To answer the 1st question, probably me, when i accidentally copy- pasted some text i was editing into a root prompt. Duh. Worse, i might have screwed up the original MBR by using dosfsck. But the real issue is how to get it, Windows 2000, back? Note: the Windows partition in question is still mountable and is automounted via /etc/fstab when SuSE 9.3 boots up, but i can't boot into Windows. What happened? * I tried to boot into Win2K via GRUB last night and got this response for the first time (after many previous successful boot-ups -- comments added): root (hd0,0) #<- from /boot/grub/menu.lst Filesystem is type fat, partition type 0xc chainloader+1 #<- from /boot/grub/menu.lst Boot failed * BEFORE READING at linuxquestions.org that i might be able to fix this by replacing old GRUB commands in the Windows 2000 entry in "/boot/grub/menu.lst" (above) with: rootnoverify (hd0,0) makeactive chainloader +1 boot I TRIED THIS: # unmount /dev/hda1 # dosfsck -r /dev/hda1 and was told the MBR didn't match the one "backed up" (noting there exists a file "/boot/back_mbr", 512b in size, on /dev/hda7, in my box). Then dosfsck asked if I wanted to copy the backed up MBR to the MBR (or something like that, as choice 2) or do the opposite (choice 1) . I chose 2 (and crossed my fingers -- which didn't work, yet again). * Now, i can boot into Windows but can only get a "C:\>" prompt, with a very limited command set available. "C:\boot.ini" is still there and *looks* OK, but i'm not sure what to do and am afraid to try more without knowing more. I naively tried the alternate code, above, for /boot/grub/menu.lst, but it doesn't work (now?) Thanks in advance for any help. best, Andi
On Friday 20 May 2005 02:09 am, AD Marshall wrote: <snippage>
But the real issue is how to get it, Windows 2000, back? <more snippage> * Now, i can boot into Windows but can only get a "C:\>" prompt, with a very limited command set available. "C:\boot.ini" is still there and *looks* OK, but i'm not sure what to do and am afraid to try more without knowing more. <more snippage>
Hi Andi, Google... www.microsoft.com... www.theeldergeek.com... www.techrepublic.com Sites dedicated to M$HAFT world domination software are a dime a dozen, so you've got lots of resources in case this doesn't work: If my understanding concerning NT/2K/XP installation commonalities is correct, you need three system files to load the OS once the partition/disk is bootable and active: boot.ini (pointing to a valid M$ installation) ntldr ntdetect.com HTH, good luck & regards, - Carl -- _______________________________________________________________________ C. E. Hartung Business Development & Support Services http://www.cehartung.com/ carlh@cehartung.com Dover Foxcroft, Maine, USA Public Keys 68396713 & F8207216 Reg. Linux User #350527 http://counter.li.org/ ----->>>>>http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/supportlinuxbios.html <<<<<-----
On Friday 20 May 2005 16:11, Carl E. Hartung wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 02:09 am, AD Marshall wrote: <snippage>
But the real issue is how to get it, Windows 2000, back?
<more snippage>
* Now, i can boot into Windows but can only get a "C:\>" prompt, with a very limited command set available. "C:\boot.ini" is still there and *looks* OK, but i'm not sure what to do and am afraid to try more without knowing more.
<more snippage>
Hi Andi,
<cach luon>
If my understanding concerning NT/2K/XP installation commonalities is correct, you need three system files to load the OS once the partition/disk is bootable and active:
boot.ini (pointing to a valid M$ installation) ntldr ntdetect.com
HTH, good luck & regards,
Nah. It's the bootable bit that's the problem. As mentioned, but <snipped>, I can still mount -o rw /windows/C. Just can't boot from it *normally*. Can get a DOS prompt, but not Win2K/NT. Note: am@[~]$ ls -l /windows/C/{boot*,nt[dl]*} -rwxrwxr-x 1 root users 218 2005-04-21 13:23 /windows/C/boot.ini -rwxrwxr-x 1 root users 0 2005-05-20 12:41 /windows/C/bootlog.prv -rwxrwxr-x 1 root users 0 2005-05-20 12:46 /windows/C/bootlog.txt -rwxrwxr-x 1 root users 512 2005-01-10 11:10 /windows/C/bootsect.dos -r-xr-xr-x 1 root users 34724 2005-02-07 17:46 /windows/C/ntdetect.com -r-xr-xr-x 1 root users 214432 2005-02-07 17:46 /windows/C/ntldr Problem is I may have run /sbin/dosfsck (/usr/share/man/man8/dosfsck.8.gz) unwisely and replaced a corrupted MBR with an inappropriate one. But looking at that /windows/C/bootsect.dos above, just gave me an idea: -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 512 2005-04-25 22:30 /boot/backup_mbr is the same size. What if i temporarily replace the bootsect.dos with the backup_mbr? Lessee... [Fri May 20 20:48:42 ICT 2005] ... [Fri May 20 21:04:22 ICT 2005] Nope. Same ol' C:\> prompt. Suspiciously, this file is close to the same date/time as the backup_mbr, above (next from /windows/C/): -rwxrwxr-x 1 root users 16 2005-04-25 06:11 hal-dbus-xgl The contents, "HAL, DBUS, XGL", show i made it during one of my last Windows sessions, a note to look up those concepts (that i could access from Win or Lin). But that's just yet another red herring. Next!...
AD Marshall wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 16:11, Carl E. Hartung wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 02:09 am, AD Marshall wrote: <snippage>
But the real issue is how to get it, Windows 2000, back?
Next!...
Use your W2K CD to Repair W2K. It will probably screw up grub. Use your Suse CD/DVD to fix grub. Then you should be good. If not, get a W2K boot disk and use: fdisk /mbr to repair your master boot record. Please look at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q69013 for more info and warnings about that command. James W
On Friday 20 May 2005 12:20 pm, James Wright wrote:
AD Marshall wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 16:11, Carl E. Hartung wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 02:09 am, AD Marshall wrote: <snippage>
But the real issue is how to get it, Windows 2000, back?
Next!...
Use your W2K CD to Repair W2K. It will probably screw up grub. Use your Suse CD/DVD to fix grub. Then you should be good. If not, get a W2K boot disk and use:
fdisk /mbr
I believe that fixmbr is the command on 2000. Either way, just go into rescue mode from the install CD and type the command. Don't try the automated repair. -- Louis Richards
On Saturday 21 May 2005 08:48, Louis Richards wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 12:20 pm, James Wright wrote:
AD Marshall wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 16:11, Carl E. Hartung wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 02:09 am, AD Marshall wrote: <snippage>
But the real issue is how to get it, Windows 2000, back?
Next!...
Use your W2K CD to Repair W2K. It will probably screw up grub. Use your Suse CD/DVD to fix grub. Then you should be good. If not, get a W2K boot disk and use:
fdisk /mbr
I believe that fixmbr is the command on 2000. Either way, just go into rescue mode from the install CD and type the command. Don't try the automated repair.
-- Louis Richards
Ditto what i replied to James earlier, Louis. Thanks. -- AD Marshall Cell: +84 (0)903871313 eM: admarshall@gmail.com Web: http://h0lug.sourceforge.net Zone: ICT (IndoChina Time; GMT/UTC+7)
On Friday 20 May 2005 23:20, you wrote:
AD Marshall wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 16:11, Carl E. Hartung wrote:
On Friday 20 May 2005 02:09 am, AD Marshall wrote: <snippage>
But the real issue is how to get it, Windows 2000, back?
Next!...
Use your W2K CD to Repair W2K. It will probably screw up grub. Use your Suse CD/DVD to fix grub. Then you should be good. If not, get a W2K boot disk and use:
fdisk /mbr
to repair your master boot record. Please look at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q69013 for more info and warnings about that command.
James W
Thanks a lot, James. I'd seen the fdisk /mbr on another list/forum (linuxquestions, i think). But i was worried about what else it'd do beside fixing the mbr, for Windows (only). I'll check out the link and when/if it works -- as i suspect it will -- i'll post a "SOLVED" msg. -- AD Marshall Cell: +84 (0)903871313 eM: admarshall@gmail.com Web: http://h0lug.sourceforge.net Zone: ICT (IndoChina Time; GMT/UTC+7)
participants (4)
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AD Marshall -
Carl E. Hartung -
James Wright -
Louis Richards