Urgent help needed

[StaggerLee]

Hi.

Went to install Kubuntu 8.04 on a partition on a disk. Got as far as the partition of the partition and swap page etc then wasn't confident on what I was doing so quit the install.

Now I can't boot into Windows. It just says 'error loading operating system'.

I know for sure I wasn't anywhere near the disk Windows is on as that isn't partitioned. (I have three hard drives. One with XP HOME and no partitions. Another disk has 5 partitions and one of those partitions was the target for my Kubuntu install. Another disk is just data)
The disk I was trying to set Kubuntu on was a partitioned disk and showed it was in the install process, so what could have happened?
Why isn't my XP booting?

Ta

[Windy]

Re: Urgent help needed

The only think I can think is that you have somehow managed to damage the XP boot sector. If you have the original XP install CD, you can boot from it (to a recovery console) and run fixmbr to recreate the boot sector.

If you run a search for "fixmbr" on MS website, there are several articles describing it in detail.

If that fails, you may have to run a Windows repair.

[StaggerLee]

Re: Urgent help needed

I tried installing Kubuntu and it seemed to go well. Partitioned the space into three partitions, /, /home and swap, then continued the install process.

It then said it was complete and asked me to reboot, which I did then I got-
DISK BOOT FAILURE. Insert system disk and press enter.

Bummer.

I'll try your suggestion.

Thanks

[Qqmike]

Re: Urgent help needed

Disk Boot Failure:

your BIOS does not see a bootable disk to boot from.
I'm guessing that your boot sequence (that you set up in BIOS setup) should be:

CD/DVD drive first;
Windows XP drive second;
then perhaps your Kubuntu drive.

When you installed Kubuntu, the installer wrote the Kubuntu bootloader (called GRUB) to the MBR of the BIOS first-boot drive = the XP drive, thus overwriting the XP bootloader -- and that is OK -- GRUB can easily boot your XP and your Kubuntu.

First, check your BIOS setup.

Manual methods for re-installing GRUB WITHOUT reinstalling Kubuntu:
How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
HOW To: Change the Default Operating System (Also: Changing the timeout, boot menu, and other tips) Reply #1

[StaggerLee]

Re: Urgent help needed

Cheers for that. I'd like to print it off. Kubuntu recognises my printer, I click 'print' at the bottom of the web page, a new tab opens with the selected text ready for printing, what next?!? I can't see where to start printing.

[Qqmike]

Re: Urgent help needed

Not sure -- not a printer-guy!
To be safe, I usually copy the text into an OOo Writer document, save that, and print that.
Sometimes, you have to copy smaller blocks at a time to make it go right, but you get the idea.
K > Office > OOorg Word processor.

[StaggerLee]

Re: Urgent help needed

Aha! The sweet smell of success! Got it printing. I'll print it off, give it a good read then try again. Wont post back here for a few hours. Got a boy to take to his mothers and presents to wrap!

Thanks again.

[StaggerLee]

Re: Urgent help needed

Can anyone decypher this for me please?

Disk /dev/sda: 74.3 GB, 74355769344 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 144073 cylinders, total 145226112 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x615b4849

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 145223567 72611752+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd529e601

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb2 * 16065 976768064 488376000 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 16128 80324 32098+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb6 80388 976768064 488343838+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders, total 488397168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000001

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 63 9767519 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdc2 9767644 488394971 239313664 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdc5 103062075 166297535 31617730+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdc6 166297587 278707553 56204983+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdc7 278707605 385645067 53468731+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdc8 385645119 488394971 51374926+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdc9 9767646 87891614 39061984+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdc10 87891678 103056974 7582648+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order


---

This last disk (250gig) is where I installed Kubuntu

[Windy]

Re: Urgent help needed

I'm a bit confused by this, your first post said you quit from the installer (hence my reply about fixmbr), but then you next post says you installed Kubuntu

[StaggerLee]

Re: Urgent help needed

Yeah, I did quit. Then I read a few answers and re read some stuff. Had another attempt at installing when I encountered my next problem.

Somehow it's working now, I don't know exactly how but I get the option of what to boot into. So I'm now running in Kubuntu that's been installed on my system. Got an issue with a graphics card driver now though!

[StaggerLee]

Re: Urgent help needed

OK, new problem and graphics related. I open the hardware drivers manager and click in the box beside my graphics card. A new window opens but it's tall and thin and goes way off the page. I can't resize this box therefore can't get access to the 'yes' or 'no' options at the bottom. How do I get around this? In windows I'd just resize the pop up window and drag the window up. Can't resize the pop up in Kubuntu.

[Guest]

TRY THIS

Boot computer using XP setup CD.
type R to start recovary mode !
Type "fixmbr"
and then "fixboot" !
Type "exit" to restart ..

-------------------
Hope it will work !

[muzicman0]

Re: Urgent help needed

OK, new problem and graphics related. I open the hardware drivers manager and click in the box beside my graphics card. A new window opens but it's tall and thin and goes way off the page. I can't resize this box therefore can't get access to the 'yes' or 'no' options at the bottom. How do I get around this? In windows I'd just resize the pop up window and drag the window up. Can't resize the pop up in Kubuntu.

Havent tried this for a while, but it used to be that if you held the 'alt' key, you could click on a window and drag it, that should give you access to the 'yes/no' buttons.

mm0

[aged hippy]

Re: TRY THIS

Boot computer using XP setup CD.
type R to start recovary mode !
Type "fixmbr"
and then "fixboot" !
Type "exit" to restart ..

-------------------
Hope it will work !

But doing this will remove access to Kubuntu.


In other words, if you don't wish to use Kubuntu - or wish to re-install it- type those commands in, but if you don't, dont do so.