Help... again...

[Rizzo]

OK. I have another problem...

Setup:

dev/hda1 - Win2000
dev/hdb1 - Linux

I decided I would use LILO as my boot manager so I edited the lilo.conf and set /dev/hda1 as the boot thing and ran lilo again. Rebooted, entered LILO as expected. The problem is, that now when I select Win2000 to boot to it just reloads LILO.

I have tried fdisk /mbr (from a Windows Me bootdisk) but it doesn'#t work.

I have tried using a Win2000 CD to repair the bootsector, but it can't find any WIndows 2000 installs (because it can't read the bootsector), and I haven't got a Repair disk to use to make it work.

[X-Calibur]

Have you tried booting back into Linux and edit the Lilo,conf again, it seems that the Win2k install is not pointed correctly.

It should be:

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
linear
default=linux

image=/boot/nameofyourkernelimage.img
label=linux
root=/dev/hdb1
read-only

other=/dev/hda1
label=windows


Anyway if I'm wrong dnar will correct me (no pressure mate!).

Good luck

X

[dnar]

hehehe. Nice one!



Actually, I am waiting for Rizzo to post his lilo.conf.... Geesh, all the boys showin off their lilo.conf's!!! The girls will get jealous... (Not Jodie though!)

[wayne@Criten wayne]$ cat /etc/lilo.conf
boot=/dev/hda
append="hdc=ide-scsi"
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
linear
default=Win4Lin-686

# RedHat 7.0 Install Kernel - i386
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.16-22
label=Linux-386
read-only
root=/dev/hda10

# TreLOS for Win4Lin kernel - i386
image = /boot/win4lin
label = Win4Lin-386
read-only
root = /dev/hda10

# Compiled Win4Lin kernel - i686
image = /boot/bzImage-2.2.16-22-Win4Lin-686
label = Win4Lin-686
read-only
root = /dev/hda10

# That other crappy operating system
other=/dev/hda1
label=Win95

[Rizzo]

OK my current lilo.conf is


boot=/dev/hdb1
map=boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=200
message=/boot/message
linear
default=Win2000

image=/boot/wmlinuz-2.2.13-22
label=Linux
read-only
root=/dev/hdb1

other=/dev/hda1
label=Win2000


THe problem is that I changed the 'boot=' part to:


boot=/dev/hda1


And ran LILO thinking that it would crate LILO as the default manager and I could still select Win2000, but when I do select Win2000 it boots /dev/hda1 which is actually LILO again.

I have now changed it back (too late now though)...

[Rizzo]

Originally posted by X-Calibur
Have you tried booting back into Linux and edit the Lilo,conf again, it seems that the Win2k install is not pointed correctly.

It should be:

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
linear
default=linux

image=/boot/nameofyourkernelimage.img
label=linux
root=/dev/hdb1
read-only

other=/dev/hda1
label=windows




I know it should be this, and it is... but when I boot to /dev/hda1 it just loads the LILO again. And I can't seem to clear the MBR (tired 'fdisk /mbr' many times).

[Rizzo]

OK. I think I have completely screwed it now.

Since fdisk /mbr wasn't working I decided I would have a look at the Windows 2000 repair console. So I booted to my Win2k CD and loaded the repair console.

Low and behold there are 2 commands:

fixboot
fixmbr

Just what I need.

Stupidly I just read down the list of commmands until I got to fixboot, thinking this is what I needed I ran this commad... bla bla bla... is this what you want to do etc.

I think the problem is solved. So I reboot, only to find that now, rather than booting into LILO I just get an error relating to Win2000 (cann't find XXX [can't remember what, will update later with name]).

So I reload the Windows 2000 repair console and have a look at the commands, and find the fixmbr command, run this.

Reboot, but nothing has changed, still some error.

Boot to a Windows Me Boot Disk and have a look at drive c:

dir/w.... some error
chkdsk... some error
scandisk... find that the FAT is all screwed along with the directory structure. Fix them both.

dir/w... just loads of files that have nothing to do with anything. All the same size (4k or so) with the same name xxx001.xxx , xxx002.xxx , xxx003.xxx etc. (can't remember what names exactly).

Sh*t.

And the size of the disk is only 10.2Mb. Not the 20Gb expected. Double sh*t.

I formatted the 10.2Mb. Same story, just a blank disk.

Ran fdisk... it sees the disk as a single 20Gb partition. But I can only see 10.2Mb of it.

Windows 2000 installer sees it as 20Gb with 10mb free.

WTF is going on here?

I am going to try and dig out a copy of Partition Magic for DOS and see what I can see.

I really don't want to format again, but if I do, I will have changed OS about 10 times in 10 months (including reinstalls). I have the art down to a tee :)

[wbierman]

Had you followed the instructions from my earlier post and used the Win 2000 boot loader you would not be in this current situation.

Perhaps the Linux peeps can steer you correctly....

[Jodie]

Yup! Bend over and kiss your data good bye...:eek:

[Rizzo]

I don't really mind about loosing all the data, it is only 2 weeks since my last format (because of Linux and dual boot again) so I haven't got much stuff.

My main problem is that I can only see 10Mb of a 20Gb disk.

[Jodie]

do you have a low level format in bios?

[Rizzo]

Don't worry, problemn solved (data lost though).

Windows 2000 installer allowed me to delete the previous partition and create a new one, and it seems to have worked. Everything is back to normal (well, will be soon, when I download all the programs I need again).