Trying to reinstall Windows 8.1 but keeps giving me MBR Error

Software & Operating Systems
1

Im trying to reinstall the Operating system on my ASUS laptop but after it gets the files ready for installation, it reloads and then the laptop says MBR Error, press any key to boot from floppy

How do I fix?

2

The BIOS can't read where the boot sector is on the HDD. Either your boot flags are messed up, or you didn't properly wipe the HDD prior to re-installation.

3

I had a similar issue once, and all I had to do was Unplug the USB memory I was using to install windows.

4

I deleted all the partitions and formatted both drives before I selected the drive for installation if that helps

5

You might want to do a low-level format to really clean the drive: http://hddguru.com/software/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool/

1 Like
6

i have a bad feeling, that your HDD might be dying.

7

I second what @thecaveman suggested. Remember that windows 8.1 uses UEFI to boot as well. So check your BIOS to see if that is turned off. The UEFI looks for the windows boot manager, which then tell where windows is on the HDD. If you have a left over windows EFI from a previous installation, or the HDD is damaged in the area, then you will got an MBR error. Which is actually a generic error that BIOS through up when ever they cant find a bootable OS on the disk.

8

Well the harddrive in question is an 160GB SSD.

UEFI is on as far as I know, the Bios doesnt really have much in there.

The laptop does have 2 drives. 1 SSD and 1 Harddrive.

If I tried installing the OS to the harddrive and switching boot orders might that solve the MBR problem?

9

is there a linux version? I cant access windows at all with the laptop. But if there is a linux version I can just slap it on a flash drive and do it through that.

10

wait i think i know whats going on here. Tell me, did you remove the other HDD, when you were reinstalling windows to the SSD.

IF you didnt than thats where out problem is.

Windows like to throw shit on every drive that plugged in, despite you telling it to install only on one drive.

Remedy: remove the drive that you did not install windows on, or use a linux live cd to go onto said afflicted drive and remove the windows cache that is there.

11

Oh when I got the PC it came with the SSD and OS already installed. I had just got it from ebay, I wanted to reinstall the operating system myself to make sure its all clean.

I just took out the SSD and moved the harddrive to where the SSD was and reinstalled the OS, I finally managed to get to the rest of the installation to where I can personalize for the first time.

I think MisteryAngel was right, the SSD might of died.