MBR partition table not in sequential order

[timrob]

How can I fix the Master Boot Record on Windos XP Pro SP2?  I booted off of the install cd, then into the recovery console, ran FIXMBR, and still no luck.  

I have 2 partitions, each has a copy of Windows XP Pro.  The second partion is a backup of the first.  

The problem started after I deleted BootMagic (a boot manager).  BM is part of PQmagic.  I have to select the first partition to go into the second.  I know use PQmagic as my boot manager.  It's one extra step, but no big deal.  Bootmagic tech support said the MBR sometimes needs to be fixed after Bootmagic has been removed.

My boot.ini files are correct for each partition.  

I had the same problem on my other computer.  The only way I could fix it was to completely format the harddrive and start from new.  Any ideas?

[Backdated]

Did you actually delete BootMagic or properly uninstall it?
Use the [highlight]FixBoot[/highlight] command rather than the [highlight]FixMBR[/highlight] command.

[timrob]

I followed their instructions for unistalling it, since the Windows uninstall doesnot work.  First I ran the MBR fix, second I deleted the keys from the registry, then deleted the different partition(Fat32).  I believe I ran the MBR fix a second time after the problem wouldn't go away.  I'll try again tomorrow.

I'll try the fixboot command next.  Do I need to run fixboot on each partition that has an operating system?

[Backdated]

It should only be necessary to run it on the drive that contains the boot information although the part about "removing registry keys" has set alarm bells ringing!

What you've been trying to achieve through a dual boot system is over complicated, a waste of resources and, above all, totally unnecessary.
If you're doing this for backup purposes, it would be a much better idea to use Ghost or ATI or similar (There are some freebies available but I'm uncertain about their integrity etc) and take an image (Several images taken at different stages would be an even better idea). These images can be written to hard drive and/or burned to CD/DvD.
If you're running this setup for testing software etc then something like VMWorkstation is all you'll ever need.

[timrob]

The keys were specifily related to Bootmagic.  I haven't had a problem with anything new since I did the key deletion.  Hopefully nothing else will go wrong.

What I'm trying to do is have dual op sys's, both with Win XP.  Most people don't understand this so I tell them it's just a backup.

BTW, I tried Ghost as a backup program a few months back and didn't like it.  It was incredibly slow, especially if your backup goes onto multiple dvd's.  I can't remember for the life of me, but there were some key features that were missing.  For me, if I really want to  just back something up, I use a USB harddrive with PQMagic.

Thanks for the help.  I'll post the results tomorrow.

[timrob]

I tried the FIXBOOT command with no luck.  I tried it on both partitions.  I also tried the the FIXMBR on both partitions with no luck.  Any other ideas?