MBRWiz is a command line tool designed to directly modify the MBR, with the
capability to set partitions active for booting, delete or hide partitions,
back up and restore copies of the MBR, as well as sort the partition entries.
Included in the download is a 32 bit version (MBRWiz.exe) for Windows
NT/2K/XP/PE/2003, a 16 bit executable (MBRWizD.exe) for DOS and Win9x, as well
as a version for Linux.
MBRWiz v1.53 has been released as Freeware
software, by me, Roger Layton. I have designed and developed this software to
directly modify the MBR which can (and possibly will) destroy partitions and
data on the hard disk. I can take no responsibility for any loss of partition
information or data loss by using this program.
Version 1.53 can be downloaded, as freeware,
here
Note: I am currently working on version 2.0
with an added/modified feature set, including functionality to Repair the MBR,
Write new disk signature, Change partition type, Copy sectors, and
more. You can check out the
new stuff here
Please feel free to contact me with any
questions, concerns, features, or bugs:
software@bigr.net
Visit the Homepage at http://mbr.bigr.net
Available Command
Line Options
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/List |
Display the partitions listed in the MBR, their order in the MBR,
partition type, size, and whether active or hidden. The Pos field
indicates the order the partitions are laid out on disk, while MBRndx shows
them as they're listed in the MBR record.
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/Sort |
It isn't uncommon for the partition entries in the MBR to be unsorted, meaning
that their order in the MBR doesn't match the order on disk. This normally
wasn't a problem until Windows NT/2K/XP came along with its new boot loader,
and the requirement for each partition entry in the boot.ini to point to the
actual partition number. This option will sort the entries in the MBR to match
their order on disk. |
/IsSorted |
Returns an ErrorLevel code based on the status of the partition entries:
0 = Sorted
1 = Not Sorted |
/Disk=# |
Selects the disk to use for all operations. This switch is always
processed first, verifying that all operations specified on the command line
will use the disk specified here. If not specified, Disk 0 will be used
by default. All operations use the physical location of the partition on the
disk (the first column in /list), while the MBRndx simply identifies the
current position of the partition entry in the MBR.
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/Active=# |
Sets the partition specified by # active for booting. If the partition is
hidden it will unhide it before setting it active. No other partitions will be
hidden, or otherwise changed by this command. DOS and Win9x do not properly
recognize multiple visible primary partitions, so make certain you also hide
remaining primary partitions if necessary. |
/InActive=# |
Sets the partition specified by # in-active, therefore it will no longer be
bootable. This option will not automatically set another partition active. An
entry of * (asterisk) will cause all partitions to be set as inactive. |
/Hide=# |
Hides the partition number specified by #. An entry of * (asterisk) will cause
all partitions to be hidden |
/Unhide=# |
Un-Hides the partition number specified by #. An entry of * (asterisk) will
cause all partitions to be unhidden.
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/Del=# |
Deletes the partition specified by #. /Del=* removes all partitions on
selected disk, Del=** removes all partitions on all disks |
/Wipe=# |
Selecting an option of 1 will wipe the MBR clean, effectively removing all
information from the first sector of the disk. An option of 2 will remove all
information from the first (hidden) 63 sectors of the disk. |
/Save=filename |
Saves the current MBR to filename, where filename is a drive:\path
combination to store the file. Substituting the word SECTOR for filename
will store the MBR in a hidden sector on the disk |
/Restore=filename |
Reads an MBR file from filename, where filename is an existing
path:\filename containing the backed up contents of the MBR. Substituting the
word SECTOR for filename will restore the MBR from the hidden sector on
the disk, if it has been previously backed up. |
/ShowFile=filename |
Show the partition structure from a backed up MBR filename or sector.
|
/BootMenu |
This option will list the available, bootable partitions, and allow the user to
select one of them to set active. |
/Shutdown=# |
An entry of 1 will force Windows to shutdown. An entry of 2 will force Windows
to shutdown and reboot. This option may cause data loss if open programs
contain unsaved data. NT/2K/XP/2003 version only. |
/Ignore |
Allows the program to complete the specified operation if an error occurs. |
/Result |
Displays the return code for visual verification of success/failure. |
/HideErrors |
Hides the display of any errors that may occur.
|
CommandFile |
If no switches are specified on the command line, and a file by the name of mbrwiz.opt
exists in the same folder as the executable, then the mbrwiz.opt file will be
parsed for possible switches. Switches can be located on the same line, or
dispersed across multiple lines. This option can be used when it's not possible
to pass switches on the commandline. The following is an example option file to
save the disk 1 mbr to hidden sector, then reboot the machine
----------------------------
/disk=1 /save=sector
/shutdown=2
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Version History
v 1.53 August 3, 2004
Added option to delete all partitions on single disk, or all partitions on all
disks
Added /Ignore option, to allow operation to continue if an error occurs
v 1.52 Nov 13, 2003
Minor release to resolve an issue sorting on disks other than disk 0 (zero).
Fixed issue where DOS version would not properly read multiple disks Added a
feature to Auto-backup the MBR if a command to sort, delete, or restore an MBR
is specified. Windows version will write the file to the Temp folder specified
by Windows, DOS version will write file to c:\, Linux stores file to /usr/tmp.
The filename will be Disk-0.mbr, Disk-1.mbr, etc. for each physical disk in the
system.
v 1.5 Sep 16, 2003
Added feature to read and display the partition table from a backed up mbr
file. Added feature to read command options from a text file. Added ability to
deactivate all partitions using *.
v 1.4.1 Sep 5, 2003
Minor release to fix display problem in DOS version
v 1.4 Sep 2, 2003
Added a version for Linux, including support for IDE, SCSI, and RAID devices.
v 1.3 August 12, 2003
Added support for multiple disks. Added Bootmenu option. Added ability to
hide/unhide all partitions on a disk. Added functionality to save the MBR to a
hidden sector on disk
v 1.2 July 7, 2003
Added Wipe functionality. Added Shutdown and Reboot functionality under
32 bit
v 1.1 May 25, 2003
Added support for a 32 bit version Windows version.
v 1.0 March 2003
Added functionality to activate, hide, delete, and sort partitions.
Save and Read the MBR from a file was also included here.
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Only Primary and Extended partitions can be displayed and modified by MBRWiz.
There is no logical partition support.
Also...please remember that all disk and partition operations are zero based!
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Remember
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A return code (errorlevel) will always be returned to verify the success of any
operation. A return value of 0 (zero) indicates success, values >0 will
indicate failure. Specifying the /result switch will display the return code to
the screen for troubleshooting.
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Examples
MBRWiz /active=0 /shutdown=2
Sets the first disk partition active and reboots the machine
MBRWiz /disk=1 /hide=1
Hides the second partition on the second disk
MBRWiz /sort
Sorts the partition entries in the MBR based on physical disk location
MBRWiz /del=2
Deletes the 3rd partition
MBRWiz /Save=a:\mymbr.dat
Saves the current MBR to a floppy disk with the filename mymbr.dat
MBRWiz /disk=2 /save=SECTOR
Saves the MBR for the 3rd disk in the system to a hidden sector on the disk
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