another computer geek question

[sAsLEX]

upgraded from red hat linux to Mandrake10.0 now my windows wont work, from the boot loader which is Grub at the mo there is two options to boot windows.
windows has the following as its instruction set

• root(hd0,0)
• chainloader +1

windows 2 has the following

• root(hd1,0)
• map (0x81) (0x80)
• map (0x80) (0x81)
• makeactive
• chainloader +1

when either of these tw are choosen, one comes up with a blank screen with a cursor and the other come up with some txt saying incorect file system found?!?

had a look in linux which still works ( thank god huge linux assignment due in next week) and had a look at the partitions. Windows appears to be on hda1 mnt/win_c
linux is on hda5/ and the swap is hda6.

Now anyone got anyideas on how to get windows to boot??

Thanks for your help in advance!

[dhunt]

[*]root(hd0,0)[*]chainloader +1[/list]
windows 2 has the following

• root(hd1,0)
• map (0x81) (0x80)
• map (0x80) (0x81)
• makeactive
• chainloader +1

I think you want

root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

[sAsLEX]

ok made it

• root(hd0,0)
• makeactive
• chainloader +1

but after doing the root bit I get the message

filesystem type unkown, partition type 0x7

I have tried repairing the windows partition with the windows disc booting, but that would just bring up the same errors once that had finishd and it tried to reboot.


Would installing windows afresh help, i suppose i would loose all my information if i did that though?

[Ixion]

First emphasising that it is by no means certain that this is your problem.

But ....

There is a known bug with Mandrake 10.0 whereby it breaks Windows partitions on the same system

See This Bugreport

and some discussion Here

I believe this problem only happens with the (shudder, cringe) 2.6 kernal, so if you not running that unfortunate mongrel, then it is probably not this that is your problem'

I'll see what else I can find out

[sAsLEX]

how do i find out exactly which kernel I am running???

[Ixion]

how do i find out exactly which kernel I am running???

From a command prompt type uname -a and enter

[sAsLEX]

Linux localhost 2.6.3-7mdk #1 Wed Mar 17 15:56:42 CET 2004 i686 unknown unknown GNU/Linux

well thats what that got so possibly no too flash!!!

had a very quick read of that stuff and it only seemed to be talking about Windows 2000, i am running XP pro,

[Ixion]

Linux localhost 2.6.3-7mdk #1 Wed Mar 17 15:56:42 CET 2004 i686 unknown unknown GNU/Linux
..

Kernel is 2.6.3

W2K and XP would probably be affected the same. W2K is actually NT5, XP is NT5a.

But the real problem is that the Mandrake partitioner doesn't peoperly handle the NTFS filesystem, which is common to w2K and xp

Suggest you wait and do much more checking out first (and I'll scout around), but it may be FFR time.

[sAsLEX]

but it may be FFR time.

what sort of beer is that?? Personally I perfer something a bit more mainstream like Tui...........


Cheers for your help Ixion, will ask the lecturers at uni as they seem pretty switched on about this stuff

[Ixion]

what sort of beer is that?? Personally I perfer something a bit more mainstream like Tui...........


Cheers for your help Ixion, will ask the lecturers at uni as they seem pretty switched on about this stuff

FFR = fdisk, format, reinstall. wipe everything and start over. I think the problem is that Mandrake (Grub actually) borks the MBR record . The boot sector actually has a spare copy of the MBR record and Linux fdisk (in theory) can copy the spare over to the "live" location with the undocumented switch /MBR. In theory this might fix windows. But Grub would not work then until you reinstall it. Talking to knowledgeable experts at Uni sounds a good idea. Linux is not my speciality (AIX, now .... )

[sAsLEX]

FFR = fdisk, format, reinstall. wipe everything and start over. I think the problem is that Mandrake (Grub actually) borks the MBR record . The boot sector actually has a spare copy of the MBR record and Linux fdisk (in theory) can copy the spare over to the "live" location with the undocumented switch /MBR. In theory this might fix windows. But Grub would not work then until you reinstall it. Talking to knowledgeable experts at Uni sounds a good idea. Linux is not my speciality (AIX, now .... )

ok, initially was running another bootloader, LILO, but in fiddling I acidently changed it to grub. This was all after the problem so I dont think it would of been grub where the prob originated. LILO might of done it but as you say to uni I will go with these questions.

Thanks alot for your help!

[Ixion]

ok, initially was running another bootloader, LILO, but in fiddling I acidently changed it to grub. This was all after the problem so I dont think it would of been grub where the prob originated. LILO might of done it but as you say to uni I will go with these questions.

Thanks alot for your help!

LiLo or Grub, it comes to the same. The bootloader (LiLo, Grub) has to be written into the boot sector . In so doing it apparently over writes the MBR record. Which is Bad Thing

[dhunt]

hmm it sort of looks like grub isn't setup properly or something. Try backing up your grub config file and then run grub from the commandline, this should then generate another config file. (Including rewritting the MBR)

I'm not supper familiar with grub but I'm pretty sure you have been doing everything right.

[sAsLEX]

other funny thing is, just got a new comp with XP pro freshly installed. NO linux, so i chuck in the mandrake cd and boot with that half an hour later HD is partitioned and it is running both XP and Linux fine!!! Since monday have been using both on that computer and both OS work sweet.

My old computer had Red Hat on it, and after the ease of putting mandrake on the other computer I thought i would try on this one, not expecting it to work to well! How right was I?? But linux has been working fine on this one since then and it wasonly yesterday i relised that i couldn't start windows....

It seems 3 guys were travelling in a car together, an industrial quality control expert, a hardware engineer, and a software engineer. As they were going

down a VERY steep hill, they realized the brakes were out and they faced certain death. The QC expert said,"no problem, we'll put together a work group,

study the problem, make a fishbone diagram and come up with suggestions about how to solve this problem." The hardware engr said, "That'll take too

much time, we'll DIE!! I think I can dismantle the ignition system, find out the problem and cross wire the brake system so we can stop the car." The

software engr just said, "What's the big deal? Instead of getting upset, why don't we just push the car back up the hill and see if if happens again?"