Mbr/grub

[psd99]

Hi all,

I have XP on my first hard drive, I had linux installed on the second partition.

Unfortnetly when I installed Linux it installed GRUB (Grand unified boot loader) on to the XP drive.
I got rid of linux because of complications. I couldn't use the keyboard on the grub menu. I know very strange but it just wouldn't work.

So I sought to putting in my XP CD and trying fixmbr, restart the pc and bingo it's in.


I restarted the pc again and PROBLEM! It'll get to the black XP screen and just hang there. Won't move.
So put the recovery CD in again and this time fixboot.

It appears everytime I restart it'll hang on the black xp screen. The way around this is to go into recovery CD and type in fixboot.

I know the fool's way to sort this out is to reinstall but that'll take AGES! I got months of shortcuts and program files.

Well here is my boot.ini file:

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


What do you all think?


p.s I got a 250 gb samsung hard drive partitioned three ways.

3 primary partitions.

The OS is installed on the first partiton if I was to delete/format the first partition to setup XP on it, will this also format or make inaccessible the other two partitions?

 

[psd99]

default boot ini from google:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

okay my boot ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

mmm what do you notice?

I used wordpad to edit my one last night if my computer gets restarted before I edit what I beleive to be wrong i'm done for!

 

[Abarbarian]

Looks like you need to delete this from your boot ini " /noexecute=optin " , that should work . I always put Grub at the front of the partition where I install linux , as shown in my walkthroughs . Touch wood I haven't had any problems with it yet .
Best thing to do is make a copy of your clean XP install before playing with linux . Then make copies of your linux as you go along . This saves a lot of time and hair pulling .

 

[psd99]

hi will this do it:

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect


take a note of that windows

it comes up on pcr as window S

with a space inbetween the w and s?
mmmm
but no space is the right way ?

 

[Abarbarian]

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

That looks good to go .

 

[psd99]

mmm even with the window S like that

surely one word right: WINDOWS

 

[Abarbarian]

default boot ini from google:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

This is the information you gave . If you thought it was wrong why did you post it ?

I took some time and googled for info on your query and found this ,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTLDR

which gives this ,

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
the partition number in the above can be ignored , as it is only an example . Yours should probably have a " (1) " in place of the " (2) " .

You could probably wipe out the entire boot .ini and windows should still boot .

To load an NT-based OS, ntdetect.com must also be present. (Strictly speaking, only NTLDR is actually required. If boot.ini is missing, NTLDR will default to C:\Windows on the first partition of the first hard drive. Many desktops in the home are in this configuration and a missing boot.ini file will simply generate an error stating it is missing, then boot into Windows successfully.)

You may have another sort of glitch that may be connected to this ,

If an NT-based OS is selected, then NTLDR runs ntdetect.com, which gathers information about the computer's hardware. (If ntdetect hangs during hardware detection there is a debug version called ntdetect.chk which can be found on Microsoft support.[1])

 

[psd99]

cheers just making sure it works and that.

Window S it is then!

 

[Abarbarian]

Hang on there psd99 I just noticed that on the actual site I gave you get

"WINDOWS"


but for some reason when copying and pasting to here you get

"WINDOW S"

I recon you need

"WINDOWS"

I think that there is something nopt quite right here at the site .

 

[psd99]

bingo makes sense I thought so too

cheers fellas

 

[psd99]

Looks like you need to delete this from your boot ini " /noexecute=optin " , that should work . I always put Grub at the front of the partition where I install linux , as shown in my walkthroughs . Touch wood I haven't had any problems with it yet .
Best thing to do is make a copy of your clean XP install before playing with linux . Then make copies of your linux as you go along . This saves a lot of time and hair pulling .

thanks all it looks good i've edited the file and restarted
so far so good

u got a link to walkthrough please?

last time I installed grub onto a totally seperate linux disk but sadly the xp boot option wouldn't work
I was trying to edit the file in linux to make xp load but I had to keep playing around with the bios to get into xp.

This time around I managed to install grub to the xp hard drive
i wont do that again
im in the stage of planning a big upgrade
damn these things take ages.

 

[Abarbarian]

https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-3522034-1.php

https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-3464463.php



I ran both of these of a 2.5" 40 GB usb hard drive and they flew along . Both had the GRUB put on the usb drive
and I had Windows XP on my main SATA drive . Everything booted ok .
The Kanotix is a 32 Bit and the Mandriva is a 64 Bit . Both are rock steady and were very easy to set up .

If I can do it anyone can .

 

[psd99]

oh lovely that OS looks great

do you know if it is Debian or Redhat compliant?

 

[Abarbarian]

Which one ???


Mandriva Linux was launched by Gaël Duval in July 1998 under the name of Mandrake Linux. At first, it was just a re-mastered edition of Red Hat Linux with the more user-friendly KDE desktop, but the subsequent releases also added various user-friendly touches, such as a new installer, improved hardware detection, and intuitive disk partitioning utility. As a result of these enhancements, Mandrake Linux flourished. After attracting venture capital and turning into a business, the fortunes of the newly established MandrakeSoft fluctuated widely between a near bankruptcy in early 2003 to a flurry of acquisitions in 2005. The latter, after merging with Brazil's Conectiva, saw the company change its name to Mandriva.

Mandriva Linux is primarily a desktop distribution. Its best loved features are cutting edge software, superb system administration suite (DrakConf), excellent implementation of its 64-bit edition, and extensive internationalisation support. It had an open development model long before many other popular distributions, with intensive beta testing and frequent stable releases. In recent years, it has also developed an array of installable live CDs and has launched Mandriva Flash - a complete Mandriva Linux system on a bootable USB Flash device.

Despite the technical excellence, Mandriva Linux has been losing momentum in recent years. This has partly to do with the emergence of other user-friendly distributions that have caught up with Mandriva, but also with some controversial decisions by the company which have alienated a large sector of the distribution's user base. Mandriva's web presence is a messy conglomeration of several different web sites, while its "Mandriva Club", originally designed to provide added value to paying customers, has been getting mixed reviews. Although the company has been addressing some of the criticism, it continues to face an uphill battle in persuading new Linux users or users of other distributions to try (and buy) its products.

• Pros: Beginner-friendly, especially the commercial editions; excellent central configuration utility; very good out-of-the-box support for dozens of languages; installable live CD
• Cons: The company's customer service has developed bad reputation over the years; complex, confusing web site infrastructure; dropping popularity due to its commercial nature and unpopular corporate decisions in the past
• Software package management: URPMI with Rpmdrake (a graphical front-end for URPMI) using RPM packages; "SMART" available as an alternative method
• Available editions: Freely downloadable Mandriva Free and One editions for 32-bit (i386) and 64-bit (x86_64) processors; commercial Mandriva Discovery, PowerPack and PowerPack Plus editions for 32-bit (i386) and 64-bit (x86_64); also high-end "Corporate" solutions for desktops, servers and firewalls, all with long-term support options
• Suggested Mandriva-based alternatives: PCLinuxOS (desktop), MCNLive (live CD)

KANOTIX is a Linux distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux. It usually contains the latest packages and kernels, carefully patched with fixes and drivers for most modern hardware. Although it can be used as a live CD, it also includes a simple graphical installer for easy hard disk installation. The user-friendly nature of the distribution is further enhanced by a custom-built Control Centre and specialist scripts. KANOTIX is supported on a multilingual forum, Wiki and IRC channel by the distribution's active and friendly user community.

 

[Abarbarian]

You might find this very useful if you are going to have another go at linuxing .

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/RHEL-4-Manual/sysadmin-guide/ch-swapspace.html

The info is pertinent to all linux distros .