Fdisk /MBR

jong357 · 05-17-2005, 11:18 PM

On a side note, I'd like to mention Disk Wizard if you guys haven't heard of it. Way cool utility. You can download an ISO to make a bootable CD. It's menu driven and allows you to not only zero fill (low-level format) your hard drive but create partitions AND zero fill your MBR... Really slick program.

Your lead to believe it's only for Seagate hard drives, but I've used it with numerous hard drive manufactures with no problems... Check it out...

http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/...s/discwiz.html

It's under the first column "DiscWizard Starter Edition"... Select the "Bootable CD ISO Image" at the bottom...

johnywhy · 08-22-2011, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PTrenholme

On Linux "fdisk /mbr" is a command to run "fdisk" on the device mounted at "/mbr." Since he has no such device, the "Unable to open" error was, in fact, the correct response. Sorry.

no apologies necessary. if you're correct, that's the most cogent explanation i've heard about this issue! can anyone confirm this?

thanks!

gnashley · 08-22-2011, 02:00 PM

necro-post...
"fdisk /mbr" is a DOS command. However, this is not exactly right either:
"command to run fdisk on the device mounted at /mbr"
On linux, it would be the command to run fdisk on the device /mbr -which of course doesn't exist. fdiak is not run on a mount point, but instead on a 'device' which should have a 'special device file' usually under /dev. There is a linux program called 'ms-sys', IIRC, which does the equivalent of the DOS command.

PTrenholme · 08-22-2011, 03:49 PM

Well, fdisk is not restricted to just devices. For example, here's fdisk running on an image file:

Code:

$ fdisk -l /var/lib/libvirt/images/Ubuntu.img 

Disk /var/lib/libvirt/images/Ubuntu.img: 21.5 GB, 21474836480 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders, total 41943040 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00069412

                             Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/var/lib/libvirt/images/Ubuntu.img1   *        2048    33554431    16776192   83  Linux
/var/lib/libvirt/images/Ubuntu.img2        33556478    41940991     4192257    5  Extended
/var/lib/libvirt/images/Ubuntu.img5        33556480    41940991     4192256   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Such usage is, in fact, quite useful when you've got an image of a damaged disk you're trying to fix. (Several partitioning and recovery tools are quite happy working on images.)

In 2005 I was relatively new to Linux, and, if I had a "do-over," I should have said "the file located at /mbr" not "the device mounted at /mbr."

frankbell · 08-22-2011, 09:42 PM

What keefaz said.

fdisk /mbr is a DOS command.

psionl0 · 08-23-2011, 12:16 AM

Checkout the bios setup. I once had a similar problem with an old laptop. It turned out that the MBR was write protected.

frieza · 08-23-2011, 12:39 AM

no offense to the OP but you really aren't gonna get much help here at this rate

first)
even windows XP doesn't use fdisk /mbr, probably windows 2000 and NT as well, they use fixmbr and/or fixboot at the recovery console, only Win9x/ME and prior and dos uses fdisk /mbr

as mentioned fdisk /mbr is inapropriate syntax for a Linux system, a / is not used as a flag in linux command syntax, only - and -- for the most part since / is the directory separator.

second)
you really havn't said much other than 'it doesn't work' but havn't really told us any more detals such as error messages, or other symptoms/circumstances that make you think it's broken

third)
every time someone makes a suggestion you just for the most part keep re-iterating the same thing in different fassions, which was vague to begin with and even being told what you are trying is inappropriate for the situation.

nobody is gonna be able to provide a satisfactory answer until you can clarify your problem with more details.

Nylex · 08-23-2011, 12:45 AM

Please be aware that this thread was started in 2005..

SeRi@lDiE · 08-23-2011, 08:15 AM

Looks like somebody hit the hot tub time machine!
LOL

SavoTU · 08-23-2011, 09:30 AM

Sorry just realised the age of the thread!