avast error 87: disk\\?\volumexxxx... master boot record

[infinity11]

i am not sure what this means nor is there any action to take or do

so far google has not helped much

attached is a pic of the msg

can you help please?

how concerned should i be?

this is not the first time now

let me know if you need more info, win7

[infinity11]

notice the bar at the bottom, was the scan not finished?

i tried to log the scan but can not yet find it / one

[infinity11]

the avast site is not that helpful either, yet

[Chicog]

Have you run Scandisk?

[AyG]

It sounds like there's a problem with the MBR (Master Boot Record) or one of its copies.

Google MBR repair should set you on your way.

[Chicog]

I don't know what effect it will have in Windows, but in the days of DOS a simple "FDISK /MBR" would rebuild it without doing any damage.

Having said that FDISK is no longer in Win 8.1.

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/repair-master-boot-record-mbr-windows

Edited May 7, 2014 by Chicog

[RichCor]

notice the bar at the bottom, was the scan not finished?

i tried to log the scan but can not yet find it / one

I believe the 'bar at the bottom' is a window scroll bar...

Try doing a Shutdown and regular powerup and scan your system again. You'll probably find it was a one-time glitch.

You could probably download some tools to examine and verify the MBR. If you've ever partitioned or added dual-boot operating systems to a drive this can mess with the embedded code.

Rerun the scan after a complete shutdown (power off) and startup.

[infinity11]

Have you run Scandisk?

Yes, thanks, not too long ago, should i do it again and soon?

I think i actually ran a check disk between avast scans and got this error msg 2 or 3 times now and avast did NOT fix it.

[infinity11]

RichCor, i got this msg more than once from avast.

Thanks all!

[infinity11]

why is the drive labeled as '?'

[RichCor]

why is the drive labeled as '?'

Probably means the drive does not have a name/label.

The MBR (Master Boot Record) is a special area of the drive platter where information is recorded on how the drive is partitioned and points to which partition is Active for boot.

The easiest thing to do would be to download an MBR Tool that can examine and potentially repair it.

...There are numerous YouTube videos that discuss the MBR and the tools that can access it.

[infinity11]

So far all my research is pointing to a windows disc that i don't have.

[infinity11]

Can i download or burn a legal win 7 disc?

[infinity11]

step one create a recovery disc via windows

i hope this does not migrate malware should i have any

which COULD be causing the master boot record error in avast

[BB1950]

Can i download or burn a legal win 7 disc?

Windows 7 Downloads are still available from the repository at Digital River.

Download the appropriate Windows 7 .ISO file which includes Service Pack 1

(Note: must match what your product key version is for)

Windows 7 Home Premium 32Bit: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-58996.iso

Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-58997.iso

Windows 7 Professional 32Bit: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-59183.iso

Windows 7 Professional 64Bit: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-59186.iso

Windows 7 Ultimate 32Bit: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-59463.iso

Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-59465.iso

[infinity11]

after further research

it could be tricky restoring the MBR

depending on your computers factory specs and settings

you could loose access or full use

so restore is critical

should i not be able to download just the files i need and not the whole disc?

[RichCor]

after further research

it could be tricky restoring the MBR

depending on your computers factory specs and settings

you could loose access or full use

so restore is critical

should i not be able to download just the files i need and not the whole disc?

Before attempting a 'direct write' to a 'physical disc' (required when modifying or updating a Master Boot Record) it is recommended that you create either a:

Full Backups of each partition, or

Full Backup of the entire drive (MBR, Partitions, all sectors inclusive)

These Full Backups should be created utilizing a separate bootable volume (CD/DVD/FlashDrive...) that also has the ability to do a full drive or partition restore. The data from this process should be written to a separate drive that isn't the original drive.

Once this full backup is completed and verified (does anyone ever... nevermind), then you should find a how-to on repairing a Win 7 MBR that uses free, open source tools that can be downloaded from the Internet to create a separate bootable volume (CD/DVD/FlashDrive...) with utilities for reading and repairing the Master Boot Record.

Once the MBR tool has finished you should reboot the computer normally and run a checkdisk or scandisk to verify there are no read errors with the current parameters.

This should mean you're done.

ALTERNATE RECOVERY:

If, for any reason something goes wrong or doesn't look right, you can always use the backup as a source for rebuilding your hardrive back to normal. The bootable device you used to create the backup should also have a method for restoring the data. If you choose to restore it partition by partition a new MBR will be created, solving the initial issue (though the long way around).

If you find a utility that is specifically designed for Windows 7 OS MBR, I would trust it to correct and resolve the issue.