"Error loading operating system" after reboot with Windows XP Pro

So here is my problem: Occasionally, after reboot I get "Error loading
operating system". After that the only thing I can do is shut down the
computer and fix the windows MBR/Boot Sector (see bellow…).

I'm running a clean install of Windows XP Pro SR3 on a Lenovo T61 laptop. I
have confirmed that in the majority of times the problem with the MBR/Boot
Sector happens during the windows session and not necessarily upon reboot.
When it happens there are no symptoms in windows except for when I try to run
chkdsk, I get the following error:

"The type of the filesystem is RAW.
CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."

I've had my T61 for 6 months now and I've had this problem about 15 times so
far. Obviously this makes my T61 unstable and is becoming a major problem (I
like to shut down the computer before taking it anywhere, and I don't really
use Hibernate).

Solving this problem is very easy and takes 3 minutes… But the Win XP CD is
needed for the fix and I don't want to carry it around with me everywhere.
And anyway, it's annoying and makes my T61 crippled…

To fix the problem:
1 Change AHCI -> Compatibility in BIOS.
2 Boot using the Windows XP CD.
3 Enter the Recovery Console (press R).
4 "fixboot"
5 "fixmbr"
6 Restart ("exit").
7 Change back to AHCI in Bios.

After that the computer works perfect until the next time… Things I have
tried so far:
1 Installed latest Bios for T61.
2 Checked firmware for HD (WD Scorpio WD1600BEVS) and it's the latest.
3 Installed all windows updates for Windows XP and all Lenovo specific
updates.
4 Installed all latest drivers for T61.
5 Checked computer for Viruses, malware, etc. with 6 different scanners -
it's clean.
6 Updated some of the programs that I thought might be causing problems:
Avira , PerfectDisk 2008, TrueImage Home, etc. (I am not running any special
esoteric software, only big label popular stuff).
7 Checked HD with PC Doctor, WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tool and CHKDSK
- there are no problems.
8 Made sure EnableBigLba in the registry is enabled (although it should not
affect SATA drives anyway).
9 Disabled Lenovo's "Active Protection System" - the problem persists.
10 Checked MBR/Boot Sector with TestDisk analysis - there are no problems.

I am out of ideas. Something is corrupting the MBR/Boot Sector occasionally
during the windows session or upon shutdown. But I can't find why or under
what circumstances it happens… The only thing I didn't try was a completely
new clean system install, a thing which I REALLY don't want to do. Except for
this problem the system is great, very stable and I'm very happy with it.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Hi G.Just thought i,d put in my 2 cents.I noticed on the things you tried i
didn,t see system restore.You could try to restore to a date when it was
working.Hope this helps.TERRY.

"g61" wrote:

> So here is my problem: Occasionally, after reboot I get "Error loading
> operating system". After that the only thing I can do is shut down the
> computer and fix the windows MBR/Boot Sector (see bellow…).
>
> I'm running a clean install of Windows XP Pro SR3 on a Lenovo T61 laptop. I
> have confirmed that in the majority of times the problem with the MBR/Boot
> Sector happens during the windows session and not necessarily upon reboot.
> When it happens there are no symptoms in windows except for when I try to run
> chkdsk, I get the following error:
>
> "The type of the filesystem is RAW.
> CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."
>
> I've had my T61 for 6 months now and I've had this problem about 15 times so
> far. Obviously this makes my T61 unstable and is becoming a major problem (I
> like to shut down the computer before taking it anywhere, and I don't really
> use Hibernate).
>
> Solving this problem is very easy and takes 3 minutes… But the Win XP CD is
> needed for the fix and I don't want to carry it around with me everywhere.
> And anyway, it's annoying and makes my T61 crippled…
>
> To fix the problem:
> 1 Change AHCI -> Compatibility in BIOS.
> 2 Boot using the Windows XP CD.
> 3 Enter the Recovery Console (press R).
> 4 "fixboot"
> 5 "fixmbr"
> 6 Restart ("exit").
> 7 Change back to AHCI in Bios.
>
> After that the computer works perfect until the next time… Things I have
> tried so far:
> 1 Installed latest Bios for T61.
> 2 Checked firmware for HD (WD Scorpio WD1600BEVS) and it's the latest.
> 3 Installed all windows updates for Windows XP and all Lenovo specific
> updates.
> 4 Installed all latest drivers for T61.
> 5 Checked computer for Viruses, malware, etc. with 6 different scanners -
> it's clean.
> 6 Updated some of the programs that I thought might be causing problems:
> Avira , PerfectDisk 2008, TrueImage Home, etc. (I am not running any special
> esoteric software, only big label popular stuff).
> 7 Checked HD with PC Doctor, WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tool and CHKDSK
> - there are no problems.
> 8 Made sure EnableBigLba in the registry is enabled (although it should not
> affect SATA drives anyway).
> 9 Disabled Lenovo's "Active Protection System" - the problem persists.
> 10 Checked MBR/Boot Sector with TestDisk analysis - there are no problems.
>
> I am out of ideas. Something is corrupting the MBR/Boot Sector occasionally
> during the windows session or upon shutdown. But I can't find why or under
> what circumstances it happens… The only thing I didn't try was a completely
> new clean system install, a thing which I REALLY don't want to do. Except for
> this problem the system is great, very stable and I'm very happy with it.
>
> Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

The problem is that by the time I realized this was a recurring problem I
have already lost many restore points (cause of limited size for system
restore)... So I just don't have a restore point for before this problems
began. Any other ideas?

"TERRY" wrote:

> Hi G.Just thought i,d put in my 2 cents.I noticed on the things you tried i
> didn,t see system restore.You could try to restore to a date when it was
> working.Hope this helps.TERRY.
>
> "g61" wrote:
>
> > So here is my problem: Occasionally, after reboot I get "Error loading
> > operating system". After that the only thing I can do is shut down the
> > computer and fix the windows MBR/Boot Sector (see bellow…).
> >
> > I'm running a clean install of Windows XP Pro SR3 on a Lenovo T61 laptop. I
> > have confirmed that in the majority of times the problem with the MBR/Boot
> > Sector happens during the windows session and not necessarily upon reboot.
> > When it happens there are no symptoms in windows except for when I try to run
> > chkdsk, I get the following error:
> >
> > "The type of the filesystem is RAW.
> > CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."
> >
> > I've had my T61 for 6 months now and I've had this problem about 15 times so
> > far. Obviously this makes my T61 unstable and is becoming a major problem (I
> > like to shut down the computer before taking it anywhere, and I don't really
> > use Hibernate).
> >
> > Solving this problem is very easy and takes 3 minutes… But the Win XP CD is
> > needed for the fix and I don't want to carry it around with me everywhere.
> > And anyway, it's annoying and makes my T61 crippled…
> >
> > To fix the problem:
> > 1 Change AHCI -> Compatibility in BIOS.
> > 2 Boot using the Windows XP CD.
> > 3 Enter the Recovery Console (press R).
> > 4 "fixboot"
> > 5 "fixmbr"
> > 6 Restart ("exit").
> > 7 Change back to AHCI in Bios.
> >
> > After that the computer works perfect until the next time… Things I have
> > tried so far:
> > 1 Installed latest Bios for T61.
> > 2 Checked firmware for HD (WD Scorpio WD1600BEVS) and it's the latest.
> > 3 Installed all windows updates for Windows XP and all Lenovo specific
> > updates.
> > 4 Installed all latest drivers for T61.
> > 5 Checked computer for Viruses, malware, etc. with 6 different scanners -
> > it's clean.
> > 6 Updated some of the programs that I thought might be causing problems:
> > Avira , PerfectDisk 2008, TrueImage Home, etc. (I am not running any special
> > esoteric software, only big label popular stuff).
> > 7 Checked HD with PC Doctor, WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tool and CHKDSK
> > - there are no problems.
> > 8 Made sure EnableBigLba in the registry is enabled (although it should not
> > affect SATA drives anyway).
> > 9 Disabled Lenovo's "Active Protection System" - the problem persists.
> > 10 Checked MBR/Boot Sector with TestDisk analysis - there are no problems.
> >
> > I am out of ideas. Something is corrupting the MBR/Boot Sector occasionally
> > during the windows session or upon shutdown. But I can't find why or under
> > what circumstances it happens… The only thing I didn't try was a completely
> > new clean system install, a thing which I REALLY don't want to do. Except for
> > this problem the system is great, very stable and I'm very happy with it.
> >
> > Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Some suggestions here:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-111...geID=196200 9


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
g61 wrote:
> The problem is that by the time I realized this was a recurring
> problem I have already lost many restore points (cause of limited
> size for system restore)... So I just don't have a restore point for
> before this problems began. Any other ideas?
>
> "TERRY" wrote:
>
>> Hi G.Just thought i,d put in my 2 cents.I noticed on the things you
>> tried i didn,t see system restore.You could try to restore to a date
>> when it was working.Hope this helps.TERRY.
>>
>> "g61" wrote:
>>
>>> So here is my problem: Occasionally, after reboot I get "Error
>>> loading operating system". After that the only thing I can do is
>>> shut down the computer and fix the windows MBR/Boot Sector (see
>>> bellow.).
>>>
>>> I'm running a clean install of Windows XP Pro SR3 on a Lenovo T61
>>> laptop. I have confirmed that in the majority of times the problem
>>> with the MBR/Boot Sector happens during the windows session and not
>>> necessarily upon reboot. When it happens there are no symptoms in
>>> windows except for when I try to run chkdsk, I get the following
>>> error:
>>>
>>> "The type of the filesystem is RAW.
>>> CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."
>>>
>>> I've had my T61 for 6 months now and I've had this problem about 15
>>> times so far. Obviously this makes my T61 unstable and is becoming
>>> a major problem (I like to shut down the computer before taking it
>>> anywhere, and I don't really use Hibernate).
>>>
>>> Solving this problem is very easy and takes 3 minutes. But the Win
>>> XP CD is needed for the fix and I don't want to carry it around
>>> with me everywhere. And anyway, it's annoying and makes my T61
>>> crippled.
>>>
>>> To fix the problem:
>>> 1 Change AHCI -> Compatibility in BIOS.
>>> 2 Boot using the Windows XP CD.
>>> 3 Enter the Recovery Console (press R).
>>> 4 "fixboot"
>>> 5 "fixmbr"
>>> 6 Restart ("exit").
>>> 7 Change back to AHCI in Bios.
>>>
>>> After that the computer works perfect until the next time. Things I
>>> have tried so far:
>>> 1 Installed latest Bios for T61.
>>> 2 Checked firmware for HD (WD Scorpio WD1600BEVS) and it's the
>>> latest. 3 Installed all windows updates for Windows XP and all
>>> Lenovo specific updates.
>>> 4 Installed all latest drivers for T61.
>>> 5 Checked computer for Viruses, malware, etc. with 6 different
>>> scanners - it's clean.
>>> 6 Updated some of the programs that I thought might be causing
>>> problems: Avira , PerfectDisk 2008, TrueImage Home, etc. (I am not
>>> running any special esoteric software, only big label popular
>>> stuff). 7 Checked HD with PC Doctor, WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic
>>> Tool and CHKDSK - there are no problems.
>>> 8 Made sure EnableBigLba in the registry is enabled (although it
>>> should not affect SATA drives anyway).
>>> 9 Disabled Lenovo's "Active Protection System" - the problem
>>> persists. 10 Checked MBR/Boot Sector with TestDisk analysis - there
>>> are no problems.
>>>
>>> I am out of ideas. Something is corrupting the MBR/Boot Sector
>>> occasionally during the windows session or upon shutdown. But I
>>> can't find why or under what circumstances it happens. The only
>>> thing I didn't try was a completely new clean system install, a
>>> thing which I REALLY don't want to do. Except for this problem the
>>> system is great, very stable and I'm very happy with it.
>>>
>>> Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

I already run latest version of Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostics
several times, both quick test and extended test. There where no problems
found...
I have a hard time believing that it's a low voltage problem, why would that
affect only the MBR and the Boot Sector? I have had absolutely no other data
corruption problems in the HDD.

Anyway, I have no way of checking voltages and I'll probably try a
re-install before I jump on that wagon. But, as I said, I'd really like to
avoid re-installing the entire system.

Any other ideas? I am completely dry.
"Gerry" wrote:

> Some suggestions here:
> http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-111...geID=196200 9

If I were you I would restore the laptop to factory conditions and see
if the problems persist, if they do persist call Lenovo and have them
fix the laptop. If you wait until after the warranty is over this may
be a costly repair ticket!

John

g61 wrote:

> So here is my problem: Occasionally, after reboot I get "Error loading
> operating system". After that the only thing I can do is shut down the
> computer and fix the windows MBR/Boot Sector (see bellow…).
>
> I'm running a clean install of Windows XP Pro SR3 on a Lenovo T61 laptop. I
> have confirmed that in the majority of times the problem with the MBR/Boot
> Sector happens during the windows session and not necessarily upon reboot.
> When it happens there are no symptoms in windows except for when I try to run
> chkdsk, I get the following error:
>
> "The type of the filesystem is RAW.
> CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."
>
> I've had my T61 for 6 months now and I've had this problem about 15 times so
> far. Obviously this makes my T61 unstable and is becoming a major problem (I
> like to shut down the computer before taking it anywhere, and I don't really
> use Hibernate).
>
> Solving this problem is very easy and takes 3 minutes… But the Win XP CD is
> needed for the fix and I don't want to carry it around with me everywhere.
> And anyway, it's annoying and makes my T61 crippled…
>
> To fix the problem:
> 1 Change AHCI -> Compatibility in BIOS.
> 2 Boot using the Windows XP CD.
> 3 Enter the Recovery Console (press R).
> 4 "fixboot"
> 5 "fixmbr"
> 6 Restart ("exit").
> 7 Change back to AHCI in Bios.
>
> After that the computer works perfect until the next time… Things I have
> tried so far:
> 1 Installed latest Bios for T61.
> 2 Checked firmware for HD (WD Scorpio WD1600BEVS) and it's the latest.
> 3 Installed all windows updates for Windows XP and all Lenovo specific
> updates.
> 4 Installed all latest drivers for T61.
> 5 Checked computer for Viruses, malware, etc. with 6 different scanners -
> it's clean.
> 6 Updated some of the programs that I thought might be causing problems:
> Avira , PerfectDisk 2008, TrueImage Home, etc. (I am not running any special
> esoteric software, only big label popular stuff).
> 7 Checked HD with PC Doctor, WD's Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tool and CHKDSK
> - there are no problems.
> 8 Made sure EnableBigLba in the registry is enabled (although it should not
> affect SATA drives anyway).
> 9 Disabled Lenovo's "Active Protection System" - the problem persists.
> 10 Checked MBR/Boot Sector with TestDisk analysis - there are no problems.
>
> I am out of ideas. Something is corrupting the MBR/Boot Sector occasionally
> during the windows session or upon shutdown. But I can't find why or under
> what circumstances it happens… The only thing I didn't try was a completely
> new clean system install, a thing which I REALLY don't want to do. Except for
> this problem the system is great, very stable and I'm very happy with it.
>
> Any ideas? Thanks in advance.