Fix MBR Server 2008 (R2) Step by Step

Corrupted MBR in Windows Server 2008

Master Boot Record (MBR), belonging to boot record, is located at the very beginning of the partitioned disk. It contains the partition table for the disk and a small amount of executable code for the boot start.

When the MBR of the hard drive that Windows Server 2008 installed is corrupted, your operating system may become unbootable and you’ll get an error message, such as “Invalid Partition Table”, Error loading operating system, or Operating system not found. If you are in such a condition, then how can you fix MBR in Server 2008?

Repair MBR in Server 2008 with installation CD/DVD

You can repair corrupted MBR from Command Prompt when you own the installation CD/DVD. The steps are given below:

1. Insert Windows Server 2008 installation CD/DVD and change boot order to boot from it.

2. At the Windows Setup window, set appropriate settings based on your demand and click “Next”.

3. Go to Repair your Computer > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt.

4. In the Command Prompt interface, run the following commands:

▪ bootrec /fixmbr
▪ bootrec /fixboot
▪ bootrec /rebuildbcd

5. After fixing corrupted MBR, remove the installation CD/DVD and boot from the repaired hard drive.

Rebuild MBR in Server 2008 without installation CD/DVD

Obviously, you can fix MBR in Server 2008 with the help of the installation CD/DVD. But what if you are without such installation media? You can turn to a reliable MBR repair tool – AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. Featured with rebuilding MBR and creating bootable media, it enables you to repair MBR for Windows Server 2008 even if your machine is unbootable.

Stage 1 – Make a bootable media on a working machine

1. Insert a USB flash drive or CD/DVD into a working machine and install AOMEI Partition Assistant Server.

☞ PS.: You can download the demo version of AOMEI Partition Assistant Server to have a try!

2. Run this MRB repair tool. In the main interface it, click "Tools" on the top navigation pane, and choose the Make Bootable Media option. Then do as it says to complete the operation.

Stage 2 – Boot from the bootable media created via AOMEI Partition Assistant

1. Remove the bootable media from the working machine and connect it to the machine that is not bootable.

2. Boot from the created bootable device through changing the boot order in BOIS.

Stage 3 – Rebuild MBR for Windows Server 2008

1. You are in the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. Click the disk that needs repairing, and choose Rebuild MBR in the right pane.

2. In the pop-up window, set the type of MBR for the current operating system (here Windows Vista/ 2008 is selected).

3. You’ll return to the main interface. Click Apply and then Proceed to perform the operation.

Notes:

▪ This method can be used to fix MBR in Server 2008 (R2), 2012 (R2), 2016, or 2019, 2022, 2025 but you should choose the type of MBR correspondingly.
▪ Rebuild MBR can solve problems such as corruption of MBR code. It can’t fix issues like bootable files or system file loss.

Conclusion

Surely you have realized how to fix MBR in Server 2008 and other Server OS. Thus you can fix Windows Server boot failure out of corrupted MBR effectively and simply. If Windows Server 2008 not booting is not caused by MBR issue, you can fix boot failure with other solutions like reinstalling OS or restore your Server to a normal state if you have already back up Windows Server 2008.

In fact, AOMEI Partition Assistant is far more than an MBR repair tool. It has many other features that can help you solve many problems. For example, the feature Migrate OS to SSD, allows you to clone Windows Server 2008 to SSD, thus you can upgrade to SSD without reinstalling OS.

To install this wonderful program on an unlimited number of computers within one company to save money, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant Unlimited. What's more, the Technician version is specially designed for technicians to provide billable services & unlimited for enterprise usage.  And the Unlimited and Technician have a useful feature, Create Portable Version, which can create AOMEI Partition Assistant to a removable device.