Re: [SLUG] PC won't recognise boot disk

[Jeremy Visser <jeremy@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 09/06/11 12:05, K L wrote:
> I have thrice now wiped the entire disk and re-installed, including
> physically zero-ing out the first 512 bytes (which I understand to be
> the MBR) so I would've expected the re-installs to deal with that.

If you're 100% sure the BIOS is set to boot off the correct disk once 
it's been wiped and reinstalled (you don't have a USB flash drive or MP3 
player plugged in, do you?), then it's possible a "virus protection" 
setting on the BIOS is blocking overwriting the MBR.

Some BIOSes have a "virus protection" "feature" (*cough*) which 
basically blocks any attempts to write to the MBR. Or, in practice, I 
would imagine that it silently ignores attempts.