I've set up my new sys and installed WinXP and SuSE Linux 8.0. First I had some problems with LILO, it woulsn't load WinXP, so I've installed System Commander and now both, WinXP and Linux, load fine, but each time I reboot the computer I loose my other NTFS partitions in WinXP.

When I load Linux I can mount these partitions fine and see what's on them, but when I load WinXP, in the Computer Managment window, under Disk Management, the partitions are there but it says on each of them "Unknown".

Has anyone ever had that before? Do you think it's because of the fact that I'm using Linux or System Commander?

It's really starting to p!ss me off, I've done quite a few tests so far, I've reinstalled both, WinXP and Linux, at least 10 times in the last few days.

My disks are partitioned like following:

Disk 0:

<-------hda1------><-----hda2-----><-------hda3------><-----hda4----->
<500MB Linux SWAP><6GB Linux Ext2><4.5GB WinXP NTFS><8.5GB D:\ NTFS>

Disk 1:

<-------------------------------19.5GB E:\ NTFS---------------------------->

I guess that cancel out the OS's, I'd check out the settings in System Commander if we're you.

BTW have you:
1. Backed up
2. Flushed out the partition table
3. Flushed out the MBR (Master Boot Record)
4. Recreated the partitions
5. Reinstalled WinXP before SuSE 8.0

What CAN anyone say, it's M$ WINDOWS!!!

zLinuxz

1. What is "BTW"?
2. What do you mean by flush out the partition table and MBR, and how do I do that? Can't I just use a Win98 boot disk and delete the partitions with fdisk?
3. What partitions shall I install WinXP and Linux on?
4. Can I install LILO on the WinXP partition, if of course WinXP in on hda1?






Thanks but I need serious help

yo dude....BTW: is "by the way",

zlinuxz

Oh thanks

Why don't you go ahead and reinstall all again. The best way will be to install windows first and then to install Linux. When you install linux you also install a Boot program, Lilo or Grub. So don't worry about that. When you do install it, Install it in the MBR so that you can boot either WinXP or Linux. Then everything should probably work fine!

zlinuxz

Yeah I know, each time I reinstalled I installed XP first and then Linux, Linux loads fine but when I choose to load WinXP it says "NTLDR missing" so I thought having LILO on the same partition as WinXP might sort it out.

Lilo should be in the MRB so that it'll boot both OS with no problems.

I know it should be on the MBR, but the MBR is the first hard drive ay? So if I've got several partitions on it even hda3 would still be the MBR.

Or maybe there's something I missunderstood? Just tell me if I'm wrong I don't mind, life's nothing but a big lesson anyway.

oh, no the MBR is before any hardrive, hence why you can boot several hardrives if you had them with different OS. The partitions have nothing to do with the MBR

zlinuxz

So when it comes to LILO configuration during the installation why does it say "install LILO on hda (MBR)"? hda is the hard drive isn't it?

To flush out (wipe out, clear out) the MBR. You can use that Win98 boot disk, and type:
and reboot.

You won't be able to see the Linux parition with fdisk on that Win98 Boot disk. You might pick up the NTFS patitions.

To clear out the Linux and NTFS partitions boot off the SuSE CD (the first one). Follow the steps till you get to the partitioning bit, delete the partitions and exit the installer which should then reboot the machine.

The MBR is the first sector of the hard drive. It contains a small program to load the boot code for the OS's on the drive. It also contains a partition table. When the computer boots up, the code is read from the MBR and executed if the drive was set to be booted from.

Each partition contains a boot sector. So, lilo, grub, system commander, boot magic, and others can be installed in either the MBR or the boot sector of a partition.