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    #1

    dual boot trashes my partition table

    Hi All,

    Help!

    I have had this happen twice.

    I have a customer with XP-Pro-SP3. He wants to upgrade to Linux. So I got a second hard drive, unhooked the first, and installed Kubuntu on the second drive (same sata cable). Everything went well. Then I hooked the original drive in on a new sata cable as a second drive. And proceeded to modified /boot/grub/menu.lst as follows:

    Code:
    ### END AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
title Microsoft Windows XP
map (hd0) (hd1)  # Map hd1 to hd0
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0) # rootnoverify ensures no attempt is made to mount Windows
chainloader +1
    I got these instructions from
    http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0, "XP on a non-first hard drive: (hdx,y), x > 1"

    When I select "windows" from the list, two things happen:
    1) I get the third option (the memory test) instead of Windows, and
    2) my first hard drive gets its partition table over written.

    "fdisk -l /dev/sda" gives two partitons: an ~ 8 gb fat16, a 162 GB NTFS, and ~ 80 GB free space. None of the new partitons are mountable. (the "fdisk" was done with the Windws disk unplugged)


    Editorial comment: AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

    What am I doing wrong here?

    Many thanks,
    -T
    Tags: None
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    #2
    Re: dual boot trashes my partition table

    If you are able to get your disk with Windows to the original state, you should know that there is another way to install dualboot, not touching your first drive with Windows and MBR.
    After that installation, you will have your Windows loader, there will be one more line with Kubuntu in boot.ini and after pressing Kubuntu option you will start grub only at that time. Grub will be on the second drive with Kubuntu.

    Short instruction: It is necessary to say during installation of Kubuntu (pressing Advanced button) where to install Grub (to partition with Kubuntu, not to MBR as default) and then to use windows freeware program bootpart for adding a Kubuntu line to boot.ini.

    Advantages - No problems like this, no problems with reinstall Windows
    Disadvantages - not so easy to remove Windows
    Kubuntu 16.04 on two computers and Kubuntu 17.04 on DELL Latitude 13
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      #3
      Re: dual boot trashes my partition table

      When I select "windows" from the list, two things happen:
      1) I get the third option (the memory test) instead of Windows, and
      2) my first hard drive gets its partition table over written

      Frankly, that doesn't make sense, but I do believe something is happening. Unplugging that drive while installing Kubuntu probably did this. No matter now.

      josefko has an idea that will work. I've never tried it but I see others doing that.

      In Section 6 of my how-to, I outline your options for dual-booting.

      With both drives plugged in and working, you can find out THEN how GRUB (and BIOS) both see your hard drives by using the geometry command. Again, that is a key point of the how-to. That will tell you about the (hdx,y)'s. After doing that, you can, if you wish, re-install GRUB, also explained in the how-to (root-setup-quit), to re-set the whole deal.
      An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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        #4
        Re: dual boot trashes my partition table

        I think the key to the problem probably lies in the BIOS boot sequence setting, AFTER the second (original) drive is reconnected. You have to make sure the drive with the bootable MBR is first.

        It's no problem to install Linux on the new drive, with the old drive disconnected -- I've done it many times. However, in the case of a dual-boot with Windows XP, I would not do it that way, because the Linux installer does a great job of finding the Win XP OS and setting up the boot menu automatically. It just makes the process longer and more laborious -- you have to manually set up Grub and the menu.

        Follow Mike's guide, but first you need to be clear on the BIOS boot sequence. Also, there needs to be a "boot" flag on the Win XP drive/partition (I'm sure there already was), but not on the Linux drive/partition.
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          #5
          Re: dual boot trashes my partition table

          Hi All,

          Thank you for all the in depth replies. Basically, I am doing it wrong and GRUB writes to the wrong drive and my partition table gets corrupted. And, I can not have two bootable drives. And windows ... Yikes!

          So, Virtual Box it is. Come to think of it, it will suite him better. Without all your input, I would not have started looking for a better solution, until, of course, I corrupted my drive a couple more times.

          -T
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