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The information in this article applies to: August 1, 2000
* Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
* Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
* Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
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You can create an OS/2 Boot Manager partition by using IBM OS/2 or Partition Magic from PowerQuest to establish a multi-boot environment. This OS/2 Boot Manager partition can become damaged because of a Windows 2000 shutdown. This damage can occur even as early as the initial shutdown during the Windows 2000 installation when the OS/2 Boot Manager partition is pre-existing.
question?
If Windows 2000 shuts down when an OS/2 Boot Manager partition has been previously created, it considers the boot manager partition as a FAT partition and tries to mark the partition as clean. Because of this, it overwrites an important part of the code in the boot manager partition, which can prevent you from starting your computer. For example, with Partition Magic version 3.0, the boot manager menu frame is displayed but does not include the menus, so you may receive an empty blue screen and cannot restart the computer.
CAUSE
This problem can occur when the Windows 2000 FAT file system shutdown tries to mark the partition FAT structures as "clean" for subsequent boots. This is
because the OS/2 Boot Manager partition boot sector mimics a FAT12 partition boot sector. Because of this, the OS/2 Boot Manager partition indicates that it contains 2 FATs (the primary and the mirror), but actually only has one FAT. The area typically used for the mirror FAT contains the Boot Manager executable code.
When Windows 2000 attempts to mark the FAT at clean, a sector in the mirror FAT and the boot manager code is overwritten.
A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but it has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. If you are not severely affected by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this fix.
To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp
The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:
Date Time Version Size File name
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06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 559,376 Autochk.exe
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 571,664 Autoconv.exe
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 552,208 Autofmt.exe
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 13,072 Chkdsk.exe
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 13,072 Chkntfs.exe
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 26,384 Cnvfat.dll
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 14,096 Convert.exe
06/08/2000 12:35p 5.0.2195.2096 140,336 Fastfat.sys
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 17,680 Fmifs.dll
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 34,064 Format.com
06/08/2000 12:36p 5.0.2195.2096 66,832 Ifsutil.dll
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 8,464 Recover.exe
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 83,216 Ufat.dll
06/08/2000 12:38p 5.0.2195.2096 304,400 Untfs.dll
NOTE: It may be too late to install the preceding hotfix after you have damaged the Boot Manager partition. To install Windows 2000 safely on a computer with Boot Manager:
1. Copy all of the I386 Windows 2000 distribution files to a folder on a network share. As an option, you can copy all of the Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 files over the base distribution files.
2. Copy the preceding hotfix files to the same network share. Note that this overwrites the default files.
3. Install Windows 2000 from this network share.
To work around this problem when it occurs, you must remove and reinstall the boot manager. Note that the next time Windows 2000 shuts down, it again damages the boot manager partition. To prevent this, do not shut down Window 2000 normally, instead, turn the power off or press the Reset button on your computer.
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 2000.
For additional information about how to install Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q249149 Installing Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Hotfixes
After you apply this fix, when you install Windows 2000 over an existing OS/2 computer with Boot Manager, the OS/2 Boot Manager partition is ignored. Because of this, the Boot.ini file for the new Windows 2000 installation is established relative to partition 1 (not counting the OS/2 Boot Manager partition). Following the installation, the active partition is set to the Windows 2000 partition and Windows 2000 boots directly. After this, if the OS/2 boot manager partition is ever set as the active partition, the Windows 2000 Boot.ini file must be updated to include the OS/2 Boot Manager partition in the relative partition count. Otherwise, Windows 2000 does not start because it is unable to find the OS Loader file.
The third-party products discussed in this article are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.