Newsgroups:  comp.os.linux.setup
Date:        Tue, 21 Oct 2003 03:18:24 GMT

What is the right way (in Linux) to allow MBR to boot the active partition?

I used to install Windoze (98) on my PC first, and let it creates the right MBR which can boot the active partition. My disk partition tools was pq magic. Now, I am trying to do everything in Linux. I created my disk partition by sfdisk, and I restored my Win/Linux disk images by Partimage.

Now the problem is that the MBR created by sfdisk can not boot the active partition. I've tried it many times, and have even tried to restore the previous Windows MBR then work on it by sfdisk… nothing works.

Just to make sure it is only the MBR's booting problem. I boot my grub from floppy, then

rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
boot

I am able to boot into my Windoze 98. Then, I tried 'format /mbr' from there but strangely, the format that comes with Windoze 98 doesn't have this /mbr option.

All in all, I have no problem creating my partitions, change the bootable partition… etc, but simply can't make MBR boot the active one.

> Then, I tried 'format /mbr'

fdisk /mbr