Repair Question

[Ronin]

I have an 80g drive at home that is partitioned as follows: the first 10g for windows (wife likes it for her palm pilot, what can I say :) ) , the rest is for Mandrake. After coming back from a Christmas break when we booted into Windows I got an unmountable boot volume error linux of course boots fine :D . So I figure when I did the linux install I buggered the mbr somehow, seeing as I didn't check the Window OS its highly possible.

 

I figure if I back up my data on both drives from linux and make a linux boot disk I can do a repair or reinstall if necessary of the Windows OS, boot into it to confirm that it works then reboot with the linux disk in the drive to get into linux?

 

Is it then possible to repair lilo so its on the mbr so I can ditch the boot disk? And if so I figure its in the MCC for us GUI addicts, and also possible through cmd line?

 

Thanks for the help.

[chris z]

this might not be the appropriate Linux approved method, but you could use a Windows boot floppy, choose the "boot to command prompt" option from that, then type:

 

fdisk /mbr

 

enter

 

that will wipe out the lilo boot loader & rewrite the Windows boot sector back to normal. remove the floppy, reboot & make sure it boots into Windows. if so (which it should) shut down the computer, insert MDK disc 1, restart computer, hit F2 at the MDK installation screen, then choose rescue mode, reinstall lilo. that will give you lilo back. remove the disc, reboot, & you should have the lilo boot screen options back. if it just boots into MDK without giving you the boot options screen, let it do so then go to MCC->boot->drakboot & choose the "configure" option so you can set a boot delay time. save that, reboot again, then it should be good.

 

or, like i said, maybe somebody else can give you an all Linux method so you don't have to use an MS floppy at all.

 

EDIT:in lieu of a Windows boot floppy, you could also just tap the F8 key repeatedly during boot up, which would take you to the Windows safe mode boot screen where you'll also have the "command prompt" option.

 

Chris

Edited January 7, 2004 by chris z

[liquidzoo]

If you want, I don't think you even need to make a boot floppy (provided your computer can boot from CD). All you have to do after you fix your Windows installation is pop in the first Mandrake cd and when the option comes up (Press Enter to install or updrade, press F1 for more options) Press F1 and type rescue (I think). This will put you to the rescuee console. From there all you have to do is type lilo and lilo should fix itself.

 

I am not completely sure on this and I have never tried this myself...so I would wait for another response to confirm what I have said.

[tyme]

you can use the first mandrake CD (in rescue mode) to both rewrite the mbr to boot into windows and also to reinstall lilo. this options should be presented to you when you choose to go into rescue mode (if my memory serves).

 

however, unmountable boot volume doesn't really sound like an MBR problem. i would go into mandrake, take a peak at /etc/lilo.conf and post it's contents here. to me it sounds like lilo isn't finding the windows install correctly.

[bvc]

however, unmountable boot volume doesn't really sound like an MBR problem.  i would go into mandrake, take a peak at /etc/lilo.conf and post it's contents here.  to me it sounds like lilo isn't finding the windows install correctly.

no it doesn't sound like an mbr prob

 

Also, what windows? Because fdisk /mbr is win9x, and fixmbr and fixboot are 2k and xp. Use the mandrake cd rescue mode if you go this route. Judging by the error, I'd guess you have 2k or xp.

 

Have you tried to boot with a win bootfloppy?

[Guest kuchwas]

10g for windows (wife likes it for her palm pilot, what can I say :) ) ,

Another Choice!

It will pull pilot-link that should be in your install cds.

 

Then you don't need Windows! :D

Edited January 7, 2004 by kuchwas

[Cannonfodder]

Start with BIOS and make sure all the hard drives are connected. Hit the escape key if you have a DELL or some other brand graphic image in the way. This will show you the devices as they mount.

 

Then best bet is to use the CD1 method..

 

Additionally you can do this from a console by booting and then mounting partitions and then Go to Console (terminal).

 

At this point, you can type

 

chroot /mnt

lilo

 

Look at the messages. If lilo gives you errors then that has to be resolved. You can see a graphical representation of your partitions by rebooting with CD1 and doing the installation process. Go to custom partitioning and stop and look at it. Make sure something you might of recently done didn't adjust the partition designators. E.g. hdb2 became hdb1. If this happens, then lilo can't find the correct location and has to be updated (use vi) to make it correct. When ready, run the lilo command.

[Ronin]

10g for windows (wife likes it for her palm pilot, what can I say :) ) ,

Another Choice!

It will pull pilot-link that should be in your install cds.

 

Then you don't need Windows! :D

I'd use that execpt that the palm and the desktop don't talk to each other right now and my wife has gone to the Island for a week with the palm of course so I'm unable to convince the two they each exist for now. :-)

 

Thanks though

[Ronin]

Thanks for the help and suggestions folks. I went with the back up the data from both OS's through linux, just in case of course, reinstalled windows, and then booted up with disk 1 and did a Rescue. Badda boom badda bing I'm in like a dirty shirt.

 

Im still curious as to why all of a sudden XP thought it had an unmountable volume when it was working before Christmas vacation and we didn't do anything. Oh well, I'll just say it's a windows thing. ;-)

 

Thanks again