Much like many other that have a broken system that won't boot...I finally got LMDE to install ( so it would seem ) but I still can't get it to boot normally. It points to a bad brub if not more but I can't get it resolved after following multiple suggestions from other postings. At one point I get a mention if a UUID ( 44 586 *****) that is not applicable anymore ( an old debian install) but at sudo blkid command I get:

/dev/sdb1: LABEL="LXDE" UUID="06607a67-6555-49b9-8adf-3030f3dcbc77" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/sr0: LABEL="Linux Mint UP8 Cinnamon 64-bit" TYPE="iso9660"
/dev/sda1: UUID="ff531118-c0ad-4b68-b953-8fa3e18ecac3" TYPE="ext2"
/dev/sda5: UUID="550bfec2-1c45-4dfd-8411-6d8f687421d5" TYPE="ext2"
/dev/loop0: TYPE="squashfs"


fdisk -l = Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 1920141311 960069632 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 1920143358 1953523711 16690177 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 1920143360 1953523711 16690176 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0009c52a

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 1709402111 854700032 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1709402112 1953523711 122060800 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 1709404160 1953523711 122059776 83 Linux



If I try to manually mount a device it asks if the device is mounted when I seem to do so from the GUI file program.

MY system has 2 HDDs the one I'm currently working on which is sda and my second OS LXDE on sdb.

Grub rescue or any other steps I've tried show the old UUID number which seems that somewhere there is information in the mbr(?) that still had footprints of what once was. Please help !

Nothing useful in that post at all - no description of the real problem, no messages ...
Go here, do as it says, and post the RESULTS.txt
Then we'll have some real data to work on.

Thank you for your response but I was saved by Boot Disk Repair CD. I'm up and running again.

Then please mark it as Solved