive but there are USB Stick\Thumb-drives that can be set to “fixed” by flipping a data-byte in chip) script automatically chose NTFS, as this is the overall best file-system to such unit (“fixed” drive).
All this is automatically done (script do a close examination of the USB device before it start’s up the format procedure) - it’s more complicated than what you actually see for your eyes only
To not destroy data, script is also prohibit to format any USB device that has more than one partition - Or if you by mistake have two USB devices plugged in at same time 
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However, it is a mystery that you not fully can use the menu.lst as you claim that setup of Win7 starts without you have any possibility to choose any other option in menu.lst!
I cannot understand that last part 
Hmmm… I guess I need some more info 
Eeee.. What happened with your harddisk?
And there is no harm run script again to see if it behaves better.
Note: I always run ghost.exe to my “super-designed” USB devices (where I have a lot of “important” stuff)
I can then easily “ghost back” my USB device to original shape – or ghost to a different USB device (large enough to hold my build).
Regards balder
Edited by balder on Apr. 09 2011,15:52
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Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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| Post Number: 6
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| Post Number: 7
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Orochi
Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Aug. 2009
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Posted on: Apr. 09 2011,22:42 |
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Hi balder,
I was able to fix my usb
Had to reformat using usb HP format utility. After this your script worked like a charm.
Also this time I backed MBR using bootice. ;)
Thank you so much your help my friend !!!
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| Post Number: 8
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balder
Group: Members
Posts: 1942
Joined: Oct. 2008
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Posted on: Apr. 10 2011,02:42 |
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@ Orochi
Quote: ”Had to reformat using usb HP format utility”
Yes HP format tool is (or was) the “king” of format tools for USB stick\Thumb-drives to the point that users (I was one of them) realized that HP format tool created an mismatch in length of the partition table 
This mismatch is generally called “error 110”.
Basically you get a mismatch between the CHS length (Cylinder/Head/Sector) and the length of LBA (Logical/Block/Address).
I used HP format tool to a small USB stick and I got this:
The CHS length ended up being 97902 but the LBA length ended up to be 97903.
However the USB stick booted anyway – but on some odd BIOS this might be a problem, but frankly, I have never experienced this to any computer so far – so I guess this is more of a theoretic (academic) discussion  than the “real experience in life” in case you use the HP format tool.
However this problem continues on your USB stick. My script doesn’t change this “bad” behaviour in the mismatch CHS versus LBA .
How to get rid of this missmatch that HP format tool creates?
Several solutions can be used to solve this:
1. Let Easyboot launch the “old” DOS format tool Norton partition magic-8. You can launch the floppy image from Easyboot and follow instructions given by partition magic.  Partition magic then correct CHS length to the correctly one on the USB stick connected to your computer.
2. Use my script “easyboot-usb-ghost.script” and push button “Repair MBR BOOT-record” Note: can only be used to USB Stick\Thumb-drives!!! You of course need Ghost.exe (Ghost-8 is recommended). This solve problems related to CHS versus LBA right away in a couple of seconds
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Some interesting incidents I have experienced related to “bad behaviour” from USB stick\Thumb-drives:
It happens that new USB sticks (never used) was impossible to correctly format and make bootable. Or USB sticks that went “crazy” and I couldn’t make bootable even using the (“wrong”) HP format tool
In most of these cases I received a short message from the USB stick like this. “Bad MBR Handler” and there it got stuck and doing nothing more
All this was fixed using above mentioned script. I have created a Ghost image  (with correct MBR and partition table) that is “injected” right away by Ghost.exe 
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Quote: “Also this time I backed MBR using bootice”
But you now have a mismatch between the CHS versus LBA and it continous when using this MBR-code.
Note: Please don’t get upset by the information above as your USB stick works most likely splendid anyway.
But no harm to now that you have a perfect relation between the CHS length and the LBA length.
And great that you got the USB stick up and working
Regards balder
Edited by balder on Apr. 10 2011,02:47
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Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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| Post Number: 9
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Orochi
Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Aug. 2009
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Posted on: Apr. 10 2011,15:48 |
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Wow Balder thank you for your input.
I have two questions for you:
1. You mentioned that HP utility is not good but what about usb format utility offered by Hiren?
http://www.hiren.info/download/freeware-tools/USBFormat.zip
Does this utility do a better job in regards to CHS Â LBA inequality ?
Could you test it if you get a chance.?
2. I followed your method # 2 using ghost.
Your script formated my usb and put new grub files. Now, how do i know that the CHS = LBA now?
How can I check this?
Also. I have Paragon Partition Manager installed on my computer and before i ran your script it showed that my usb stick is unformatted. After I ran your ghost script it still shows that it is unformatted.
However, windows explorer and disk management show my usb stick normally. That it is formatted with FAT32 and I can also write files to it. Any ideas why that my be ?
PS: The first time I created my usb was I think with HP format utility. I have two usbs; one 16gb and the other is 4gb. I never had problems on any computer.
PS:2 Why does your usb script formats usb so fast? Are you using quick format?
When I ran HP format it took me almost 20min or maybe even more. If I am not mistaken your earlier scripts took longer to format usb. After all it is the long format by HP utility and quick format that helped me get rid of all the stuff that interfered with grub.
Regards
Edited by Orochi on Apr. 10 2011,15:51
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| Post Number: 10
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balder
Group: Members
Posts: 1942
Joined: Oct. 2008
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Posted on: Apr. 10 2011,17:10 |
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@ Orochi
Quote: ” I have two questions for you”
I downloaded format tool from Hiren and this is simply a “reduced” variant on the original HP format tool
However it has one exception – it’s even worse – this reduced HP tool format you USB stick to have even grater differences to the right CHS.
You are not recommended to use such tool – but please note that your USB stick(s) doesn’t get destroyed in any way  – USB stick only have a wrong relationship between the right length CHS versus LBA.
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Quote: ”I followed your method # 2 using ghost”
I can guarantee that if you used the “Repair MBR BOOT-record” in easyboot-usb-ghost.script your USB stick now have the RIGHT relationship between lengths to CHS versus LBA - it's optimal
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Quote: ” I never had problems on any computer”
Yes most likely and I quote from post nr;8
“on some odd BIOS this might be a problem, but frankly, I have never experienced this to any computer so far – so I guess this is more of a theoretic (academic) discussion than the “real experience in life” in case you use the HP format tool”
However, in my opinion, there is no point to create a not 100% correct MBR-code, when you can be sure you instead is using the right condition between length to CHS versus LBA
Note: As I already said – it’s more a academic issue than a “real problem” – but again – why not use the right MBR-code
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Quote: ” How can I check this”
Well I always use a very quick method to check this.
It should be possible to use a kind of hex editor but it’s easy to get lost.
The easy way is to launch the old partition magiq-8 from a floppy image (put floppy image in folder ezboot and use “run” as menu command to floppy image).
When you have tested that you can launch image correctly you use “easyboot-grub-iso.script” to create a new ISO followed by using “Make USB bootable and transfer build to USB”.
Now launch your USB stick and finally launch partition magiq-8 using menu in EasyBoot from your USB stick.
This tells you at once if the MBR-code is correct or not!
I’m sure you can find partition magiq-8 somewhere out there on Internet.
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It’s odd that Paragon Partition Manager repost such strange thing about your USB stick – can’t tell why at this point.
Quote: ”Why does your usb script formats usb so fast? Are you using quick format”
Yes I use a special format tool (command line tool) in script and only need quick format – you really don’t need to do the “full partition” to such USB stick
Attention! There is no cause for alarm or reason be alarmed by this – I just think when you can get the best – you shall use the best (put the right MBR-code to USB stick).
EDIT
I checked the differences between CHS versus LBA with the same USB stick as used in post nr;8
Difference when using original HP tool was in post nr;8 and I quote: “The CHS length ended up being 97902 but the LBA length ended up to be 97903” – as you can notice only 1.
But when using download from Hiren I get this:  The CHS length ended up being 97902 but the LBA length ended up to be 981953” – as you can notice there is even larger differences between length to CHS versus LBA, using this “reduced” HP tool from Hiren.
Regards balder
Edited by balder on Apr. 10 2011,17:32
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Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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