Cannot boot windows with linux (Ubuntu version)

[bobmario]

Hello everybody!
I have a really serious problem. I don't know how to do anymore. I really hope that someone could help me!!!

I had Windows in my NFTS partition and than I decided to install Linux, Ubuntu version. So I created another partition in order to install it.
But since I installed Linux, i cannot boot windows anymore!
If I try to boot Windows in the grub, what I have is a blinking cursor on the top on the left in my screen (i have than to restart my computer...). In my grub (that i wrote even here) everything seems to be good:

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

In fact i have my windows partition in hda1, so the command is right.

I can see my windows partition from linux (i used the command mount), but of course I can only read those files.

I tried even with rootnoverify instead of root, and i even try without makeactive or chainloaer, and all the possible combinations, but nothing happened.

Linux is working without problems, but i don't know how to do to have my Windows again. Even because if I try to put the Windows installation CD, it doesn't work.
In fact if it starts form CD, it says “Verifying the hardware configuration...” and than it stops without saying nothing (just black screen). So i don't know even how to reinstall windows.

If this can help, this is my hard disk configuration (I used the command sudo fdisk /dev/had) :

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 116280 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 30489 15366141 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 30489 46028 7831687+ 83 Linux
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/hda3 46761 116280 35037765 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda4 46028 46761 369495 5 Extended
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/hda5 46028 46761 369463+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris


I hope there is someone that had my same problem and can help me...

Thanks a lot!!!

[s7p9a2m4]

Ubuntu was not the best choice. I've had trouble with bootloader installs in the last two versions. It's a very buggy distro and I'm baffled by its popularity.

You could try to reinstall grub. Grub is the better of the two linux bootloaders, lilo being the other.

I use a boot manager called GAG. Then, I install linux boot loaders into the root partitions or superblock of the relevant linux distros.

The simplest rememdy is to download GAG and burn it to disk and floppy. Its free. Boot from the GAG disk/floppy > add the operating systems ie: windows would be hda1 > label it xp ... windows ... whatever and pick an icon for it. Continue with ubuntu. Remember to "save to disk".

This will get your windows back immediately. You would then have to reinstall grub with the ubuntu cd. Specify the root partition or superblock. If the install is successful, you will have both operating systems bootable.

Take a look at the ultimate boot cd as an emergency tool.

If ubuntu refuses to install the bootloader try another distro. There is no need to remove windows. You can always restore windows with the fixmbr command.

Mepis or Kanotix would have been better choices and both are Debian based.

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d.../en-us/Default.
asp?url=/resources/documentation/Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prkd_tro_ldau.asp
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
http://gag.sourceforge.net/

[TopFarmer]

looking at the fdisk displayed data, the partitions as they are physically on hdd: (useing the given Start and End addresses)

hda1 pri boot NTFS appx 15M
hda2 pri linux 8 M
hda4 ext. 400k
hda5 logical volume with in ext. partition linux/swap 400k
hda3 pri NTFS 35M

are you sure the hda1 NFTS partition is the one with the OS and not hda3 ?

But likely problem is that Windows does not like partitions (hda2 & 4) not ending on cylinder boundarys and suspect could give problems with "Verifying the hardware configuration.."

[bobmario]

I tried your suggestion with GAG, but when trying to boot windows i had the same problem (blinking cursor and black srean!!)

Furthermore now i cannot boot nor windows neither Linux!

Please help me!!!What can i do?

Mario

[s7p9a2m4]

Did you get the GAG window when you rebooted? Did you add the correct partitions? Did you remember to "save to hard disk"?

You can always overwrite GAG with the fixboot command to get windows up and running. Google search "fixboot".

[bobmario]

Yes, i did everything.

I had with GA 4 partition to choose:

win1
linux
win2
and another one that i didn't understand well (the swap i guess...)

I tried averyone, but when booting the win1 (where i have the OS) i had the well known trouble, when booting win2 i didn't have anything (it's true, i don't have any OS there), finallt when booting linux, i had an error message.

I tried even with "hide first partition", but nothing happend.

Anyway each time i saved on hard disk.

Now i will try with "fixboot".

Thank you for your suggestions, and if you have more solutions tell them to me, please.

Have a good day,

Mario

[xcrunner503]

you should use Mandrake, Linspire, Fedora, or SuSE. They all worked for me when I had a dual-boot system. I recommend SuSE though, hope you can fix your problem!

[bobmario]

It’s seems to be impossible, but even the last method doesn’t work.
I created a boot CD, and when booting from CD, it looked good.
It was creating a new table, then it recognized both linux and windows, but then, when it was at 50% more or less, it gave divide error. I don’t know what does it mean.

Maybe you can help me once again…

Thanks!!!


I will not use Ubuntu anymore, but i would have my Windows again!!!

[bobmario]

Hello!!!!

There are some news about my problem: i tryed to insall win2k and it worked. So i deleted all my linux partition.

Now i have 3 partition: two of them with win2k (NTFS) and another one (NTFS) with my old programs in windows.

But once again whn i try to install winXP it doesn't work: after the hardware configuration control it stops with black screan!

So at this point the problem shouldn't be Ubuntu, but i don't know. When i tryed to rebuilt the boot table with fixboot anyway it says that there is an error in my hard disk. I can try to correct it, but i can't because that is a demo version. I don't know neither if that is the problem

Do you have some other suggestion?

Thank you,

Mario

[TopFarmer]

i can't because that is a demo version

What program ?
Does it list any error for the disk that would help deterime type of problem ?

Might give Testdisk a try Download here

[TauLepton]

If you haven't used fixboot yet, try to avoid it! In several instances, fixboot has been known to write FAT12 boot sectors to NTFS partitions. This will make all data on the NTFS partition inaccessible. TestDisk, the program that TopFarmer already recommended, can fix the partition so data on it can be read, though I'm not sure it will make the partition bootable again.

Also, concerning Linux distros: Debian and SuSe have both been good to me. I haven't tried Ubuntu.

[guestuser]

Originally Posted by bobmario

Hello everybody!
I have a really serious problem. I don't know how to do anymore. I really hope that someone could help me!!!

I had Windows in my NFTS partition and than I decided to install Linux, Ubuntu version. So I created another partition in order to install it.
But since I installed Linux, i cannot boot windows anymore!
If I try to boot Windows in the grub, what I have is a blinking cursor on the top on the left in my screen (i have than to restart my computer...). In my grub (that i wrote even here) everything seems to be good:

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

In fact i have my windows partition in hda1, so the command is right.

I can see my windows partition from linux (i used the command mount), but of course I can only read those files.

I tried even with rootnoverify instead of root, and i even try without makeactive or chainloaer, and all the possible combinations, but nothing happened.

Linux is working without problems, but i don't know how to do to have my Windows again. Even because if I try to put the Windows installation CD, it doesn't work.
In fact if it starts form CD, it says “Verifying the hardware configuration...” and than it stops without saying nothing (just black screen). So i don't know even how to reinstall windows.

If this can help, this is my hard disk configuration (I used the command sudo fdisk /dev/had) :

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 116280 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 30489 15366141 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 30489 46028 7831687+ 83 Linux
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/hda3 46761 116280 35037765 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda4 46028 46761 369495 5 Extended
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/hda5 46028 46761 369463+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris


I hope there is someone that had my same problem and can help me...

Thanks a lot!!!

I ran into a similar problem with Ubuntu (Hoary) and XP Pro. After some searching, it was pointed out that Linux distros have to be installed *before* Windows.

Here's how I set up an 80.0 G Western Digital, using either the Ubuntu installation CD or cfdisk:

partition 1: primary FAT32 04.0 G /xp
partition 2: primary ext3 20.0 G / (bootable)
partition 3: primary swap 04.0 G swap
partition 4: logical FAT32 20.0 G /xpfiles
partition 5: logical FAT32 32.0 G /shared

Notice that I chose FAT32 for all non-Linux or shared areas. Windows seems to prefer that it format any partitions that it uses, especially if NTFS is involved. Also note that I stayed under the 32 GB mark for the shared directory, so Windows will recognize it later.

I then continued with the Ubuntu installation and rebooted when instructed.
At this point, GRUB is the bootloader.

After Ubuntu finished, I installed XP Pro to partition 1 and converted to NTFS. Windows now controls the Master Boot Record (MBR).

I finished the XP installation, loaded XP, and reformatted partition 4 (NTFS) and partition 5 (FAT32).

Finally, I reinstall GRUB and edit the menu.lst file in the same manner you noted above.

Just as a side note, I've also used a similar procedure for an Ubuntu, 98SE, XP Pro install, with 98SE going into partition 1.

Hope this helps!

[bst82551]

y'know, ubuntu must be a really bad distro because i've installed about 5 different distros (just sampling features), and i've had my XP running for quite a while now and have never had any problem ever with installing linux AFTER windows XP was already installed. I know one thing- I'll never try Ubuntu.

Brian

[s7p9a2m4]

I think it is more a Grub problem than an operating system fault. Those using fedora with grub installed to mbr are experiencing problems as well.
I have had trouble with Suse as well. I had a damaged partition after removing Suse and others have reported similiar problems.