Triple Boot trouble

[rubytuesday]

Argh, what have I done? I followed the advice I was given to the letter when installing Ubuntu, but I still seem to have deleted Windows somehow. All I thought I deleted were the logical partitions 5-9, but it seems Windows is gone now. I can't boot at all without this Ubuntu live CD! What now? I did the sudo fdisk thing and got this:Disk /dev/hda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylindersUnits = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System/dev/hda1 1 509 4088511 12 Compaq diagnostics/dev/hda2 * 510 5087 36772785 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)/dev/hda3 5088 5717 5060475 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)/dev/hda4 5718 9729 32226390 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)Which kind of makes it look like Windoze is there somewhere...Can anyone help please?Thanks, Ruby

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Uh... Ruby,If this is an XP installation you're trying to save, you can boot to the XP installation disk and run the Recovery Console. Once the Console comes up (just a command line), enter "fixmbr" (without the quotes). This will restore the original Windows boot loader to the hard disk's master boot record. Once you do this and determine that your Windows is still intact, you can then reinstall GRUB from the Ubuntu disk. From the looks of that fdisk output, though, you don't have any Linux installed on that system.Stand by for further assistance from Bruno or others...

[b2cm]

-Hda1 is a small, probably hidden partition containing Compaq utilities. -Hda2 or hda3 both are primary partitions with FAT32, and most likely your Windows is installed on one of these. -Hda4 is a primary partition that contains logical partitions (called an extended partition). Since no logical partition (ie, hda5, hda6, hda7, hda8, hda9) is listed, it looks like you did delete hda5-9 but failed to create new logical partitions on which to install Ubuntu. Also, I think this repartitioning process removed the active flag on your Windows partition, which is why you cannot boot Windows.If your Windows is 2000 or XP, follow VT Eric's suggestion: Rewrite the master boot record using your Windows setup CD. (And also do a 'fixboot c:'.)If your Windows is 95, 98 or ME, use its startup floppy with fdisk.exe on it. When you get to the command prompt (a:\>), type/enter 'fdisk /mbr' to rewrite the master boot record.If this mbr fixing does not help, say so. You will need a partition utility that does hide/unhide and flags specific partitions as active.

Edited May 3, 2007 by b2cm

[rubytuesday]

Hello V.T. Eric LaytonThanks for that - I had a feeling I'd done something bad to the boot loader thing. I'm still trying to figure out where I went wrong - I had Ubuntu, SuSE and WXP on my drive and wanted to go for a dual boot with the Ubuntu. Argh, I'm useless with the partition side of things. Thanks for your help - I don't want to reinstall XP if I don't have to, but maybe that's the easiest way around everything.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Don't misunderstand, Ruby... using the XP disk to bring up the Recovery Console and fixmbr will NOT reinstall XP. It'll just fix the boot loader so that Windows will again boot properly. See b2cm's post above for more information.

[rubytuesday]

Thanks for that b2cm, I'll try it out. At least I backed up, hey

[Bruno]

Hi RubyIs your XP installed on FAT formatted partitions ? Not on NTFS ? . . If so it looks like XP is still there and you can either restore the MBR like b2cm told you . . . OR simply install Ubuntu in the free space and have it's bootloader include your XP ( which is done automatically ) . . . after the install you should be able to boot both XP and Ubuntu ( just check if Ubuntu sees only the bootable hda2 as XP and not also hda1 and hda3 )Ubuntu has a feature in the installer where you can tell it to auto-partition the free space . . . the feature is reported to work okay . . so in that way you do not have to worry about partitioning Bruno

[rubytuesday]

Hi Bruno, I've tried the fixmbr command in the recovery console, only to be asked for an admin password. Bummer, because my laptop shipped with XP on it, so I don't know what that is. Even my so-called "rescue disk" that I made when I started up for the first time won't work :(Anyhoo...When I try to install Ubuntu now, I don't get the auto partition option any more. I get:erase entire disk use largest continuous free spacemanually edit partition tableWhen I look at the middle option, it suggests:partition 5 of dev/hda as ext 3partition 6 of dev/hda as swapAs I'm obviously a bit of a dope with the partitions, can you do a bit of a hand hold on this with me please? Sorry, I guess this is how you learn. Ruby

[V.T. Eric Layton]

When you're asked for the Admin password, Ruby, just hit Enter.

[Bruno]

Choose this option:use largest continuous free space

When I look at the middle option, it suggests:partition 5 of dev/hda as ext 3partition 6 of dev/hda as swap

Looks okay to me ! Bruno

[rubytuesday]

Thanks Eric and Bruno, Going to try both options now. The fixmbr because I'm annoyed about the password and the largest continuous free space because, er, because it's right! Thanks, I hope my next post's a good news one :)Thanks Eric and Bruno, Going to try both options now. The fixmbr because I'm annoyed about the password and the largest continuous free space because, er, because it's right! Thanks, I hope my next post's a good news one

[rubytuesday]

Hello again, Sorry to be a pain, but how do I check this please:" just check if Ubuntu sees only the bootable hda2 as XP and not also hda1 and hda3"Thanks again, ruby

[Bruno]

Hello again, Sorry to be a pain, but how do I check this please:" just check if Ubuntu sees only the bootable hda2 as XP and not also hda1 and hda3"Thanks again, ruby

That is only for the boot menu . . . once all is installed and you first boot Ubuntu we need to have a look at /boot/grub/menu.lst to check if it does not let you boot the XP recovery partition ( you do NOT want to boot hda1 !! ) Bruno

[rubytuesday]

Ah, right - I got you now.In any case I decided to stop worrying about it and install anyway...and everything works - including the "precious" WXP, so thanks for your patience with all my questions.Just to work out what I did wrong - I shouldn't have gone looking to see if XP was still there right after I deleted 5-9, should I. Then I'd never have noticed I deleted the GRUB/bootloader, right? And, if you're feeling very patient...When I deleted 5-9 there was something I didn't do that I could have done with creating a new partition - what was that? Again, thanks for all your help, Ruby

[b2cm]

When I deleted 5-9 there was something I didn't do that I could have done with creating a new partition - what was that?

Telling Ubuntu to use the free space, and then completing the install.

[rubytuesday]

Telling Ubuntu to use the free space, and then completing the install.

Doh! It's easy when you know how Thanks for that!