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Hi group,

I have installed gentoo for about a few months now and I really love it,
but there is a "small" problem. I cannot boot Windows XP anymore.

After the installation of gentoo, I didn't check to see if windows still
worked, since I normally don't need this OS to get my work done, until now.
I have to work on a new project, which uses Visual Studio .NET, so I tried
to start Windows XP from the grub menu, but it failed to do so.
Then I tried to do a "fdisk /mbr" (I started the laptop with an old
windows '98 boot disk), but this didn't restore the Win mbr (I think)

So my question is, can someone tell me what to do? I don't want to
reinstall my computer again, just to work with windows for only a few
months...

Some information:

Partition table:

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 2 16033+ de Dell Utility
/dev/hda2 3 8 48195 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 * 9 859 6835657+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda4 860 3648 22402642+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5 860 2453 12803773+ b Win95 FAT32
/dev/hda6 2454 3577 9028498+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda7 3578 3648 570276 82 Linux swap

My grub.conf
timeout 30
default 0
splashimage=(hd0,1)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz


# For booting GNU/Linux
title = GNU/Linux
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21 root=/dev/hda6 vga=794 hdb=ide-scsi

# For booting Windows NT or Windows95
title = WinXP
root (hd0,2)
makeactive
chainloader #+1


Thanks in advance,

Bart

"Bart Vantieghem" <bart@NOvantieghem.SPAM.net.invalid> wrote in message
newsan.2003.09.06.23.14.22.332219@NOvantieghem.S PAM.net.invalid...
> Hi group,
>
> I have installed gentoo for about a few months now and I really love it,
> but there is a "small" problem. I cannot boot Windows XP anymore.
>
> After the installation of gentoo, I didn't check to see if windows still
> worked, since I normally don't need this OS to get my work done, until
now.
> I have to work on a new project, which uses Visual Studio .NET, so I tried
> to start Windows XP from the grub menu, but it failed to do so.
> Then I tried to do a "fdisk /mbr" (I started the laptop with an old
> windows '98 boot disk), but this didn't restore the Win mbr (I think)
>
> So my question is, can someone tell me what to do? I don't want to
> reinstall my computer again, just to work with windows for only a few
> months...
>
> Some information:
>
> Partition table:
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/hda1 1 2 16033+ de Dell Utility
> /dev/hda2 3 8 48195 83 Linux
> /dev/hda3 * 9 859 6835657+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
> /dev/hda4 860 3648 22402642+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
> /dev/hda5 860 2453 12803773+ b Win95 FAT32
> /dev/hda6 2454 3577 9028498+ 83 Linux
> /dev/hda7 3578 3648 570276 82 Linux swap
>
> My grub.conf
> timeout 30
> default 0
> splashimage=(hd0,1)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
>
>
> # For booting GNU/Linux
> title = GNU/Linux
> root (hd0,1)
> kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21 root=/dev/hda6 vga=794 hdb=ide-scsi
>
> # For booting Windows NT or Windows95
> title = WinXP
> root (hd0,2)
> makeactive
> chainloader #+1
>

Assuming the above was not a typo:
chainloader #+1
Lose the #

Try fixmbr and fixboot from a winxp install disk instead of fdisk /mbr.

When you squeezed the linux primary boot partition before windows you didn't
clobber windows, did you? It looks suspicious to me.

Styvaen.

Bart Vantieghem <bart@NOvantieghem.SPAM.net.invalid> writes:

> Hi group,
>
> I have installed gentoo for about a few months now and I really love it,
> but there is a "small" problem. I cannot boot Windows XP anymore...

You have already taken the most important step. You saved a copy of
your partition table by posting it to usenet. Now when you trash
your MBR following everyone's advice you can just download it from
google (I'm not joking!) Saving your partition table is the
most important thing to do before you start trying to solve this
problem. Print it out also, or write it down.

Sadly, I don't know the RIGHT way to restore XP's boot block to the
XP partition, so what I have done in the past is this: I go through
the XP installation CD to the point where it discovers the existing XP
installation and offers the choice of rescuing the prior install or
doing a fresh new install.

I choose the rescue operation which then reinstalls the original XP
system files and make the XP partition bootable again but does NOT
remove the Registry or any applications you already have installed.

This means that when you reboot you will need to do these things:

1. Reinstall GRUB to your Master Boot Record (MBR). A GRUB floppy
or Gentoo install diskette is the easiest way to do this. After
rescuing XP you may not be able to use GRUB until you re-install
it. (I'm can't recall whether XP writes over GRUB or not.)

2. Reinstall all the WinXP Service Packs and hot'fixes' from the
WindowsUpdate website. You will NOT need to re-install any apps
like mozilla or Visual Studio or Office, etc, as long as you
refuse to do a fresh install of XP.

If anyone knows how to re-install the XP bootblock to the XP
partition without all these extra steps, please speak up!

On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 00:57:37 +0100, Styvaen wrote:


[snip]
>> # For booting Windows NT or Windows95
>> title = WinXP
>> root (hd0,2)
>> makeactive
>> chainloader #+1
>>
>
> Assuming the above was not a typo:
> chainloader #+1
> Lose the #
>
> Try fixmbr and fixboot from a winxp install disk instead of fdisk /mbr.
>
> When you squeezed the linux primary boot partition before windows you didn't
> clobber windows, did you? It looks suspicious to me.

Dear Styvaen,

the "#" wasn't a typo. I remove the character, but that didn't solve my
problem. When I select the WinXP option from grub, I (briefly) see the 3
commands grub tries to execute and then it displays the grub-menu again.

I'm going to try your "fixmbr" or "fixboot" suggestion, when I can get
hold of a WinXP install disk (I don't think it can be done from the cdrom)

I don't think I messed up the windows partition, since I partitioned it
first with partition magic (I have to admit that I didn't try afterwards
to boot windows)


Cheers,
Bart

On Sat, 06 Sep 2003 16:57:45 -0700, walt wrote:

> Bart Vantieghem <bart@NOvantieghem.SPAM.net.invalid> writes:
>
>> Hi group,
>>
>> I have installed gentoo for about a few months now and I really love it,
>> but there is a "small" problem. I cannot boot Windows XP anymore...
>
> You have already taken the most important step. You saved a copy of
> your partition table by posting it to usenet. Now when you trash
> your MBR following everyone's advice you can just download it from
> google (I'm not joking!) Saving your partition table is the
> most important thing to do before you start trying to solve this
> problem. Print it out also, or write it down.

Just printed it, thank you for the advice

>
> Sadly, I don't know the RIGHT way to restore XP's boot block to the
> XP partition, so what I have done in the past is this: I go through
> the XP installation CD to the point where it discovers the existing XP
> installation and offers the choice of rescuing the prior install or
> doing a fresh new install.
>
> I choose the rescue operation which then reinstalls the original XP
> system files and make the XP partition bootable again but does NOT
> remove the Registry or any applications you already have installed.

I only had the option to do an F2 thing (I think it was called recovery
console) but when I pressed this button, it told me to type "exit" and to
reboot the machine. After the reboot I got the grub menu again.

Maybe I corrupted the windows partition after all? (I hope I didn't...)


Cheers,
Bart

Windows XP installs the NT Boot Loader to the MBR. If that's where
you installed GRUB then that is part of your problem (Can Windows
NT/2K/XP be loaded directly from anything other than the NT Boot
Loader?). Sorry, but I don't know how to fix it. I have my dual-boot
boxes setup to load GRUB from the NT Boot Loader.

On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 02:26:39 +0200, Bart Vantieghem
<bart@NOvantieghem.SPAM.net.invalid> wrote:

>On Sat, 06 Sep 2003 16:57:45 -0700, walt wrote:
>
>> Bart Vantieghem <bart@NOvantieghem.SPAM.net.invalid> writes:
>>
>>> Hi group,
>>>
>>> I have installed gentoo for about a few months now and I really love it,
>>> but there is a "small" problem. I cannot boot Windows XP anymore...
>>
>> You have already taken the most important step. You saved a copy of
>> your partition table by posting it to usenet. Now when you trash
>> your MBR following everyone's advice you can just download it from
>> google (I'm not joking!) Saving your partition table is the
>> most important thing to do before you start trying to solve this
>> problem. Print it out also, or write it down.
>
>Just printed it, thank you for the advice
>
>>
>> Sadly, I don't know the RIGHT way to restore XP's boot block to the
>> XP partition, so what I have done in the past is this: I go through
>> the XP installation CD to the point where it discovers the existing XP
>> installation and offers the choice of rescuing the prior install or
>> doing a fresh new install.
>>
>> I choose the rescue operation which then reinstalls the original XP
>> system files and make the XP partition bootable again but does NOT
>> remove the Registry or any applications you already have installed.
>
>I only had the option to do an F2 thing (I think it was called recovery
>console) but when I pressed this button, it told me to type "exit" and to
>reboot the machine. After the reboot I got the grub menu again.
>
>Maybe I corrupted the windows partition after all? (I hope I didn't...)
>
>
>Cheers,
>Bart

Bart Vantieghem <bart@NOvantieghem.SPAM.net.invalid> wrote:

>
> I only had the option to do an F2 thing (I think it was called recovery
> console) but when I pressed this button, it told me to type "exit" and to
> reboot the machine. After the reboot I got the grub menu again.
>
> Maybe I corrupted the windows partition after all? (I hope I didn't...)
>

Hi,
I think you mis-understood the message, which is :-

Microsoft Windows(R) Recovery Console

The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality.
Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.


It means that when you have finished, type exit to restart, its not an
instruction to do it straight away. Instead of typing exit, run the
commands :-

fixmbr
fixboot c:

This should make sure the boot loader is installed. Next you need to check
that the bootloder is configured correctly. First, try the command :-

bootcfg /list

This will produce a list of menu options (as displayed by the windows start
menu). One of those options should list your XP installation. If so, exit
the recovery console and reboot.

If not, then you need to add the installation to this menu as follows :-

bootcfg /scan

This will take a while, but after scanning your disks for valid
installations, it will produce a list of OS's found such as :-

1) Windows XP Home Addition


Their may be more than one option listed. Next you need to add this to the
boot loader with :-

bootcfg /add 1

Repeat this procedure for each item listed that you need to add to the boot
loader. Finally, run the command :-

bootcfg /rebuild

then type exit to leave the recovery console and reboot. Unless you have
corrupted the installation, you should now be able to boot XP.

FYI, I have XP on my main drive, and gentoo on hdb. I have also tried using
grub to boot XP, but it always fails. Instead, I use the XP boot menu to
run linux. This involves telling grub to install to a partition rather than
the MBR, so say your root partition is /dev/hdb1, and your /boot partition
is /dev/hdb2 you would run the grub command from iside linux and then :-

root (hd1,1)
setup(hd1,0)

This will install the needed files onto /dev/hdb1 partition. Now quit grub,
and still inside linux type :-

dd if=/dev/hdb1 of=/tmp/linux.img bs=512 count=1

This will produce a file that can be used with the XP bootl;oader to boot
into gentoo. Copy this file to somewhere you can get at it from inside XP,
then reboot and run XP. Inside XP, copy the linux.img file onto your c:\
drive. Note that it must be inthe root directory, not a subdirectory.

Now goto 'control panel->system' and select the advanced tab. Press the
button labelled 'Settings' under the 'Startup and Recovery' section. In the
resulting dialog, press the 'Edit' button in the 'System stratup' section.
You should get a file in notepad containing something like this :-

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP" /fastdetect

Change this to look like :-

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP" /fastdetect
c:\linux1.img="Gentoo Linux"

Now save this file, close notepad and OK out of the various dialogs. The
next time you reboot, the NT boot loader will run and display a 'Gentoo
Linux' option. To boot into gentoo, select this option. At least this way,
XP will still boot correctly afterwards.

--

Martin

Jason wrote:

> Can Windows NT/2K/XP be loaded directly from anything other than the NT
> Boot Loader?).

I don't know anything about NT or XP, but at least I can boot 2K using Lilo.

--
Ciao,
Philipp

Philipp Becker wrote:

> Jason wrote:
>
>> Can Windows NT/2K/XP be loaded directly from anything other than the NT
>> Boot Loader?).
>
> I don't know anything about NT or XP, but at least I can boot 2K using
> Lilo.
>

Same here, LILO works fine for Win2k and earlier. You might want to see if
it can fix your XP boot issue. Here's a sample /etc/lilo.conf that can
boot Win2K (devices are specific to my machine):

# $Header: /home/cvsroot/gentoo-x86/sys-apps/lilo/files/lilo.conf,v 1.3
2002/09/30 00:55:18 woodchip Exp $
# Author: Ultanium
# Start LILO global section
menu-scheme=Wb
boot = /dev/ataraid/disc0/disc
default = win2k
prompt
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
lba32
#if lba32 do not work, use linear
#linear
#if you always want to see the prompt with a 10 second timeout:
timeout=100
delay = 50
vga = normal # Normal VGA console
# Linux bootable partition config begins

image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-gentoo-r6
vga = 791
root = /dev/hdf5
append = "hda=ide-scsi hdc=ide-scsi video=vesa:mttr"
initrd = /boot/initrd-1024x768
label = 2420-gentoo-r6
read-only # read-only for checking

# Linux bootable partition config ends
# DOS bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/ataraid/disc0/part1
label = win2k
# DOS bootable partition config ends

On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 09:49:54 +0100, Martin Cooper wrote:

> Bart Vantieghem <bart@NOvantieghem.SPAM.net.invalid> wrote:
>
>
> Hi,
> I think you mis-understood the message, which is :-
>
> Microsoft Windows(R) Recovery Console
>
> The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality.
> Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.

I indeed misunderstood the message :-)


I borrowed a cd from a friend (winternals) and this allowed me to start up
a more advanced (read: graphical :-)) version of the recovery console. But
alas, the program didn't find any valid windows partition.
To finish my story: I think I messed up my windows partition... My c:\
drive had no more data on it.
So I think I have to reinstall windows. :-(

Does somebody knows how to save my gentoo installation (can I just copy it
to another computer and then, after the windows installation, copy it
again to my portable?)


I want to thank everyone for their input! Thank you very much!


Cheers,
Bart