Loading PBR for descriptor 2...done

[ishan.ruwala]

I have a Dell PC with Windows XP. It freezes on startup at the message "Loading PBR for descriptor 2...done". The only options are F2 and F12. I did some research and found that some people had success booting from their recovery disk and entering the "fixboot" command (Cyberspacesupport.com - loading PBR for descriptor 2...done.? - Free computer help to find and fix computer problems.). Before I can enter "R" for repair though, I get an error saying that intelide.sys is corrupt, setup failed.

What are my options? I need everything back to the way it was. Doing a clean wipe is not an option.

Thank you!

[spunk.funk]

Sounds like your recovery disc is either smudged, or scratched. Give it a good cleaning and try booting off it again. If that fails, the HDD may have failed. Download the ISO image for Seatools in my signature. Burn the image to CD using IMGBurn also in my signature. Boot off of the newly created CD and run the Short and Long tests on the HDD. This may solve the problem, but if either test fails, then the HDD needs to be replaced.

[Hawkeye4real]

hi guys, my first ever post on here so forgive me if I'm not fully up to speed! I have the same problem with my Dell running xp. It prompts me to restart with ctr ald delete but when I try to click f8 to get to safe mode nothing happens. I try f2 to get to the bios screen but a different screen shows up (listing system time, system date etc.). I've tried removing all usb cables as was suggested on a dell site and that didn't work. There is some important recent stuff not backed up so I really need to find a way around this (not even sure if I have any system discs etc., I have this a few years.)

Thanks.

[spunk.funk]

Please do not hijack someone else's thread. You should always start your own. But this one is abandoned so we will proceed.

I try f2 to get to the bios screen but a different screen shows up (listing system time, system date etc.)

Pressing F2 to enter Setup will bring you to the Bios screen which will list the System Data and Time. It also lists your HDD and Memory. If your press F12 at bootup you can run the Dell Diagnostics, to test your HDD and memory.
If you have ax XP CD you can boot off of that and get to the Recovery Console and type chkdsk /R and press enter. Check Disk will check your HDD for integrity.
You can also backup your files using an Ubuntu Live CD and back them up to an external USB HDD.