Microsoft KB Archive/934540

= Windows Vista no longer starts, and Startup Repair does not fix problem =

Article ID: 934540

Article Last Modified on 3/29/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Windows Vista Ultimate
 * Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit edition
 * Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit edition
 * Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition
 * Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit edition
 * Windows Vista Business
 * Windows Vista Business 64-bit edition
 * Windows Vista Business N
 * Windows Vista Business N 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Enterprise
 * Windows Vista Home Basic
 * Windows Vista Home Basic N
 * Windows Vista Home Basic N 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Premium

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SYMPTOMS
A Windows Vista-based computer does not start because the master boot record (MBR) has been corrupted. When you try to use the Startup Repair tool to fix the MBR, the Startup Repair tool reports that no problem was found.

Note You can access the Startup Repair tool on the Windows Vista installation disc.



CAUSE
When a USB flash drive is inserted in a computer, the computer hardware sometimes reports that the USB flash drive is the system partition. The Startup Repair tool examines the USB flash drive instead of the actual system partition on the hard disk. Because Startup Repair cannot locate the corrupted MBR, it does not detect a problem.



RESOLUTION
To avoid this behavior, remove the USB flash drive before you run the Startup Repair tool.



MORE INFORMATION
For more information about how to troubleshoot startup issues in Windows Vista, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

927392 How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows Vista

Keywords: kbtshoot kbrepair kbprb KB934540

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