Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

[BrunoTran]

I've just installed Kubuntu on its own partition on a 2nd HD (bought just for that purpose!). The Grub loader seem to work mostly, for Kubuntu (hangs some times..) but fails to start Windows XP:

It does give the option (although iit calls it XP Media Centre Edition when i have XP professional, i think).. but after the WinXp splash screen, i get a blue-ish screen that says that "autochck" cannot be found, and that it is skipping it.. and then my PC restarts.

I have tried to use the Windows loader option from the Grub.. after the splash screen, i get a "fatal system error" with a blue screen.

Unfortunately, i really need to go back to Windows as Kubuntu does not recognise my broadband modem, and therefore i cannot go onto the internet! (i also suspect that some of the programmes i use will not be immediately available under kubuntu..)

i'd be really grateful for any help you could provide as i feel really stuck..

Bruno

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

You can repair the Windows Master Boot record by running the Windows XP CD and selecting that option.
Or, download and burn as iso Super Grub Disk to a CD and repair the Windows MBR.

That gets you into your Windows for now (but not into Kubuntu).

Then you can boot into Kubuntu using the Super Grub Disk again (boot GNU Linux). Continue to use SGD to boot into Kubuntu for now as you catch your breath. Update your backups (to CD/DVD/flash drive) of any important data you have in XP.

After doing that, at your leisure then, check this How-To about dual booting:
How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
You would want to re-install GRUB to the MBR of the Windows drive (hd0).
Or, you do not have to do this yet, and you can continue to boot into Kubuntu using Super Grub Disk CD.
Or, build a flash drive to do the booting:
How To Make GRUB Thumb Drive
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081748.0


OK, having said that, and hoping you can rescue XP, I’m wondering about what happened. It sounds like it’s a Windows problem, perhaps? It sounds like you were getting the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) inside Windows? This is yet another and separate issue, but it does sound like Windows got damaged or something.


Super Grub Disk: http://supergrub.forjamari.linex.org/

And another excellent site on dual booting:
Bigpond, home: http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/
(See the GRUB page.)

[BrunoTran]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Hi Qqmike,

And most importantly, thank you so very much for taking the time to answer my query/call for help!

Unfortunately, do not have a Windows set up disk (it came preinstalled. i am trying to get in touch with my PC manufacturer, but they are hard to contact.. and the warranty ended a few months ago..) i'm having to type this on my old laptop, which is very slow.. and has a keyboard that msses a few keys - sorry for that.

i have tried the Super Grub programme, as you suggested. t works on the CD on whch i burnt it.. but does not manage to start Windows.. in fact it does not seem to see wndows. Which is odd as i can see the partition and even access my old files from Kubuntu (and that makes me hope that all is not lost!). Bottom line is that i don't get an option to repair the MBR..

The only option that Super Grub offers when i choose to fix Windows is.. Syslinux! Not seeing a Windows otption, i have not gone further..

One thing that may be relevant: when i installed kubuntu, i set the Windows partitions to "hidden". Could that be the source of the problem?

Once again.. thanks so much for your help. Only one thing would be worse than this problem: that would be to be on my own!

Bruno

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Herman has a tutorial on Super Grub Disk:
http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzo...bDiskPage.html
Home page is:
Bigpond, home: http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/


Hmmm . . . SGD should not only boot your Windows, but SGD can fix that MBR.
I’ve never worked with “hidden’ partitions, but it sounds like an issue.
SGD also has an option to “Show Partitions” under Boot & Tools. I wonder what that would show?

Some folks use Knoppix to access their partitions and rescue their data—download Knoppix Live CD.
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html
Of course, you can do this with the Kubuntu Live CD and get your data copied off.

What does your boot menu look like for XP? In Kubuntu, open Konqueror, type /boot, click on grub, click on menu.lst (/boot/grub/menu.lst), and look for Windows XP or Windows. Does it look like this:

title Windows whatever
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

(or rootnoverify (hd0,0 ) instead of root (hd0,0); this assume Windows is on the first hard drive, i.e., hd0, the first partition, i.e., partition 0)


I don’t if/why re-installing GRUB might help. It often does.
How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0

You’d do this from Kubuntu, open Konsole, type
sudo grub
which gives you a GRUB prompt, grub>, then type
grub> root (hd1,x)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
$ exit
and re-boot to test it.

The “x” is the partition number of your Kubuntu on the second hard drive, hd1. Numbering starts at zero, so the first hard drive is hd0, the 2nd is hd1, etc., the first partition is 0, the 2nd is 1, etc.
If Kubuntu is on the 2nd HD the first partition, that would be
root (hd1,0)
i.e, x=0.

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

More thoughts . . .

Re-installing GRUB might help (that’s the root-setup-quit, explained above). I wonder, when you installed Kubuntu, if GRUB got installed to the second HD instead of to the first HD? If so, that could be part of this.

Edit: I deleted something I said about chainloading Windows that was incorrect. Please read through this thread to see how things should be. --Sorry.

When you have a GRUB prompt, grub>, you can see what’s on each drive using the geometry command:
grub> geometry (hd0)
grub> geometry (hd1)

You can usually recognize what is where by doing this. We think Windows should be on hd0 and Kubuntu on hd1.

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Hey Bruno, hope I didn't lose you here. There's just two things:
--Re-installing GRUB
and
--Trying to boot Windows manually.
See below for a way to manually chainload Windows, if you wish to try that.

Edit: I deleted something I said about chainloading Windows that was incorrect. Please read through this thread (below) to see how things should be. --Sorry.

[javierrivera]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

About this "hidden partition" thing:

Windows recognizes some types as "hidden partitions". Per example type 1b (hex) is a hidden FAT 32 partition, while 0b is a normal visible partition. 17 is a hidden NTFS, while 07 in NTFS

Linux gently ignores this . But it's quite easy that windows won't boot from a hidden partition, even when chainloaded by grub.

What I would do to resolve this issue is looking at the partition table with fdisk, checking that the windows partition type is a hidden one (likely 17 or 1b), change it to the unhidden one (7 or b), save and reboot. Likely grub will be able to load windows now.

The little problem that I found is that I have no idea of how to translate this to linux-novice friendly speak .

So may Qmike can help me here...

Javier.

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

javierrivera, thanks!
This is all new to me, too. How would he use fdisk (I confess to having some but extremely little experience with it and its family of disk commands)? From a live Kubuntu CD, then get Konsole, then what does he do?
--Mike

[javierrivera]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Just boot into ubuntu, open a konsole and:

[command]
$ sudo fdisk /dev/hehehe
[/command]

Where hehehe is his windows hard disk, likely hda, hdb, sda or sdb.

Then he will see something like this:

[command]
El número de cilindros para este disco está establecido en 14593.
No hay nada malo en ello, pero es mayor que 1024, y en algunos casos
podría causar problemas con:
1) software que funciona en el inicio (p.ej. versiones antiguas de LILO)
2) software de arranque o particionamiento de otros sistemas operativos
(p.ej. FDISK de DOS, FDISK de OS/2)

Orden (m para obtener ayuda):
[/command]

But in his default language.

Press p, and he will see the partition disk, mine looks like:

[command]
Disposit. Inicio Comienzo Fin Bloques Id Sistema
/dev/sda1 1 243 1951866 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 * 244 2431 17575110 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 2432 14593 97691265 83 Linux
[/command]

If his windows partition has an id like 1b,17, then it's really hidden. He should press t and change it to 0b or 07. If not, then the hidden partition is not the problem and I have been following a red herring.

But I was hoping that someone knew some "easier to explain, GUI based" utility. Maybe Partition Magic? or the QParted live-cd?. I'm not familiar with any on them, so...

Javier.

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Thanks, Javier.
Good idea about GParted -- I can re-boot into that and see if there's something obvious that would work in GParted's GUI.
--Mike

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Ok, yes, in GParted, you can mark a partition "Hidden":

From the menu at the top,
Partition > Manage flags > Hidden

(Good idea, Javier! )

[javierrivera]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Then let's hope that this is the Bruno problem.

Javier.

[BrunoTran]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

Hi Guys..

Once again, thanks ever so much for your support and all your help!

I went back into Kubuntu using the live CD, as suggested, and tried using the Konsole to boot into Windows. No luck..

I tried Fdisk as suggested.. it did not seem to be there, on my Kubuntu set up.

But reading your thoughts, I started realising that hiding my Windows partitions was not that good an idea - I was afraid that the Kubuntu set up would mess Windows up and thought that hiding those partitions would protect them.. in the end, I suspect it protected them so well that the Grub could not see them, and hence could not start them or be set up to start them..

Anyway, I found this utility in Kubuntu, at the bottom of the menu where the Konsole is (perhaps it is GParted.. I thought it was QQ- something but I don't quite remember). It turned out to be the utility that I had used during set-up to hide the Win partitions, so I removed the property.

I still can't start Windows from the Grub, nor from Super Grub and its Windows option, but I can (yeppeee!!!) from the Super Grub Partition option (somewhere under Windows advanced, I believe)..

I think the second problem I had may well come from the fact that my PC manufacturer, instead of giving me a Windows CD to re-install in case of problems, have created a first partition [hd(0,0)] called "recovery" or something like that. When I use Super grub to boot from there, it starts a utility that attempts to recover Windows, and fails miserably, concluding that all is lost and I need to contact the manufacturer to reset the PC totally. But if I use Super Grub to start from the next partition, which is where Windows lives [hd(0,1)], then it works! - it had to do a thorough checkdisk etc.. but it did fire up Windows.

So.. I can go back into Windows and I type this message now from my PC. What a relief..

This is great stuff! And I don't see how I could have reached that point without your support.

Now, I should probably try to re-installed the MBR but I am rather afraid I may mess up Windows for good. What do you think?

Bruno

[javierrivera]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

No. Even if you mess the MBR that will only mean that your computer is not going to boot from the hard disk. You will still be able to boot from a CD, including Supergrub. So it can't get worse.

Anyway, you should try to find a "real" windows CD if you plan to continue using windows. Chances are that sooner or later you'll need it.

Good luck.

Javier.

[Qqmike]

Re: Help! Lost Windows XP after nstallng Kubuntu

I'm inclined to agree with javierrivera. But be warned, Bruno, I am very biased toward GRUB stuff! I do this stuff all the time, and even end up locking myself out of my OSs until I fix the boot again. Such is life

Let's go back to my previous question (above):

Quote:
What does your boot menu look like for XP? In Kubuntu, open Konqueror, type /boot, click on grub, click on menu.lst (/boot/grub/menu.lst), and look for Windows XP or Windows. Does it look like this:

title Windows whatever
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

(or rootnoverify (hd0,0 ) instead of root (hd0,0); this assume Windows is on the first hard drive, i.e., hd0, the first partition, i.e., partition 0)
End quote

*** Looks like, based on what you said, that it will be root (hd0,1), NOT (hd0,0)


Do you have such a menu.lst and such an entry for Windows, and how about Kubuntu?

- - - - -

Finally,
back to re-installing GRUB:

Quote from above again:

You’d do this from Kubuntu, open Konsole, type
sudo grub
which gives you a GRUB prompt, grub>, then type
grub> root (hd1,x)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
$ exit
and re-boot to test it.

The “x” is the partition number of your Kubuntu on the second hard drive, hd1. Numbering starts at zero, so the first hard drive is hd0, the 2nd is hd1, etc., the first partition is 0, the 2nd is 1, etc.
If Kubuntu is on the 2nd HD the first partition, that would be
root (hd1,0)
i.e, x=0.
End quote

You need to find out what the x is.
You can use that geometry command I mentioned above (at a GRUB prompt, grub>).
Or, at Konsole in Kubuntu, type sudo fdisk -lu
(-lu is "l" as in "list" and "u" as in "units")
Your Kubuntu will be on hard drive hdb or sdb, and we need to know if it's on the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd, partition or where? If it's the first, then x=0; if the second, then x=1; etc.
Note also that the notation (hd0) refers (in this case) to the MBR of the hard drive hd0, which is the Windows drive.
- - - - -

Well, that's probably enough to leave with you this time. javierrivera and I will be curious, I'm sure, to see any reply you wish to post further here.

--Mike