Hard DRive Master Boot REcord?

[StealthyFish]

So after a while, I've finally figured out that my 200gb IDE drive may be missing a master boot record. Here's what I"m experiencing:

- Windows file is on the hard drive, but it will not boot from this
- when hard drive is plugged in, the drive refuses to let any other hard drive boot up into windows

do you guys think this is a failed//missing MBR?

[RyderOCZ]

What Windows file are you talking about? Is there a complete Windows install on it?

If it is not the boot drive, it doesn't need an MBR (I don't think, I could be wrong)

When you plug the drive in and power up the machine...did you go into bios and make sure it didn't hose the boot order?

[StealthyFish]

no, it's set as bootable drive. but right now, that hard drive refuses to let me run any program on any hard drive on this system, and i'm baffled as to how a hard drive can do that. it just makes everything hang in the middle of making a process. For example, windows XP load up screen keeps loading and loading. I've sat there for an hour before watching the XP loading screen just keep loading.