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**askrieger** · Sep 22, 2006, 10:29 PM

Re: differences between boot sector and backup (new install)

!) Change your /etc/fstab so that you add "noauto" at the end of the option column for your windoze partitions and change the last two columns of all your windoze partions to say 0 0 as was suggested in the third thread you referenced. That way your windoze partitions will not be checked so Grub won't hang waiting for you to do something. You will have to mount the file systems manually when you want to use them. Just as it is a VERY bad idea to do linux things in windoze, it is almost as bad to do windoze things in linux, therefore you may want to try to repair them in windoze.

2) In addition, the message was different for the first poster in that thread (the guy with the three choices) because in his case there was simply a displacement of one byte whereas in most of the other cases you cite, including your's,there are actual differences in some of the values and Linux doesn't know how to correct glitches in windoze file systems, but since you asked for a file system check, it gave you one.

3) What sonofmoog was suggesting in the first thread you cite and what is suggested in the fourth and fifth threads is that you actually unmount the windows filesystems and then try to repair them in Linux. As I said, I think that's a bad idea. Let M$ fix their own problems.

You will find that if you DON'T check the windoze file systems, you will boot up fine in Linux and you will probably be able to manually mount and read those file systems in Linux.

**kunuub** · Oct 07, 2006, 11:53 PM

Re: differences between boot sector and backup (new install)

Thank you for replying... I'll try this out immediately and let you know how it went.

I read it on a site (I can't find the URL but it had diagrams on diff ways to divvy up the HDD) which said to use a shared Fat32 partition to read-write-xecute files from both Windoze and Kubuntu but I didn't expect this problem... it alternatively suggested FSdriver (www.fs-driver.org) to read ext2 (and ext3?) from windoze but I didn't need that.

I used windoze after having a series of set up failures in Kubuntu (couldn't get ADSL up, couldn't play mp3 etc...) and eventually learnt that I needed to learn more on Linux and Kubuntu!! Now I have gotten both up and it's running just peachy... only this start up issue is there. I'll post back my findings...

**kunuub** · Oct 08, 2006, 01:10 AM

Re: differences between boot sector and backup (new install)

It works!! Thank you, thank you, thank you askrieger!!

I first created a copy of "fstab" then I made the changes you asked... noauto & 0 0 for the ntfs and all vfat partitions. It used to get stuck at "checking all filesystems" and now it doesn't... I can see the Kubuntu GUI boot splash right through to the log in screen!! Beautiful!!

Just a little background (to document my situation for others) and another question for you (if you can guide me on this too)!

After I made the original post, I attempted a DOS file check from windoze and it repaired something... I didn't catch what it did. But after that I found two main changes:
One: On boot up to Kubuntu, it still hung with the following message... only this time it proceeds ahead on it's own within a couple of minutes to the usual Kubuntu log in screen. The last two lines in the message changed... with an [ok] at the end of it...

[..]
* Checking all filesystems...
dosfsck 2.11, 12 Mar 2005, FAT32, LFN
/dev/hda3: 7493 files, 1880765/2094434 clusters
dosfsck 2.11, 12 Mar 2005, FAT32, LFN
/dev/hda6: 3869 files, 26888/1639483 clusters
dosfsck 2.11, 12 Mar 2005, FAT32, LFN
There are differences between boot sector and its backup.
Differences: (offset

riginal/backup)
71:20/00, 72:20/00, 73:20/00, 74:20/00, 75:20/00, 76:20/00, 77:20/00
".." missing.Can't fix this yet.
13B1B9-5E4O-4F12-8165-150687F004D1 [OK]
[]

Two: my hda7 (approx 50 GB partition) was filled 85% (up from 30%) with over 200 new .REC files filling it up! These .REC files appear to be 'recovered' files... but I don't know if windoze or kubuntu recovered them. Also, I can't read them / open them in any way... so I wonder how are these files 'recovered'.

Anyways, problem solved now, Kubuntu loads and runs like a charm!!

I have one situation still though... I want to use a shared partition between windoze and kubuntu. My wife insists on still using windoze (she saw me struggle with Kubuntu

but I know I can bring her around eventually)... and I want both of us to access the 50 GB partitions (hda6 & hda7) which is where we dump all our shared files. Isn't there some way to just use the 50 GB vfat partitions on Kubuntu (remove noauto and make it 0 1 in the fstab) for these two partitions while keeping the hda1 (primary ntfs) and hda3 (primary vfat) on the noauto 0 0 option in fstab?

Or shall I format these shared 50 GB partitions in "ext2" or "ext3" and use FSdriver so that windoze can rwx on it?

I just need a share-able partition between windoze and kubuntu in the best, least traumatic way possible. Any ideas?

I want to thank askrieger again... I'm sorry I checked your reply so late... somehow I couldn't see your reply each time I checked back here... (until I read an email from kubuntuforums and used the url in the mail)... I thought mine was an as-yet unresolved issue for Kubuntu in dual boot... but it was my mistake! I guess I've to learn how to use this forum along with my continuing Kubuntu education!!

I appreciate the time taken to help me... I do hope these posts help others in the same situation. Kubuntu runs more than just fine now... it rocks!!

{One silly note to other n00bs like me: when modifying the fstab file you need to right click and choose "action > modify as root" to allow you to save your changes. After I modified my fstab file it wouldn't save... it took me a minute to realize why! Also, always make a copy of the file before you make any changes... just in case you want to revert back}

**askrieger** · Oct 08, 2006, 04:03 PM

Re: differences between boot sector and backup (new install)

You don't have to change the fstab entries for your vfat directories. You just have to mount them:
1) If you haven't done so already, make mounting directories for your vfat partitions in /media you can use konqueror to do this but you'll have to start it with admin privileges, by right clicking on the desktop, then clicking "run command" then give the command "kdesu konqueror".
2) When you want to read or write to a windows partition mount it by running the command "sudo mount /dev/hda<?>", where <?> is 3,5, or 6. Then you can navigate to the partition in /media/hda<?>.
This is all explained very nicely HERE.

By the way, don't count on converting your wife to Linux. I've been trying to convert my wife to Linux for at least ten years. I've gone so far as threatening to refuse to repair windoze problems on her machine, but she remains firmly comitted to the dark side.

**kunuub** · Oct 10, 2006, 10:23 AM

Re: differences between boot sector and backup (new install)

Thanks... and that was so simple!!

I did attempt to mount the vfat directories (in Konqueror - right click on hda7 > mount) and it didn't work... it simply threw me out! Now I know what I was doing wrong... it was that root thing again (I really need to learn that lesson)!

I can also see why the terminal is a better way to get things done...
Even for my DSL net connection... I simply couldn't set it up in GUI... so I copied some command steps from an ubuntu forum post on DSL and now I just "pon dsl-provider" to get it up and "poff" to log off. (Though I'm now having other issues with that... but that's for another post).

Thanks for pointing out the "start with admin" part of using Knoqueror to mount!

As for the wife, I was really hoping to make the KDE desktop mirror the Windoze desktop for her user ID... that's all the comfort she'd require... but then there are always those little things that tip her off... the single click to execute... the visualizations in Amarok (vs WiMP)... the PDF files open with funny fonts... I know, I know I can get them all also tweaked but... for a n00b like me each one is a project in themselves!!

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