Can't boot OS after error-install MDK10

[daystar]

Hi, dear all.

I have problem booting my PC now.

Here the procedures I took.

 

CPU:AMD XP+ 2600MHz

RAM:512MB DDR (Dual Channel)

1.

The initial partition table of my 80G HD is

hda1 NTFS 10GB (Win XP installed)

hda5 FAT32 10GB

hdd6 FAT32 20GB

hda7 NTFS 40GB

 

(And the system works fine.)

2. (Then I tried to install MDK 10.0 Official through CDROM on hda5.)

After entering the installation program:

i)I erased hda5 and establsihed a swap and a new hda5 in ext3.

ii)The program formatted hda5.

iii)Installation began!

iv)But the program crashed at the last 10 sec. The screen froze

and the mouse couldn't move. (By the way, the boot loader had not

installed yet.)

3.I repeat the installation several times and it always crash! I gived

up.

4.Try to boot from hda1 (Win XP), but it appear "boot disk error,

please insert boot disk" (I forgot the exact text, but somehow it

means.)

5.I uses "fdisk /mbr" under DOS environment.

6.Finally I always have "missing operation system" while booting.

 

 

Can anyone help me?

I have important data on HD.

Thanks.

 

Arthur

[scoopy]

Sounds like that "XP" thing that started with Community Edition and hasn't been fixed yet.

 

Not too familiar with the fix, but I keep hearing to change the Hard Disk setting from "AUTO" to "LBA" in the BIOS. This seems to help most users.

 

... and Welcome to the forums :D

[bvc]

Welcome!

 

Boot to the xp cd>rescue from console and do fixmbr. fdisk /mbr is for win 9x though it has been know to help with the ML-10-CE LBA problem.

 

As for the install failing, try disconecting anything that isn't necessary for install like printers, zip drives, external drives usb stuff (except mouse). If you make it to the Summary screen config the bootloader b4 anything else.

[aRTee]

What kind of motherboard/chipset do you have? In some cases some boot options seem to be required, like noapic nolapic...

 

There's a fix once Mandrake is running with the new diskdrake program, see here:

http://qa.mandrakesoft.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7959

 

------- Additional Comment #21 From Pascal Rigaux 2004-03-18 00:50 -------

 

At last someone here reproduced the bug which is now fully explored.

 

Part of the reason I could not understand the bug, is that I could not

believe windows XP was still using the error prone int13 function 2

(CHS based) instead of the (available everywhere for some time) int13

function 0x42. Under linux, grub and lilo only use function 2 when

function 0x42 fails (they don't even ask the BIOS if it manages 0x42

since some BIOS don't report correctly having this functionality, cf

FORCE_LBA in grub)

 

The other reason is that I thought BIOS faking heads number (the

so-called LBA mode) was a choice independant of the content of the

drive. This is wrong, the BIOS tries to adapt its mode based on the

partition table [1]

 

So here is what happened:

- kernel 2.6 doesn't try to give the logical geometry, and gives the

  physical geometry instead [2]

- diskdrake uses the physical geometry to generate the CHS information

  (which is a broken duplicate of the linear sector number)

- the BIOS sees the partition table uses a different CHS geometry, and

  adapt to it

- ... and Windows computes the CHS to read its stage1.5 based on the

  previous geometry that it keeps in its boot sector. Alas the CHS

  doesn't get the same sector and Windows's boot dies (with very bad

  error detection) [3]

 

Bug occurence: the pb only occurs when you modify the partition table,

  since otherwise diskdrake won't write it.

 

Code fix description: inspired by the way new fdisk and parted detects

  the logical geometry based on the partition table [4]. parted code

  is especially quite robust.

 

  The fix is now included in cooker (DrakX #1.912), so:

 

  I still would like to access the BIOS geometry, esp. for empty

  partition tables. But kernel 2.6 doesn't give us this

  (/sys/firmware/edd/int13_dev80/default_heads is plain wrong on a box

  here)

 

Known workaround: forcing LBA mode in the BIOS

 

Fixing partition table:

  with diskdrake from drakxtools-10-24mdk do

    % diskdrake --change-geometry=hda=255,63

  where

  - you replace hda with your drive device

  - if Windows still fails, try adapting 255,63 to your drive LBA

    emulation. For this, see what is the geometry your BIOS gives when

    forcing LBA emulation

 

[1] http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/ker...311.3/1142.html

[2] http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/ker...311.3/0898.html

[3] http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/ker...311.3/1029.html

[4] http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/ker...311.3/1164.html

 

 

So for those who have a working Mandrake, you can repair your MBR in this way.

 

{edit} fixed formatting somewhat

Edited April 23, 2004 by aRTee

[Gowator]

It sounds like the lilo MBR wasnt written properly.

 

The best way to check is boot from the installCD and select F1 and rescue. (OR use a DOS diskette with fdisk and do a

fdisk /mbr)

 

Once in choose the restore the MBR option.

Then if this works and you can post back we can fix it

 

It might be as others point out a prob with the disk bios settings etc. and that is why it didnt write the lilo partition in which case this still needs fixing.

[daystar]

The best way to check is boot from the installCD and select F1 and rescue.  (OR use a DOS diskette with fdisk and do a

fdisk /mbr)

 

Once in choose the restore the MBR option. 

Then if this works and you can post back we can fix it

In fact, I have used these two procedures, but eventually got "missing operation system".

I'll try other methods and report back.

 

By the way, this is a friendly community. You're kindly

[bvc]

Welcome!

 

Boot to the xp cd>rescue from console and do;

fixmbr

if that fails boot again to the xp cd and first do;

fixboot

then do;

fixmbr

 

Aside: I do not recall a "boot disk error,

please insert boot disk" with the CE problem, though I didn't exactly follow the fiasco. We're dealing with a different animal here it seems, at least that's how it looks to me.... and please, lets try and keep xp and 9x commands straight. fdisk was only successfully used by some and only after the LBA and fixmbr failed. Best to keep thing in order, IMO. Those that did fdisk b4 fixmbr seem to not recover from their CE troubles.

 

Further explaination: fdisk is only going to give xp/2k's fixboot, fixmbr, ntldr an mbr it can read>rewrite and do something with....not boot.

Edited April 23, 2004 by bvc

[digiital]

I had the same issue with a older system(p500) with the Comm version and the only way I could fix the problem was to low level format the drive. I used the Off release on my AMD 2500+ on a BioStart MB with a Nvidia chipset and it crashed as it was installing the packages, Rebooted and my XP partition was gone. I again tried EVERYTHING and nothing worked. Back to low level format to get XP reinstalled. I'm starting to think I might give up on MDK version 10 totally. Getting tired for all those low level formats.

[Ixthusdan]

These problems are always encountered when one allows xp to format the entire drive, apparently even with multiple partitions. Fix: do not at any time allow a microsoft product to format an entire drive. Leave a part unformatted if you plan to use other better operating systems. xp is designed to be alone. If you have already done so, make xp shrink itself proior to upgrading your system to better products. Leave any resulting space unformatted.

[Cannonfodder]

daystar,

 

First boot off of CD1 and go into Mandrake Install.

When you get to the PARTITION screen, select CUSTOM Partitioning.

Look at the graphical layout of your hard drive. Do not save anything or make any changes.

 

Click on each partition and write down

 

1. Name. E.g. HDA1

2. File system type (NTFS EXT3 so on)

3. Write down the MOUNT POINT. (E.g. /usr.)

 

Then turn off computer and come back here and post this information so we can see it.

[daystar]

daystar,

 

First boot off of CD1 and go into Mandrake Install.

When you get to the PARTITION screen, select CUSTOM Partitioning.

Look at the graphical layout of your hard drive. Do not save anything or make any changes.

 

Click on each partition and write down

 

1. Name. E.g. HDA1

2. File system type (NTFS EXT3 so on)

3. Write down the MOUNT POINT. (E.g. /usr.)

 

Then turn off computer and come back here and post this information so we can see it.

I think I have post the partition table in my first post.

Isn't the information enough? Or do I miss something else?

 

Not patient to wait, my roommates ask me to erase the entilre partition table,

and of cource, I lost almost all data.

After several trials and errors(as the following), MDK is finally installed.

 

 

I:

The HD is partitioned as

hda1 ext3 10GB

hda5 Fat32 10GB

hda6 Fat32 20GB

hda7 Fat32 40GB

 

I intend to install xp on hda5, but xp said it need to be installed on the partition containing mbr.

So it doesn't work.

 

II:

Then I re-parttioned the HD as

hda1 Fat32 10GB

hda5 ext3 10GB

and leave other space not partitioned and formatted

First installed xp, then installed MDK10.0. . Don't know why but it success.

 

One thing to be noticed, X windows crashes (mouse not moving, screen froze) everytime I intend to install rpm. But the problem is fixed after lowering the external frequency from 133MHz to 100MHz(time clock of CPU->1350MHz). Have no idea. Is this something to do with the problems during installation?

[AussieJohn]

There goes that same damned problem again..........trying installing Linux on first partitions and then trying to install XP (or any Windows) on subsequent partitions. It just will not work this way. Bloody Windows thinks it is the only OS in the world and has first rights to first partitions.

 

Linux will work on any partition no matter where it is placed, it doesn't care where it is placed so long as it can bed down for the duration.

 

" even though Windows demands the inside rail position, Once the race starts Linux just bounds away into the lead effortlessly getting further ahead all the time "

 

That is the reason you finally had success, you finally did it the correct way.

 

Congratulations and success now enjoy. I never cease to be amazed at how hard all these guys work at trying to help resolve problems for people (yes, including myself) and all by remote contact. Great stuff.

 

One of the problems with XP in particular, is that it spreads its files all over its partition (not to be confused with fragmentation, which spreads a file all over the partition) and if its partition was originally the entire disk then unless you use something like Partition Magic to carefully move these files back closer, i.e. consolidate them, to the beginning of the partition, before resizing the WINDOWS Partition, then I am afraid you are going to either lose (note spelling,,,,it is not loose as I constantly see being used.......not even in America) or corrupt your XP Os to the point that it has to be totally reinstalled if you want it to be at least somewhat stable in the future.

 

Another note :- YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DEFRAG ANY WINDOWS os before doing any resizing of its partitions. But with XP this does not necessarily result in ALL files being consonsolidated back to the beginning of the partition. It does help help though.

Mandrakes' Partition Wizard is extremely good at partitioning, but its abilities to accurately moves files during this procedure is still not (yet) as good as Partition Magic. (getting very close)

 

 

Cheers. JOHN.

[aRTee]

John, good points there.

 

One thing: some windows defraggers intentionally place data near the end of the partition, so you can still not resize it properly.

 

The only real solution for the true linux diehard is to go linux all the way.... did it around 18 months ago, still going strong... :P

[Cannonfodder]

daystar, reason I asked you to do that is your first posting states

 

initial partition table setup.

 

I was more interested in factual data on its current setup (not what you think it is, but what it really was).

 

Usually with XP, the boot loader has to be on the active partition (shows up as C:). If you want to install to another partition you have to change the active partition (use dos fdisk) to alter what C: will be. Then you can change it back and update your lilo.conf file to "fake" XP into thinking it is the C: drive each time you boot.

 

You can also use boot managers such as partition magic and system commander to automate this fake move.

[Pzatch]

I have read on line ( so beleive it if you want) that M$ places a small portion of its partition table near the end of the drive. It then simply refuses to move this small bit of data itself during a defragment. Its placed there so that someone who tries to install linux can't take enough of the free space on the drive and if they do force it they remove that small data bit and screw up XP.

Thats why everyone using XP needs to use a third party partition tool inorder to move that partition data to the front of the drive.

Nice of M$ isn't it?

 

As far as I know this has nothing to do with new 10.0 partitoning problems. Unless Mandrake tried to make their installer capable of moving this partition data like Partition Magic.

 

 

This is what I've found online. If anyone know better please correct me. I try not to pass bad info about.

Edited April 27, 2004 by Pzatch