Fix your boot record

If you dual boot with another version of Windows or Linux you may find that at some point the boot loader becomes corrupt and causes you problems. Thankfully, there is an easy fix, even if it's Linux's GRUB loader that has caused the problem and interrupts your Windows boot. Follow these simple steps to fix your Master Boot Record (MBR) through a clever console command:

1 Broken record
The master boot record is a block of information written at the start of your hard disk that tells your computer which operating systems are installed and how to boot from them. If it gets corrupted by a failing hard disk or through broken OS installations, you won’t be able to start Windows properly.

2 Boot from the disc
Sometimes you can fix this problem quite easily by running the repair tools included on the Windows Vista DVD. You will need to actually boot from the disc, as running the installer from Windows doesn’t work. First, click past the language selection screen then you’ll need to click the link to ‘Repair your computer’.

3 Locate your installation
The repair tool will scan your hard disk for Vista installations. You can only repair the Vista master boot record, but if you are having problems with a WindowsVista/XP dual boot configurations, fixing the Vista MBR first will often fix both problems. Select the correct installation and click ‘Command Prompt’.

4 Repair
At the command prompt, type ‘bootrec /fixboot’ and ‘bootrec /fixmbr’. These two commands will replace your corrupted boot records with working default copies. You can now eject the DVD and reboot to start Windows Vista correctly. Now run a full backup, in case your hard disk is about to fail more comprehensively.