Want Help Installing Man '06 On XP PC With 2 HD's

[ianw1974]

That 5 GB that's empty you can always re-allocate back to Windows by resizing your Windows partition, then it's not empty and wasted space.

 

Or just use as another Linux partition if you like and happen to need disk space at some point.

 

If you're lucky I should still be here, due to leave work in 18 minutes :P

[AmEyeMad?]

install bootloader in first sector of drive (mbr)??

[ianw1974]

Yes, definitely the MBR, nowhere else. Make sure it's going to /dev/hdc and not /dev/hdd. It should do normally I would have thought. We'll know soon enough if it doesn't boot.

[AmEyeMad?]

Yes, definitely the MBR, nowhere else. Make sure it's going to /dev/hdc and not /dev/hdd. It should do normally I would have thought. We'll know soon enough if it doesn't boot.

 

Ian I checked and it was /dev/hdc.

 

I finished install and rebooted to see the 99's all over again.......... :o

 

I know you're due for work but what did I do wrong...

[ianw1974]

Are you sure that /dev/hdc is your hard disk that it's attempting to boot from? What disk is selected in the BIOS? I have a funny feeling it's trying the other disk which might be why it failed.

 

This is the only thing I can think of as to why it's still failing. I'm off home from work now, but will check again later and see if there's anything else I can suggest, or someone else might suggest something in the meantime also.

[AmEyeMad?]

Ian if the HD that's set in BIOS to boot 1st isn't the one that Mandy is on then do I have to reverse the order of booting?

 

CD ist option

 

Floppy 2nd option

 

200gb hd 3rd option

 

80gb hd 4th option????

[ianw1974]

I'm just wondering what hard disk is currently set to boot from first, whether it's the 80GB or the 200GB. If LILO is being installed to the 80GB but the system is attempting to boot the 200GB first, then it will fail.

 

Check the BIOS to make sure that the hard disk it is attempting to boot first is the 80GB one, and not the 200GB one. I just need to make sure this is OK, since it's strange no matter what you do your system isn't booting.

[AmEyeMad?]

Ian, before we started working last night or this morning for you, I had performed this task:

 

To restore Dos/Windows MBR with an installation CD

Note : MS systems have a common MBR. A Dos-based system's MBR can also be restored by a NT version Windows installation CD. Any Win2k or XP installation CD will do the job. Just boot up the installation CD, choose recovery console and type the command below.

 

Code: fixmbr

 

When I was about to finalise the process Windows asked me this at the command prompt:

 

Caution:

This computer appears to have a non-standard or invalid master boot record. FIXMBR may damage your partition table if you proceed.

This could cause all the partitions on the current hard disk to become inaccessible.

Are you sure you want to continue?

 

After I rebooted the 99's were still present. I thought I should tell you in case this is relevant.

 

***********************************************************

 

RE: Mandy,

 

Windows in on the 80gb and I have installed Mandriva '06 to the 200gb HD.

 

I have since looked in BIOS and notice that the 80g was set as secondary slave and so I changed the order by removing the jumper from the back of the 80g and placing it on the back of the 200g.

 

This had no effect, so I disconnected the 80g altogether and booted up just with the 200g, which also had no effect on those pesky 99's.

 

Then I disconnected the 200 and tried with just the 80g, also to no avail.

 

This is as much as I could try.

[AmEyeMad?]

OK, I fiddled around doing a trial and error thing, got a bit confused then managed to get Windows up and running but don't ask me how it all works...

 

This is what I did....

 

I disconnected the 200gb (Windows/Mandriva) drive completely for the time being.

 

I pulled the jumper plug out of the 80gb (Windows OS) drive and left that drive still connected.

 

Then I went to BIOS and looked hard.

 

I changed the boot process from CD, Floppy, Hard disc etc to the 80gb drive having 1st priority at bootup.

 

Windows booted!

 

Then, I powered down and connected both HDisks with the jumper in the rear of the 200gb disk and after a successful boot into XP, all drives/partitions were recognised, but no Mandriva!

 

In BIOS the IDE secondary Master is set to 200gb HD and secondary Slave is the 80gb.

 

The HDisk Boot Priority is the 80gb 1st and 200gb 2nd.

 

So Windows seems to be functioning properly but I can't acces Mandriva 2006 at this stage in time?????

Edited April 29, 2006 by AmEyeMad?

[arctic]

Wow... you made things more complicated than needed, thus it took me some time to read up what you did so far.

 

From what I understand,

Windows is on hdc (80GB)

Mandriva is now installed on hdd (200GB)

The bootloader for Windows was restored in hdc with the discs, thus the

Mandriva Bootloader was overwritten in the MBR.

 

The normal set up should be:

The Windows harddisk with jumpers set to primary or secondary master,

the Mandriva harddisk set to primary or secondary slave.

 

Once this is done, set the machine to boot from the master-harddisk in BIOS. Once this is done, you can boot into windows. If this is not done, you need to map partitions in the bootloader, which will only confuse you. Thus, always leave Windows on the master-drive. Linuxes can live anywhere, master OR slave.

 

The Windows bootloader will not recognize Linuxes, nor will Windows show you any Linux partitions. In order to boot into Mandriva, you need to replace the bootloader on the Windows drive (=Master) with lilo (or grub). This can be done with the rescue mode on the CDs. I think you were already at that stage. That rescue mode also allows you to restore the windows bootloader, if needed. Thus, if hdc is set to master and boots up correctly and you want to add Mandriva to the bootoptions, boot from the CD again, go to advanced/rescue mode and reinstall the Mandriva bootloader. Then reboot.

 

Hope that it ends this odysee. :)

[AmEyeMad?]

Wow... you made things more complicated than needed, thus it took me some time to read up what you did so far.

 

arctic....tell me about it....it was supposed to be soooo easy, and it probably is - just not to everyone. I did say I was a total noob...I meant it!

 

But for the help of ianw1974 I would have probably stuffed things right up!

 

From what I understand,

Windows is on hdc (80GB)

Mandriva is now installed on hdd (200GB)

 

I originally installed many 9.2 onto hdc [3 very small partition] but needed to delete them and install Mandriva 2006 onto my 2nd HD, which was windows2, according to linux install disk, this I achieved, or so I presume.

The bootloader for Windows was restored in hdc with the discs, thus the

Mandriva Bootloader was overwritten in the MBR.

 

Windows booted up eventually, not from any disc but by me changing where the jumper was and re-arranging which disc booted up in what order. Either the Mandy bootloader was overwritten or it's still on the secondary Master {200gb disc} and maybe it shouldn't be in the spot it's in?????

 

The normal set up should be:

The Windows harddisk with jumpers set to primary or secondary master,

the Mandriva harddisk set to primary or secondary slave.

 

In that case the jumper is in the wrong disc and I should then move it to the 80gb Windows XP disc.

 

{quote}Once this is done, set the machine to boot from the master-harddisk in BIOS. Once this is done, you can boot into windows.{/quote}

 

I achieved bootup into Windows with both HDiscs hooked up and all my drives are showing and Windows appears to be functioning properly.

 

It's just that now there is no option on what OS I care to boot from, ie: Linux or Windows.

 

If this is not done, you need to map partitions in the bootloader, which will only confuse you. Thus, always leave Windows on the master-drive. Linuxes can live anywhere, master OR slave.

 

Windows is set to boot 1st in the Hard Disk Boot Priority in Advanced BIOS features, but the windows/linus HDisc is the IDE Secondary Master.

 

Is this the right way?

 

{quote}The Windows bootloader will not recognize Linuxes, nor will Windows show you any Linux partitions. In order to boot into Mandriva, you need to replace the bootloader on the Windows drive (=Master) with lilo (or grub). This can be done with the rescue mode on the CDs. I think you were already at that stage. That rescue mode also allows you to restore the windows bootloader, if needed. Thus, if hdc is set to master and boots up correctly and you want to add Mandriva to the bootoptions, boot from the CD again, go to advanced/rescue mode and reinstall the Mandriva bootloader. Then reboot.

 

Hope that it ends this odysee. :)

 

I understand your advice and already suspected that inserting the Mandriva DVD and restoring the Lilo bootloader would be the next logical step.

 

Odysee isn't the half of it from where I stand.....

 

On the positive, I'm learning heaps about what isn't really as simple to all as it's made out to be....but I chose to dabble, didn't I....that's what I do....dabble, and hope for the best.

 

Thanks for your post, it's been a bit barren out there.....or else I'm flooded with info overload.

 

Your post was sweet! Ta.

Edited April 29, 2006 by AmEyeMad?

[arctic]

For now, simply try reinstalling the Mandriva bootloader and tell us if it will boot both systems. If this works, then leave it all the way it is and don't change anything else for now (old "wisdom": never change a running/working system ... unless you know why you want to). If your system still refuses to load Mandy and Windows, report back.

 

Yes, you ran into some trouble and you do learn a lot along the way, but a little bit less of chaos is always nice, right?

[AmEyeMad?]

When I tried to install the lilo bootloader via rescue console I got this error:

 

run_program cannot output in /root/tmp/ .drakx-stderr .1222 (mode '>')

lilo failed: at usr/lib/libDrakX/boot loader .pm line 1238, <STDIN> line 1.

 

As you can see it's an uphill battle but I love the learning experience it's giving me...

 

What advice can anyone give me???

[arctic]

Jesus...! It seems that your lilo on the mandriva drive was really screwed up. May I propose one thing? Get rid of that whole crap and let's do it the easy way.

 

Restore the Windows bootloader on the 80 GB drive. Unplug the 200 GB drive. Make the 80GB a master drive and check if it boots okay. If yes, add the 200 GB drive again and set it to slave mode but tell the system to boot from the master drive in your BIOS. Now do a clean installation on the 200 GB drive and choose Grub instead of bloody lilo as bootloader (way easier to fix and understand than lilo imho). When you install Mandy, install grub on the MBR of the windows drive. That procedure worked on dozens of Mandriva-WindowsXP dualboot setups I made for friends of mine.

[AmEyeMad?]

Now do a clean installation on the 200 GB drive and choose Grub instead of bloody lilo as bootloader (way easier to fix and understand than lilo imho). When you install Mandy, install grub on the MBR of the windows drive. That procedure worked on dozens of Mandriva-WindowsXP dualboot setups I made for friends of mine.

 

OK I selected Grub with graphical menu

boot device is /dev/hdc

and enable ACPI has a check in it's box.........

 

Installation completed...System is rebooting....fingers and legs/arms etc crossed........SUCCESS!!!

 

Arctic...if you only knew how happy I am after spending days at the keyboard of 2 computers and hoping that someone would be able to help me at the level I can relate to and ianw1974 and yourself have done that!

 

I have learnt so much an have gone from being tentative to mess about with things I knew nothing about....Master/Slave, bootloaders, consoles, jumpers, disc partitioning etc...

 

I thank both ianw1974 and yourself and of course MandrivaUsers.org!

Edited April 29, 2006 by AmEyeMad?