grub error

[loganxart]

yes a grub error, but no numbers, and it does nothing after it grubs,

windows xp disc does its dance and finally comes to the restore screen, and
hit the restore button, and it will say it cannot find the previous version
of windows

give me the bad news and i wont cuss you

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

yes a grub error, but no numbers, and it does nothing after it grubs,

windows xp disc does its dance and finally comes to the restore screen,
and
hit the restore button, and it will say it cannot find the previous
version
of windows

give me the bad news and i wont cuss you

We don't really know how exactly you got Windows to
"do its dance" and what you mean with the "restore screen".
I suggest you toss out the Grub loader by doing this:
- Boot the machine with a Win98 boot disk (www.bootdisk.com)
- Restore the Windows boot sector by running fdisk.exe /MBR
- Run fdisk.exe by itself to make sure that your Windows
partition is marked "active".

 

[loganxart]

i am at the website and should i just d/load it from the first selection
which reads

DOS/Windows9X/Me/NT/2K/XP Excellent Bootdisks ?

thanks for your help

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

i am at the website and should i just d/load it from the first selection
which reads

DOS/Windows9X/Me/NT/2K/XP Excellent Bootdisks ?

thanks for your help

Presumably that's the entry page. Proceed until you see a Win98 boot disk.

 

[loganxart]

i tried that and unfortunately got a bad floppy or atleast i hope that was it


and i'm usuing Windows XP, why a win. 98 boot disk?

thanks again

 

[loganxart]

I am at bootdisk.com

should this file be an .exe?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I am at bootdisk.com

should this file be an .exe?

boo98se.exe. Why don't you try some of these things and
see how you go? www.bootdisik.com is a well-established
site - nothing bad is going to happen!

Have you ever tried modifying the boot sector while WinXP
is up and running? It won't let you! That's why you need a
Win98 boot diskette!

 

[loganxart]

idid what you said and it told me it couldn't be run in Dos mode

i actually copied it onto four different floppys

copied win 98, win98se all win 98, tried an XP floppy boot

same result

to be honest i think im going to format, start from scratch.

another question

how would i get the pictures, stories i've written, etc... off this drive

hook it up as slave with new h/d would work?

thanks for your help

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

What couldn't be run in DOS mode? Please be specific!

I assure you that you can run fdisk.exe with the greatest
of ease when you boot your machine with a Win98 boot
disk. However, it MUST be a Win98 boot disk - a
WinXP boot disk just won't do!

About your important files - big sigh. Why is that so many
people think about backing up their data ***after***
disaster has struck? Is this the only way they accept that
a good backup process is not some fancy scheme used by
the overcautious but something for everybody who keeps
important files on a disk?

Well, that was my little rant. Here are a couple of methods
to salvage your data:
a) Temporarily install the disk as a slave disk in some other
WinXP PC, then copy your files across.
b) Boot the machine with a Bart PE boot CD, then copy
the files to 2.5" disk in an external USB case.

And don't forget your EMail files. Lots of people do . . .

Unfortunately it takes three things to make a Bart PE boot CD:
- Time
- A working PC with a CD burner
- A WinXP Prof. CD (but no product key)

When finished you should use the 2.5" disk for your long
overdue backups.

 

[Gordon]

And don't forget your EMail files. Lots of people do . . .

And favorites - they get forgotten more than email!

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Incidentally - if your WinXP installation is intact then you can
probably start your machine with a WinXP boot diskette. Here
is how to make one:
- Format a diskette on a WinXP PC.
- Copy these files to it from the i386 folder of your WinXP CD:
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Use notepad.exe to create a:\boot.ini on it, with these lines:
[boot loader]
timeout=10
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 /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
- Try all 3 boot options

 

[Bill in Co.]

Would this also work for WinXP Home (just by changing "Professional" to
"Home" below)?

I'm curious as to how it works, if you can't even boot up in WinXP normally.
Just looking at the lines below, it seems (to me) to just be attempting to
access the HD as would normally happen except that it is using a clean
version of those two files ntldr and ntdetect.com. So is that basically
it?

(I'm new to WinXP, coming here from Win98SE & DOS environment experiences).

Incidentally - if your WinXP installation is intact then you can
probably start your machine with a WinXP boot diskette. Here
is how to make one:
- Format a diskette on a WinXP PC.
- Copy these files to it from the i386 folder of your WinXP CD:
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Use notepad.exe to create a:\boot.ini on it, with these lines:
[boot loader]
timeout=10
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 /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
- Try all 3 boot options

idid what you said and it told me it couldn't be run in Dos mode

i actually copied it onto four different floppys

copied win 98, win98se all win 98, tried an XP floppy boot

same result

to be honest i think im going to format, start from scratch.

another question

how would i get the pictures, stories i've written, etc... off this drive

hook it up as slave with new h/d would work?

thanks for your help

 

[cornedbeef007-groups]

Would this also work for WinXP Home (just by changing "Professional" to
"Home" below)?

No need to change "Professional" to "Home". It's only a label for a
human to read.

I'm curious as to how it works, if you can't even boot up in WinXP normally.
Just looking at the lines below, it seems (to me) to just be attempting to
access the HD as would normally happen except that it is using a clean
version of those two files ntldr and ntdetect.com.    So is that basically
it?

The floppy is running the bootloader, and it uses the info in boot.ini
file to find/start Windows.
The 3 choices you'll see are only an attempt to cover all bases of
where your particular Windows installation might be.
It's most likely that only 1 will work, depending on what has happened
to your disk, and whether you've attempted a repair install and
actually ended up with a parallel install.
Make the floppy, and give it a try. You've really got nothing to lose,
and it just might start Windows.

Good Luck.

 

[Bill in Co.]

Well, my system boots up fine now, but I was just wondering if this method
makes a good backup disk to supplement the MSDOS backup one?

So if windows didn't boot up, I presume this method would be the first way
to try, and if that fails, maybe you'd need the MSDOS boot disk. Is that
correct?

No need to change "Professional" to "Home". It's only a label for a
human to read.

OK. It's just a text label then.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

The benefit of the WinXP boot disk is that it lets you boot
a WinXP installation that has a damaged boot environment
but is otherwise intact.

The benefit of a Win98 boot disk is that it gives you very
basic access to the hard disk where you can perhaps
repair the damaged boot environment.

Both disks are useful to have. A Bart PE boot CD is even
more useful to have but it takes time to make one).

 

[Bill in Co.]

OK, but I'm evidently still missing something here. (I'm trying this out
now on a good system just to see). (and I'm coming here as a past
Win98SE/DOS user)

Given what is quoted below for a basic formatted disk, how does it manage to
boot up with no operating system on the floppy? I mean, it just stops
there.

I actually tried it out, and nothing happened except that I was stuck at the
"a:" prompt, (but this only AFTER I had created a floppy with command.com on
it. Otherwise I got the error Invalid System Disk).

My test prior to that it was just using a basic formatted diskette (with no
OS on it), and it wouldn't boot, which seems right.

- Format a diskette on a WinXP PC.
- Copy these files to it from the i386 folder of your WinXP CD:
ntldr and ntdetect.com
- Use notepad.exe to create a:\boot.ini on it, with these lines:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
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 /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

 

[Bill in Co.]

Well, in retrospect, maybe what I was missing is that I need to RUN that
ntdetect.com file, and just pray that it doesn't mess up the existing
boot.ini on the C: drive. Is that correct?

OK, but I'm evidently still missing something here. (I'm trying this out
now on a good system just to see). (and I'm coming here as a past
Win98SE/DOS user)

Given what is quoted below for a basic formatted disk, how does it manage to
boot up with no operating system on the floppy? I mean, it just stops
there.

I actually tried it out, and nothing happened except that I was stuck at the
"a:" prompt, (but this only AFTER I had created a floppy with command.com on
it. Otherwise I got the error Invalid System Disk).

My test prior to that it was just using a basic formatted diskette (with no
OS on it), and it wouldn't boot, which seems right.

- Format a diskette on a WinXP PC.
- Copy these files to it from the i386 folder of your WinXP CD:
ntldr and ntdetect.com
- Use notepad.exe to create a:\boot.ini on it, with these lines:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
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 /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

The benefit of the WinXP boot disk is that it lets you boot
a WinXP installation that has a damaged boot environment
but is otherwise intact.

The benefit of a Win98 boot disk is that it gives you very
basic access to the hard disk where you can perhaps
repair the damaged boot environment.

Both disks are useful to have. A Bart PE boot CD is even
more useful to have but it takes time to make one).

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

*** See below.

OK, but I'm evidently still missing something here. (I'm trying this
out
now on a good system just to see). (and I'm coming here as a past
Win98SE/DOS user)

Given what is quoted below for a basic formatted disk, how does it manage
to
boot up with no operating system on the floppy? I mean, it just stops
there.

*** Which boot disk are you talking about? The WinXP boot disk
*** or the Win98 boot disk?
*** The WinXP boot disk will boot the machine into Windows XP,
*** provided that there is an intact Windows XP installation on the
*** hard disk.
*** The Win98 boot disk will boot to an "A:\ prompt".

I actually tried it out, and nothing happened except that I was stuck at
the
"a:" prompt, (but this only AFTER I had created a floppy with command.com
on
it.

*** If you download the Win98 boot disk from www.bootdisk.com
*** then you get it complete with command.com. And yes, it will
*** get you to an "A:\" prompt. At this stage you can start working
*** with commands such as fdisk.exe, which would let you replace
*** the Grub boot sector with the Windows boot sector.

Otherwise I got the error Invalid System Disk).

My test prior to that it was just using a basic formatted diskette (with
no
OS on it), and it wouldn't boot, which seems right.

*** I said "Use a disk formatted on a WinXP PC, then copy . . ."
*** If you stop after the formatting step then you obviously won't
*** have a bootable disk.

- Format a diskette on a WinXP PC.
- Copy these files to it from the i386 folder of your WinXP CD:
ntldr and ntdetect.com
- Use notepad.exe to create a:\boot.ini on it, with these lines:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
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 /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

The benefit of the WinXP boot disk is that it lets you boot
a WinXP installation that has a damaged boot environment
but is otherwise intact.

The benefit of a Win98 boot disk is that it gives you very
basic access to the hard disk where you can perhaps
repair the damaged boot environment.

Both disks are useful to have. A Bart PE boot CD is even
more useful to have but it takes time to make one).

 

[Bill in Co.]

OK, thanks for this info, Pegasus. I've still got a bit to learn about
this.

The reason my Dell computer did NOT boot up on the WinXP boot disk is
apparently due to the fact that Dell installs two special partitions to the
HD (one for its own utilities, and one for its own image recovery (called
DSR - Dell System Restore).

So I copied the exisitng and good boot.ini file on the C: drive to the
floppy disk, and that worked. The difference between the more generic
code given below, and mine, is in this critical line:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

So it needed to be told to go to the second partition (which is indeed where
the WinXP system is located my Dell computer).

But I'm still trying to figure out a case where this would be of any use.
Because if the system on C: is so screwed up so that it won't boot up on C:,
how is booting to the floppy to then, in turn, go over and boot up on the C:
drive (as it seems to do here) of any use? I'm still not understanding
something. (This seems different than is the case for anything I know in
Win98SE and DOS environments).

*** See below.

OK, but I'm evidently still missing something here. (I'm trying this
out
now on a good system just to see). (and I'm coming here as a past
Win98SE/DOS user)

Given what is quoted below for a basic formatted disk, how does it manage
to
boot up with no operating system on the floppy? I mean, it just stops
there.

*** Which boot disk are you talking about? The WinXP boot disk
*** or the Win98 boot disk?
*** The WinXP boot disk will boot the machine into Windows XP,
*** provided that there is an intact Windows XP installation on the
*** hard disk.
*** The Win98 boot disk will boot to an "A:\ prompt".

I actually tried it out, and nothing happened except that I was stuck at
the
"a:" prompt, (but this only AFTER I had created a floppy with command.com
on
it.

*** If you download the Win98 boot disk from www.bootdisk.com
*** then you get it complete with command.com. And yes, it will
*** get you to an "A:\" prompt. At this stage you can start working
*** with commands such as fdisk.exe, which would let you replace
*** the Grub boot sector with the Windows boot sector.

Otherwise I got the error Invalid System Disk).

My test prior to that it was just using a basic formatted diskette (with
no
OS on it), and it wouldn't boot, which seems right.

*** I said "Use a disk formatted on a WinXP PC, then copy . . ."
*** If you stop after the formatting step then you obviously won't
*** have a bootable disk.

- Format a diskette on a WinXP PC.
- Copy these files to it from the i386 folder of your WinXP CD:
ntldr and ntdetect.com
- Use notepad.exe to create a:\boot.ini on it, with these lines:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
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 /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

The benefit of the WinXP boot disk is that it lets you boot
a WinXP installation that has a damaged boot environment
but is otherwise intact.

The benefit of a Win98 boot disk is that it gives you very
basic access to the hard disk where you can perhaps
repair the damaged boot environment.

Both disks are useful to have. A Bart PE boot CD is even
more useful to have but it takes time to make one).


Well, my system boots up fine now, but I was just wondering if this method
makes a good backup disk to supplement the MSDOS backup one?

So if windows didn't boot up, I presume this method would be the first way
to try, and if that fails, maybe you'd need the MSDOS boot disk. Is
that
correct?

(e-mail address removed) wrote:
On Jan 17, 10:16 am, "Bill in Co." <[email protected]>
wrote:
Would this also work for WinXP Home (just by changing "Professional"
to
"Home" below)?

No need to change "Professional" to "Home". It's only a label for a
human to read.

OK. It's just a text label then.

I'm curious as to how it works, if you can't even boot up in WinXP
normally. Just looking at the lines below, it seems (to me) to just be
attempting to access the HD as would normally happen except that it is
using a clean version of those two files ntldr and ntdetect.com. So is
that basically it?


The floppy is running the bootloader, and it uses the info in boot.ini
file to find/start Windows.
The 3 choices you'll see are only an attempt to cover all bases of
where your particular Windows installation might be.
It's most likely that only 1 will work, depending on what has happened
to your disk, and whether you've attempted a repair install and
actually ended up with a parallel install.
Make the floppy, and give it a try. You've really got nothing to lose,
and it just might start Windows.

Good Luck.