Guest fairlie Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Hello I have recently attempted to install Mandrake 10 in free space windows partion has (i gave windows 75% of memory) The installation went well but when I rebooted all i see is "L" when I try it with Lilo and "GRUB" when I try with Grub. I am unable to access Windows or Linux, I have reinstalled numerous times with no luck. Please someone help me.. Is there a way to use a DOS floppy disk and make it run windows or any other way? P.S I have tried pressing F1 and repairing it, same problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avadis Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 Dear colleague, This looks like a mis-configured or mis-installed Lilo. Here are some steps that you can take: 1. Go to your BIOS and make sure that LBA is marked for your boot HDD. 2. If you have made a Linux boot diskette, boot into your Linux system from it, check your /etc/lilo.conf file as root. Issue the command lilo, watch error messages. If there is no error shutdown, remove your boot floppy and try to reboot. 3. Boot from the Mandrake installation CD, when the graphical menu comes quickly type the proper key sequence (either F1 or escape) to drop to the manual lilo prompt and type linux rescue at that prompt. Try the reconfigure boot loader menu option. If this fails try the restore the Windows boot loader menu option. YOu may also go to a root console to fix your system manually. 4. Boot from your Windows boot disk type fdisk /mbr. This should restore your Windows boot loader so that you can boot Windows. Now you are unable to boot into Linux. Once the Windows partition is OK, you can "upgrade" to the same version of Mandrake. 5. Booting from a Knoppix or Slax bootable CD may help you to correct errors in your configuration files. Use this if and only if you have experience in Lİnux. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted October 18, 2004 Report Share Posted October 18, 2004 If you used Mandrake only to resize the windows partition, there may be several serious issues. Windows XP does not effectively yield its partitions. One must turn off the windows swap file, and use windows itself to resize its partitions, or face some problems. If windows is important (has data that needs to be recoverd), then you might try to allow windows to recover the installation. Then start with windows as I have described. The best bet at this time would be to use a portable distro, PCLinuxOS, MEPIS, Knoppix, Mandrake Live, in order to mount the partitions and back up the data. Then, there will be less preasure on you during the recovery. I'm afraid that data loss is a strong possibility! :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fairlie Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 So... If I was to get an XP installation CD, could I boot from it and install XP again? I have no mind to use Linux as It was just an experiment. If not If I went to a computer repair shop do you think it will be possible for them to recover it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feralertx Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 (edited) So... If I was to get an XP installation CD, could I boot from it and install XP again?I have no mind to use Linux as It was just an experiment. If not If I went to a computer repair shop do you think it will be possible for them to recover it? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So...did you try to set your Hard drives as LBA instead of AUTO in the BIOS as avadis suggested?? :deal: Becuase IMHO if someone takes the time to give you ideas to help you, at least you could try them out, and/or if you have tried it post results. That solution has helped many so I advice you to try it. P.S.: Post edited because i could have been confused as being rude, which i try not to be. Edited October 19, 2004 by feralertx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fairlie Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Hard drives as LBA instead of AUTO in the BIOS How is this possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feralertx Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 When you start your computer, on the first screens you see, before the windows or the bootloader loads, you should see the motherboard checking the components, cpu, available memory... and a message telling you how to get into the motherboard BIOS, its something like "Press <del> to enter the Bios". Its usually 'del' de key to press, but this may vary. See picture: Once you enter into your bios, you should see something similar to this: The setting you are after its in the 'Standard CMOS Features' menu. Have a look at next pic, see the 'Access Mode' option? (not the one thats selected but the one below it?? See that its set to AUTO? thats what you need to change to LBA. This another one, quite old pic, but mine looks the similar, see the MODE setting (set to LBA as it should be) at the right side of the screen: But be aware, there are different types of BIOSes and the one of the pictures might not match yours, but you know what to look for, cause no matter what BIOS, they all have more or less the same settings. Once you are done go back to the main menu and choose 'SAVE & EXIT SETUP', the computer will reboot. Post if anything goes wrong. The post was edited to add some more screenshots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fairlie Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 (edited) Thankyou, will try that :D What is LBA? Edited October 19, 2004 by fairlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avadis Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Gear Colleague, Let me try to explain the situation technically. I think the Windows equivalent of LBA is enable large disk support. For some archaic reason, there are limits on the numbers of cylinders and sectors when the real mode bios starts. Modern disks have overshot these limits, so the actual geography of the disk and what BIOS thinks it is may not be the same. A remapping is done to keep these numbers within limits. Linux overrides the bios. If you repartition your disk using Mandrake's or Suse's graphical installer, it calls a graphical partitioning tool, cfdisk. Unfortunately cfdisk's settings will reflect the actual disk geography and may conflict with the BIOS remapped settings unless LBA is enabled. Slackware can use fdisk for disk partitioning, which respects the BIOS settings better so that it is less likely that such a problem arizes. Also third party tool such as Partition Magic may be safer repartitioning tools. It may be good to start from a Slackware installation disk, repartition and then bail out. Restart Windows and see to it that everything is OK. Then start the Mandrake or SuSe installation on the prepared partitions. In your case, reinstalling Windows on a broken partition may tempt Windows to reformat your HDD, so that you will lose all data. Try to boot from a Windows diskette or Norton rescue disk and get your Windows partition in order first using fdisk /mbr. Once Windows is running, you can proceed with the Linux installation using your prepared swap and root partitions. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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