no boot XP after FC4

[Grant Allan]

>
>
> --- Grant Allan <grant at forum8.co.nz> wrote:
>
>> > On Thu, October 20, 2005 12:53 pm, Grant Allan
>> said:
>> >> hi,
>> >>
>> >> just installed FC4 into empty partition on same
>> drive as WindowsXP
>> >> (disk1).  i'm aiming for dual-boot using NTLDR
>> menu.
>> >>
>> >> i think i messed something up, cos now during
>> reboot i get told that
>> >> NTLDR
>> >> can't be found.  strange thing is, when i boot
>> from SystemRecoveryCD,
>> >> and
>> >> then choose the option to boot from "disk1",
>> WindowsXP boots fine (and
>> >> so
>> >> obviously NTLDR is there after all).
>> >
>> > No, the bootstrap isn't there but the partition is
>> still active. It may
>> > have been overwritten or corrupted by the FC4
>> install. I think the command
>> > may still be fdisk /mbr which will re-write the
>> NTLDR bootstrap.
>> >
>> >>
>> >> i'm confused - does this mean that my BIOS is not
>> looking at my disk1
>> >> during the boot sequence any more?  (hope not,
>> cos my BIOS menu is in
>> >> japanese, and i can't read it.)  or maybe my MBR
>> has gotten minced?
>> >
>> > BIOS has to see the drive else booting wouldn't
>> work at all regardless of
>> > how you tried. The OS depends on the BIOS to tell
>> it where to find the
>> > hardware, but doesn't control what's on the
>> hardware.
>>
>> new info, same but different: i have re-installed
>> linux.  this time during
>> the installation, i asked it to use GRUB, and put it
>> at the front of
>> /dev/hda1.
> now i have the following behaviour:
>>   reboot (CD & floppy drive empty) - message that
>> NTLDR is missing
>>   reboot with SystemRescueCD, then typing "disk1" to
>> boot from the active
>> partition of my first hard drive - GRUB starts OK
>>   reboot with WinXP-generated boot floppy -
>> windowsXP starts OK
>>
>
> Your initial aim was to install Fedora under WinXX's
> boot manager; at this point you appear to have
> overwritten your original MBR and thus you can not
> boot into WinXX.
>
> Boot with your original WinXX media and select R to
> repair you WinXX installation.  After you type your
> Admin password, etc.,etc., and you are at the command
> prompt, type:
>
> HELP
>
> you will be shown a range of commands.  Of those
> commands select FIXMBR to return your MBR to boot
> WinXX, as follows:
>
> FIXMBR 1
>
> since you only have one hard disk.  That should bring
> you back to the original state before the Fedora
> installation.  Now type:
>
> BOOTCFG /SCAN
>
> and you will get a result of your WinXX installations
> (for informational purposses you may want to write
> down the info).  Proceed by typing:
>
> FIXBOOT C:
>
> since c: is your WinXX drive.
>
> That should fix your MBR and  WinXX boot manager to
> initial specs.
>
> I hope that you noted that if you need help with any
> of  the commands, you can just enter the name of the
> command followed by the switch /?
>
>
>
> To (re)install Grub on the Fedora partition, boot with
> your Linux rescue media; if you do not have that, boot
> with your first Linux installation CD media.  At the
> command prompt type:
>
> Linux rescue
>
> press enter.  Make your selections when the program
> requests you to do so, i.e., language, keyboard, etc.
>
> You will see a dialog that begins with: The rescue
> environment will now attempt to find your Linux
> installation and mount it under /mnt/sysimage. [...]
>
> Press the "continue" button.
>
> The program will find your Linux installation and will
> let you know so (if everything goes well).
>
> At the command prompt in the shell type:
>
> chroot /mnt/sysimage
>
> you need to do that before you can use the Grub. Type:
>
> fdisk /dev/hda
>
> at the prompt type:
>
> p
>
> to print the partition table as seen by Linux; write
> down in what partition your Linux resides (most likely
> it will be /dev/hda2).  Now, --very important! Type:
>
> q
>
> to exit from fdisk partitioning utility.
>
> Having noted the partition number of your Linux, type:
>
> grub-install /dev/hdaX
>
> where X represents (replace it by your actual
> partition number) the partition number of your Linux.
>
> The grub boot manager should be installed where your
> Linux partition resides SINCE you want to boot from
> the WinXX boot manager.
>
> Again, do as above and we will add the Linux partition
> to WinXX boot manager when you are ready.
>
> Regards.
>
> Jose Refugio Rodriguez
> http://www.metztli-it.com
>
> P.S. Your BIOS is NOT damaged; the Penguin is nice ;)
>

hi, this sounds perfect!  thankyou, it is well written and easy to
understand, and i printed out a copy to follow it carefully.

but there is a small problem that i had forgotten about - my WindowsXP
install disk hangs (after it tells me that it's going to inspect my
hardware) so i can't do any repairs with the Windows CD.

i remember now (sorry, brain going mushy) - that's why i instead installed
linux with GRUB into /dev/hda, because windows boot was so broke, and saw
myself running out of options to repair it.

i thought installing GRUB would purge all of the windows boot sequence and
let me carry on with GRUB instead, which would've been OK as an outcome
(as far as i know).  but turned out to be not so simple, because still
something is looking for NTLDR.


thanks again,
grant