Can't boot - "autochk program not found - skipping autocheck" after XP SP3

Too bad Macs have dropped floppy disk drives ages ago.


(And this problem should be fixed under Boot Camp, so the only way I see this PTEDIT thing running would be to make a cd burnable and bootable into DOS .iso image with PTEDIT on it.)

I've been thru this (repairing the autochk problem under Boot Camp), not with PTEDIT because that's a floppy disk image, and the partition type was 07, it wasn't hidden, the way I fixed it was thru the scary 'Repair Install' process I mentioned above.
This happened to me because I installed SP3 for XP when it came out (before Parallels released 5600).

John used google but he actually never experienced the problem himself, I have both the experience and google.

 

Thanks Sidssp, your solution worked for me, I had the same problem. Now to re-activate Windows (again.) Now I remember why I switched to Mac in the first place. I will see if the Bootcamp boot works as well.

 

Yes, I only created this problem manually, and found 3 solution:
- in Boot Camp case (Configuration Editor-Options -Hard Disk1-Advanced - Clear)
- in not Boot Camp - 2 solutions
1. ptedit
2. Recovery console - fixboot /mbr

 

Oh God!
At least get it right John...

1.
It's FIXMBR that fixes the Master Boot Record, and FIXBOOT doesn't even have that /mdr switch (and if it had it would be /mbr), what it does is write a new Partition Boot Record and in that case it would be: FIXBOOT C:.

2.
In relation to PTEDIT using that floppy disk image under Boot Camp I have to ask you, what part of Macs don't have floppy disk drives didn't you understand?

 

1.yep, /mbr
2. WinImage and put floppy image to Parallels

 

John, if you want to be helpful to these people write instructions that work and solves them problems, period.

Fixboot /mbr or /mdr don't, so scratch that.

PTEDIT from a floppy disk don't, so scratch that.

I don't know what that Winimage thing is, but if it helps these people so please write instructions for them to use it.

 

I referred to instructions many time
Once again
1. Boot Camp -Parallels Desktop -<Virtual Machine name>-Edit-Virtual Machine -Hard Disk 1-Advanced tab -clear
2. Ptedit (searched google)
=====

1) Click the link below and save PTEDIT.ZIP to your desktop

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/tools/pq/utilities/ptedit.zip

2) Create a bootable MS-DOS disk for Windows

In Windows XP

* Place a blank floppy disk in Drive A
* Open My Computer
* Right-click on Drive A (floppy drive)
* Click on Format
* Check the box for "Create an MS-DOS Startup Disk"
* Click Start
* Click OK to the warning about formattting the disk will erase all data
* Click Ok to Format Complete
* Close the Format Disk window

For boot disks for other operating systems, you may want to visit Bootdisk.com

3) Copy PTEDIT to the floppy disk

* Double-click on the PTEDIT.ZIP file you downloaded to the desktop
* Right-click on PTEDIT.EXE and click on Copy
* Open My Computer
* Double-click on Drive A
* Click on Edit
* Click on Paste

4) Remove the disk from the floppy drive and place it in the floppy drive of the problem computer

5) Turn on the power to the problem computer and allow it to boot to from the floppy drive. Make sure the BIOS in your computer is set to boot from the floppy drive first.

6) At the A:\> prompt, type the following

PTEDIT and press Enter

7) You'll be presented with "Power Quest Partition Table Editor" screen. The key is to look in the first column of the table under Type. The number here should generally be 07 (hex), meaning the partition is an "Installable File System", in other words a bootable drive. If its anything else its not bootable.

Using your tab key, tab down to the Type box and hold down ALT + T to open the Set Type menu, then with your keyboard arrow, select 07, tab down to Ok and press Enter

8) Hold down ALT + S to Save Changes to the partition table and then Press CTRL +C to exit out of the program.

9) Reboot your computer and it should now boot normally into Windows.
======
3. Recovery console
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058

1. login to console
2. chkdsk /r - to correct possible file system errors
3. fixboot /mbr

 

WinImage
http://www.winimage.com/winimage.htm

 

There's an awful lof of confusion going on here:

"- in Boot Camp case (Configuration Editor-Options -Hard Disk1-Advanced - Clear)"

Wouldn't this be in PARALLELS case?


"- in not Boot Camp - 2 solutions
1. ptedit
2. Recovery console - fixboot /mbr"

In not Boot Camp would be in Parallels, then the solution is the first one, which resolves the problem if it's in Parallels.


Now if you meant:

- Not in Boot Camp case, in Parallels (Configuration Editor-Options -Hard Disk1-Advanced - Clear)
- In Boot Camp - 2 solutions
1. ptedit
2. Recovery console - fixboot /mbr

PTEDIT then wouldn't work cause macs don't have floppy disks.

Recovery console command would be either fixboot c: to fix partition boot record and/or fixmbr <device> to fix Master boot record (if you read the MSFT article you posted you'll see there's no fixboot /mbr).

Do you get it now?

 

Clear disk is Working when you have Windows installed in Boot Camp

Ptedit, and recovery console if you have virtual hdd, no Boot Camp

Is this way more clear?

 

Clear Disk works when you have Windows installed on Boot Camp and does autochk under Parallels.

BUT if you have Windows installed on Boot Camp and working under Parallels but doing the autochk under Boot Camp. Neither solutions you posted works, and that was the problem we were supposed to be solving for some guy:

I ACTUALLY had both problems and the second one was only solved thru 'Repair Install', I didn't want to mess with the MBR because the MBR is created by Boot Camp not Windows (and for the 'n'th time, fixboot /mbr does NOT exist).

In what concerns the Virtual HDD I never had the autochk problem so I abstain from giving out a solution.

 

This one is not clear, can you tell me what do you mean?

What is original problem, the problem is that Windows Partition is become hidden, and this is error.
I will try to create bootable Linux USB stick, and check is it working to correct error?

 

The Scenario is:

Windows Boot Camp installation is accessed thru Parallels, all works fine.
Then the user reboots the computer and boots Windows natively (no Parallels), and gets the autochk error.
This was the problem drpower was having.

I had the same (fixed it thru 'repair install'), the partition was 07 and all so it wasn't hidden.

I was already writing an e-mail complaining about how you handled this thread to Parallels, but decided it wasn't worth, if need to complain I will complain with my money not with my time.

 

Ok, got it.
We try to reproduce situation

 

Well, here we go
Configuration
MacOS 10.5.3 client
Parallels Desktop Build 5608
Windows XP PRO VLK
Norton System Works, Norton Goback installed (separately 2 installation)
Installed SP3 through Parallels Desktop, and once forced quit VM

Rebooted and got autochk not found , skipping autochk and then Session Initialization Manager BSOD 0x03a

-Used
Ubuntu 8.04, started gparted, cleared hidden partition flag
Recovery console
chkdsk /r
fixboot /mbr
System booted

Next 2 configuration I am checking now
Without any Norton product
Configuration
MacOS 10.5.3 client
Parallels Desktop Build 5608
Windows XP PRO VLK

I will not use Clear button, from Configuration editor-Hard Disk 1- Advanced
(tired it also and in my case, Install SP3 from VM, force reboot during install, finish SP3 installation - it just worked), so I assume that somehow this button is not working

 

Well, the reported problem was with 5584, people that installed SP3 before 5600 was released (like me). 5600 is supposed to have fixed the problem.

The thing is, localized versions are still at 5584.

 

It is reproducible in 5608,if installation was interrupted, and installation was done through Parallels Desktop, I am checking it now

 

Oh, it's worst than I thought then, I'm glad I insisted.

 

I just ran through the gauntlet. I got the Autochk error first in Boot Camp, then in the Parallels boot of it.

Very frustrating, but I got things working thanks to a hybrid of the above posts and those at Apple's discussions, etc.

Setup:
Mac Pro Core Duo (not Core 2 Duo)
Parallels VM accessing the Boot Camp partition.
WinXP Pro SP3
AV is Windows Live OneCare, always has been; No Symantec products EVER installed.
No MS Office loaded. A very basic install, mostly used for tests and tech support.

My symptom:
Autochk trouble reported when booting directly to Boot Camp.
Parallels (5608) boots WinXP SP3 fine.
(I believe I loaded SP3 before I updated Boot Camp from 2.0.x to 2.1.x, so my bad move. I've run a few other SP3 installs and they did not fail. For those I updated to 2.1 first.)

Outline of resolution followed:
In Parallels:
- (prep) Put the Boot Camp 2.1 updater to C:\temp folder
- (prep) Put the WinXP SP3 installer into C:\temp folder
- uninstall SP3
(Autochk error gone; Now I can boot into Boot Camp)

In Boot Camp
- load Boot Camp 2.0 using the Leopard install disk
- update Boot Camp to 2.1 (using the updater in C:\temp)
- install WinXP SP3 (using the updater in C:\temp)
- Boot into Parallels

In Parallels
(Autochk error now happening for Parallels boot)
- Stop the VM despite the VM warnings
- Edit -> Virtual Machine... -> Hard Disk 1 -> Advanced -> Clear... -> Yes
("Click Clear to remove Parallels information from Boot Camp partition")
- Boot the VM
VM will now boot using Parallels
- install Parallels Tools as suggested/required upon startup of VM

All is working now.

I hope this helps someone.

Don't know why there are posts harshing on Parallels about this. Even the Windows-only folks are dealing with the same problem and seem to be more stuck than we are (hence ptedit solutions galore).

 

Some people (Mac users) are used mostly to have software that just works, other people (Windows users) are used to software being problematic.

The right comparison would between Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion customers (or even VirtualBox) implementing SP3 on XP.
Did you heard about VMWare Fusion users complaining about SP3 installation after SP3 was officially announced? I didn't, and you know why? Because VMWare released an XP SP3 and Vista SP1 capable version BEFORE those service packs were released, that didn't happen with Parallels, in fact Parallels was silent about it for a while.
Hence the harshing.