Can anyone explain why...

[MobileTechie]

...when you have a bad HDD, sometimes you cannot boot to Windows based boot disks, including installation CDs, yet can boot to a Knoppix or similar?

I'm wondering exactly what happens to prevent the boot?

 

[AtYourService]

i would assume its because the windows ones have a hard time reading the drive if its corrupt
usually chkdsk beforehand helps

 

[MrUnknown]

I know the install CDs will check the HDD, seeing as they think they will be installed, and it may crash for whatever reason.

UBCD4Win mounts the drive, which could cause it to crash I am assuming.

These are my guesses.

 

[Blues]

I have seen where some actually try to load some of the windows data on the drive which if they are in the bad sectors will result in a crash.

 

[usacvlr]

Pretty certain it has to do with the windows or pe environment loading the mbr from the drive for whatever reason even though it doesn't actually boot from the drive. So, then it hits the bad spot and hangs up.