MBR stands for Master Boot Record. It is a boot record that holds information related to the disk partitions on your PC and acts as a loader for Windows, i.e., tells the BIOS or UEFI from where it can load Windows. It gets created when you install Windows for the first time. Usually, the MBR resides on the same hard drive, but if it is installed on another drive, and the drive gets corrupt, or you unknowingly remove it, you will get an error. If you figured that Master Boot Record in Wrong Disk, here is how to fix it.
What Causes Master Boot Record in Wrong Disk Error?
1. Incorrect Disk Partitioning During Installation
The issue mainly occurs when you wrongly partition your storage driver while Windows installation. As you know, during the Windows setup, you can partition your storage disk and select a storage drive to install the OS. However, it can happen if you made an incorrect disk portioning during Windows installation.
2. Accidentally Installing an Operating System on the Wrong Disk
While installing Windows, you probably have selected the wrong partition and installed Windows. This is a common error. Because when you partition your C driver during Windows installation, it creates additional storage disks. And if you had selected the wrong one, the issue would occur.
Fix: Master Boot Record in Wrong Disk
There are two easy ways to fix MBR errors. Both of them require you to have a Windows installation disk which can be easily created using the free Windows media creation tool. Once you have that, you can try these below fixes:
- Using Windows Installation Disc
- System Recovery Options
Note: Disconnect or Remove other drives except the target drive containing the operating system.
1. Using Windows Installation Disc
You can repair your Windows with the installation disk and fix the MBR issue. You will need a Windows installation disk or drive, which can be created using a flash drive and the Windows media creation tool.
- First, insert your Windows installation disk or drive into your PC.
- Then reboot your computer and boot up using the installation driver. (You may need to change the BOOT sequence from the menu.)
- Next, select language, time, currency, and other details and click Next on the Windows installation screen.
- Next, you will find a Repair Windows option at the bottom left corner; click on it.
- Over here, select the operating system you wish to repair and click on Next.
- After that, from the System Recovery Options dialog box, click on Command Prompt.
- Finally, type and run the below command and let Windows do its job.
Bootrec /RebuildBcd
Restart PC, and check if the issue is resolved.
2. System Recovery Options
Like the previous method, you can expand System Recovery Options further and fix the Master boot record in the wrong disk error. You will also need the same Windows installation disk or drive for this. If you have that, then follow the below steps:
- First, boot your PC using the Windows installation disk or driver.
- Next, select language, time, currency, and other details and click Next on the Windows installation screen.
- Click on the Repair option found at the bottom left corner.
- Next, select Command prompt.
- In the Command prompt, run the following commands individually and press Enter.
BOOTREC /FIXMBR BOOTREC /FIXBOOT Drive:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All
Restart your PC.
Note: If you get an error with the NT60 option, you can try the following instead:
bootsect /nt60 sys
How To Prevent Master Boot Record in Wrong Disk In the Future?
When installing Windows, make sure you are partitioning your storage disk right. You also need to ensure you select the correct partition to install your Windows and that the partition has enough space.
If you are confused about partitioning your Disk, you can always format the whole drive and keep only one partition while installing Windows. Once Windows is installed, you can go to the Disk Management utility on your Windows to partition your main drive.
Additionally, taking regular backups of your important data should be your mantra. Because sometimes, you may need to reinstall Windows, which could lead to potential data loss.
Conclusion
So that was all for how to fix the Master boot record on the wrong disk. Fixing the error through the System Recovery Options would come in handy. However, you must have the Windows installation disk or drive with you.
Also, to prevent errors in the future, make sure to format your partitions well and install Windows in the correct partition only. Plus, in rare cases, you might have to reinstall Windows completely. So backing up your important data is crucial.
