Removed SuSE Linux 9.3, Windows XP Won't Boot

[M.H.]

I removed SuSE Linux 9.3 from my IBM T42 ThinkPad, by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the
partition. I then peformed FIXMBR. The computer is saying that there
is a missing operating system, and won't boot. Performed FIXBOOT. Same
problem. Performed FIXMBR again. No change. I'm thinking the NTLDR
might be missing or something, but when I go into Recovery Console, it
won't let me "cd d:" to my CD-ROM drive, and then copy NTLDR from the
i386 folder into system root, and I don't have a floppy drive for the
laptop. Thanks to anyone that can help.

 

[M.H.]

Ok, I've now done the following:

COPY D:\i386\NTLDR C\:
COPY D:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

No change.

 

[piperut]

I removed SuSE Linux 9.3 from my IBM T42 ThinkPad, by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the
partition. I then peformed FIXMBR. The computer is saying that there
is a missing operating system, and won't boot. Performed FIXBOOT. Same
problem. Performed FIXMBR again. No change. I'm thinking the NTLDR
might be missing or something, but when I go into Recovery Console, it
won't let me "cd d:" to my CD-ROM drive, and then copy NTLDR from the
i386 folder into system root, and I don't have a floppy drive for the
laptop. Thanks to anyone that can help.

I had this problem when I removed 9.3 a long time ago.
I did have a usb floppy drive. I also had a Windows ME startup disk.

It has been a long time, and this is from memory. There is an option
on the Windows ME FDISK to set the master boot disk. That is what I
did, and it made Windows boot.
Linux changes the master boot disk sometimes when you remove it.

Now, how you do this with the XP install CD or DVD, I have no idea.
I would find someone with a usb floppy and a Windows ME or Windows 98
startup disk, and try that.

roland

 

[Mr_Bill]

Ok, I've now done the following:

COPY D:\i386\NTLDR C\:
COPY D:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

No change.

Is that some kind of scripting language?
You might get a better answer in a windows group.

Mr_Bill

 

[Robert Hull]

In alt.os.linux.suse, on Tue 21 February 2006 15:28, M.H.

I removed SuSE Linux 9.3 from my IBM T42 ThinkPad, by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the
partition. I then peformed FIXMBR. The computer is saying that there
is a missing operating system, and won't boot. Performed FIXBOOT.
Same problem.

Why do you think that a linux newsgroup is the right place to ask about
Windows problems?

(Hint: you removed Linux using Windows, you performed other operations
in Windows and something went wrong ... It is a Windows problem)

 

[Vahis]

I removed SuSE Linux 9.3 from my IBM T42 ThinkPad, by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the
partition. I then peformed FIXMBR. The computer is saying that there
is a missing operating system, and won't boot. Performed FIXBOOT. Same
problem. Performed FIXMBR again. No change. I'm thinking the NTLDR
might be missing or something, but when I go into Recovery Console, it
won't let me "cd d:" to my CD-ROM drive, and then copy NTLDR from the
i386 folder into system root, and I don't have a floppy drive for the
laptop. Thanks to anyone that can help.

Why don't you use the normal routine:
Install Windows and stop whining.

Vahis

 

[Keith Willcocks]

Is that some kind of scripting language?
You might get a better answer in a windows group.

It's good old fashioned DOS.

 

[Rikishi 42]

I removed SuSE Linux 9.3 from my IBM T42 ThinkPad, by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the
partition. I then peformed FIXMBR. The computer is saying that there
is a missing operating system, and won't boot. Performed FIXBOOT. Same
problem. Performed FIXMBR again. No change. I'm thinking the NTLDR
might be missing or something, but when I go into Recovery Console, it
won't let me "cd d:" to my CD-ROM drive, and then copy NTLDR from the
i386 folder into system root, and I don't have a floppy drive for the
laptop. Thanks to anyone that can help.

Have you checked that your Windows partition is active ?

Setting a partition active can be done with a number of tools: FDISK, GDISK
(from Norton Ghost), Knoppix, etc...

 

[AJR]

I removed SuSE Linux 9.3 from my IBM T42 ThinkPad, by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the
partition. I then peformed FIXMBR. The computer is saying that there
is a missing operating system, and won't boot. Performed FIXBOOT.
Same problem.

Most common reason for "can not find an OS" or missing OS" is failure to
detect the HD or partition. The following from your post may be the
culprit: "by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the partition.
..."

 

[Mr_Bill]

It's good old fashioned DOS.

Dooh! I see it now. The ":\" 's had eluded me.

M_B

 

[Amnon Feiner]

Ok, I've now done the following:

COPY D:\i386\NTLDR C\:
COPY D:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

No change.

Again:
Boot from the original XP cd
select repair
select console
log on to the console using your admin password if you had one
type:
Fix boot and answer yes
fix mbr and select yes

reboot

 

[Amnon Feiner]

Ok, I've now done the following:

COPY D:\i386\NTLDR C\:
COPY D:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

No change.

My other post should say
Fixboot
fixmbr

 

[M.H.]

Have you checked that your Windows partition is active ?

Setting a partition active can be done with a number of tools: FDISK, GDISK
(from Norton Ghost), Knoppix, etc...

I've tried using Knoppix, wasn't able to get the LiveCD to boot. I
can't use FDISK, as I don't have a floppy drive, and I don't have a copy
of Ghost. Do you know any freeware solutions that boot from CD from
which I can set the partition as active? Thanks.

 

[susermania]

my bad.. this is the link you want

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

 

[Tobias Crefeld]

M.H. meinte:

I've tried using Knoppix, wasn't able to get the LiveCD to boot.

grml
or
Suse CD1 (9.3 or whatever)

 

[jimbo]

Ok, I've now done the following:

COPY D:\i386\NTLDR C\:
COPY D:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

No change.

You also need boot.ini in C:\. If you have all of those files in C:\
and still no boot, you may have hosed C drive.

Good luck, jimbo

 

[Amnon Feiner]

I removed SuSE Linux 9.3 from my IBM T42 ThinkPad, by using the
partition function in the Windows XP setup CD-ROM to delete the
partition. I then peformed FIXMBR. The computer is saying that there
is a missing operating system, and won't boot. Performed FIXBOOT. Same
problem. Performed FIXMBR again. No change. I'm thinking the NTLDR
might be missing or something, but when I go into Recovery Console, it
won't let me "cd d:" to my CD-ROM drive, and then copy NTLDR from the
i386 folder into system root, and I don't have a floppy drive for the
laptop. Thanks to anyone that can help.

Try this
Boot to the XP cd. skip the first repair option and let NT setup find the
current os, select the repair the second time you are prompted with this
option. this is called in -place repair, and should keep your current
settings.

 

[M.H.]

Thanks to everyone that contributed. As far as I can tell, the Windows
partition was not set as active. This was fixed by using the Windows 98
boot CD kindly supplied by Rikishi 42. Using FDISK, I was able to set
it as active. I was then able to boot Windows XP, but the boot.ini file
had some junk in it, so I cleared that up by accessing boot.ini as
described in
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;289022, and
removed three spurious entries, leaving the Windows XP installation as
default and timeout as zero.