Dual Boot Problems

[Guest]

Man, do I feel stupid right now.
I thought I'd be clever and test Ubuntu on my new laptop (which came with
Windows Vista Home Premium), and now I can not load Windows Vista!

I hate the GRUB bootloader, I can not get the computer to successfully load
any restore disks, the Windows Recovery Environment, or even my Vista RC1
disk from way back when.

I have spent hours searching online trying to fix it myself, but no luck.

Is there any way to fix the Windows Vista Boot Loader (in Linux), remove
Ubuntu (evil clown!), and still be able to keep my Windows Vista data safe?

Please help me, anyone. Is there a way?

 

[John Barnes]

Have you tried the Vista Installation startup repair.

 

[Guest]

I think I did.
If I try to boot to Vista, it has that message about "if the power was
interrupted" and I have a choice to start normally or goto startup repair...

Here's where I probably messed it up...
I was trying to do that, and the whole thing stopped responding.... so I
restarted..

Uh-oh?

Is there a way to fix this?

 

[Jane C]

How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to
troubleshoot and repair:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392/en-us

You'll need the fixmbr command to get rid of GRUB.

 

[Guest]

I would if I could, but as I said, I can't load into the Windows Recovery
Environment.

Trying to start in safe mode with command prompt or from DVD or anything, it
goes through as if it wants to load, but then just sits there...

 

[Jane C]

Silly question but, have you made sure that your BIOS is set to boot from
DVD first? Is everything detected correctly by your BIOS?

 

[Guest]

That's not a silly question at all!
I'd be asking that, too.

The computer loads from the hard drive first, but goes into the evil grubby
hands of GRUB, and I can't get into Vista or a command line to fix the BCD MBR
I have my Toshiba Recovery Tools DVDs and I press F12 when restarting to
load up the boot menu to choose DVD, and it loads, but when it gets done
'loading" it sits at a blank screen and I don't see any of the stuff I am
supposed to.

I have Ubuntu installed on a separate partition, and it loads up with out a
problem.. I just don't like it.

 

[Don]

The computer loads from the hard drive first, but goes into the evil grubby
hands of GRUB, and I can't get into Vista...

You just need a quick grub lesson ) It's really a great tool once
you know how to use it.

I assume that when you reboot, you wind up looking at a grub menu
screen which lets you pick which OS to boot -- or that's what it
*should* do if it's properly configured.

The real power of grub is its real-time editing facility -- you are
not just stuck with what the menu offers you. You can either edit
the existing menu choices with the edit mode by typing 'e', or make
your own new choice with the command-line mode (type 'c').

I'm hoping that one of your choices is to boot Windows (but if not,
you can roll-your-own with the 'c' option). Select the windows item
and type 'e' to edit it. You should see (at least) a line for 'root'
and another that says 'chainloader +1'. If not, please tell me what
you do see and I'll talk you through it.

 

[Guest]

Nah, I see why grub could be a great bootloader..
but I just would prefer to just undo everything and go back to just Vista
and it's boot loader.

Grub loads fine.
I am able to boot into Ubuntu.
It's just if I try to boot into my Windows Vista, it will look like a
typical load, but it stops and hangs in that space right before it would
usually show you the Vista login screen, the recovery tools, the command
prompt, etc.
It looks like it just doesn't "click" with the computer or something,
although it looks like it loads.

I have multiple goals
1) be able to boot into Vista 100% proparly
2) repair the Vista bootloader
3) remove my ubuntu partition

I can do #2 and #3 myself if I can do #1.

Although it may or may not fix #1, Maybe is there a way to repair the vista
boot loader while in Ubuntu (as it is the only way for me to do anything with
the computer at the moment.
IO have tried wine, and tried to use BCDedit and VistaBootPro, but they both
need .NET 2.

Bah, this is going to be very hard...

 

[John Barnes]

So why aren't you changing the boot order to boot from the Vista DVD as Jane
suggested?

 

[Guest]

Although I HAVE already tried booting from the DVD (which ends up the same
way as booting any of the Windows related tools) it doesn't work.

Just to appease you, I shall try again, just for you..

I changed the boot order to bot from DVD first, but it when it tries to boot
from DVD it is the same affect as if I press F12 to bring up the boot menu on
startup and select CD/DVD

I get the "Windows is loading files..." screen, it finishes, and then it
hangs, just as I've been saying.

Maybe e-mail would work better for solving this slightly complicated issue
(my problem is a special one), I know enough about computers to where I
SHOULD have been able to fix my own problem, but that failed, and so I came
here.

To anyone who wants to talk more about it, either post here or e-mail me at
(e-mail address removed), as I can respond easier and faster there.

I really appreciate the help, it's just, again, it's a very different case
than most.

 

[Michael Jennings]

When you installed Ubuntu, it should have asked you about Windows.
Normally, then, Grub would give you an opportunity to boot Windows.
Have you attempted to reinstall Ubuntu? Take care configuring Grub.
It should give you an opportunity to set the default boot and timeout.

This should give you access to Windows in case you need to save
anything before you wipe out the disk and clean install Vista, since
Toshiba repair doesn't seem to be working. Or live with Ubuntu
present but uninvoked - timeout=0 default=1 in grub.conf probably.

 

[Guest]

Vista is listed in the Grub bootloader.
It just doesn't LOAD vista, or any of the safe modes. recovery, etc.

 

[John Barnes]

Do you need to supply drivers for Vista on your computer setup. If so are
you getting to the point where you can supply them.
Your answer below about not being able to get into Vista thru the bootloader
suggests you may have a bad install now. What are your plans if you do get
to boot from the DVD. Are you planning a repair install?

 

[Don]

Vista is listed in the Grub bootloader.
It just doesn't LOAD vista, or any of the safe modes. recovery, etc.

I offered to show you how to fix it. That offer still stands, even
if you just want to boot Vista so you can delete linux and grub.

I'm only here to help Vista users, not to promote grub (but I still
like grub best ;o)

 

[Michael Jennings]

When you select to boot Vista in Grub's menu, what happens?
Have you attempted to reinstall Ubuntu (second time asked)?

In the "3 Days Pulling My Hair Out Over This Linux Thing" case,
Phil Josten downloaded a bootdisk from www.bootdisks.com and
plugged in a USB floppy drive, set the BIOS to boot from it and
when it was booted entered the command fdisk /mbr and that
got him booting back to Windows. Here's the thread:
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...read/d69d07224e64014f/6c44b141971d090a?lnk=st
&q=3+Days+Pulling+My+Hair+Out+Over+This+Linux+Thing&rnum=19&hl=en#6c44b141971d090a

 

[Guest]

Grub is working exactly as it should.
It's Vista that is not loading..
The fact that grub and Ubuntu is involved may or may not be important, but
it's not the main problem.

I am really getting frustrated because I just don't know if anyone can
understand what I am saying.

If anyone has the technical knowledge of the Vista loader, or of computer OS
loading, and would have the heart to deal with me a little more, please
e-mail me.

I could try to make a video that shows exactly what my problem is.

 

[Guest]

Well, sorry to be silent all of a sudden.
I was able to solve my own problem, after, as you put it, a lot of time
frustrated and pulling my hair out.
What I ended up doing (and what I should have tried in the first place) was
to install Windows XP over the Ubuntu. That was able to scrub the grub, and
then I was able to after WinXP was installed, boot my pc into the vista
recovery partition and "fix" the startup.
Then presto! All my data safe!
And if anything goes wrong again, I still have XP installed!

Thanks for everyone trying to help, sorry if I seemed ungrateful, or overly
rude/frustrated or anything.

Mike, As I said, selecting Vista in the grub menu looked like it would boot,
but then blank screen.
I don't think re-installing Ubuntu would have helped.
The boot disk thing probably would have worked if the boot was in a format
besides related to Windows Vista, like my Windows XP install disk does.

So again, although I was technically able to solve my own problem, (think
instead of freak out), I appreciate everyone taking a second or two to try to
help me, sorry that it didn't work out until it was already solved.

 

[Michael Jennings]

You're the second person who reported this problem; both of you solved it.
Replacing an MBR pointing to Grub with something Windows recognizes
seems to be the thing to do in case an Ubuntu install bars access to Vista.

Be aware that XP, when you boot it, deletes Vista's restore points:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/dualboot.html

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the heads up!