LinuxQuestions.org
Latest LQ Deal: Latest LQ Deals
Home Forums Tutorials Articles Register
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General
User Name
Password
Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 10-31-2007, 12:47 PM   #1
sefaklc
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2007
Location: ankara(turkey)
Distribution: ubuntu,red hat
Posts: 28

Rep: Reputation: 15
grub -- can't see windows


hello everyone.
i have two OS in my laptop (ubuntu 7.04 feisty and win xp)
then i reinstalled xp and so, my grub was broken.Directly computer was starting xp. Then i did something that i don't know well from grub that i've opened with live ubuntu cd . Then grub came back , but this time i didn't open xp .When i choose xp from grub it gives me :
Code:
Error 12:Invalid Device Requested
when i open ubuntu , i don't see other disks (common disk,and disk that windows files are kept in) anymore.
Can any one help me ? Thanks alot.

By the way my fdisk -l output:
Code:
Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               2        1044     8377897+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda2   *        1045        2343    10434217+  83  Linux
/dev/sda3            2344        2409      530145   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda4            2410        9729    58797900    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda5               2        1044     8377866    7  HPFS/NTFS
and output of /boot/grub/menu.lst
Code:
sefa@sefa-laptop:~$ cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default         0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout         10

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
#hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
#      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title         Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root          (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader   +1
#
# title         Linux
# root          (hd0,1)
# kernel        /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=ef9fb513-edaf-4baf-98ed-e859d6f33216 ro

## Setup crashdump menu entries
## e.g. crashdump=1
# crashdump=0

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,1)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(recovery) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title           Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-16-generic
root            (hd0,1)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-16-generic root=UUID=ef9fb513-edaf-4baf-98ed-e859d6f33216 ro quiet splash
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-16-generic
quiet
savedefault

title           Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.20-16-generic (recovery mode)
root            (hd0,1)
kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-16-generic root=UUID=ef9fb513-edaf-4baf-98ed-e859d6f33216 ro single
initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-16-generic

title           Ubuntu, memtest86+
root            (hd0,1)
kernel          /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title           Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title           Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root            (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader     +1
thanks.
 
Old 10-31-2007, 01:18 PM   #2
kilgoretrout
Senior Member
 
Registered: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,987

Rep: Reputation: 388Reputation: 388Reputation: 388Reputation: 388
From the looks of your fdisk and menu.lst, you must have changed things around a bit when you reinstalled winxp. In particular, it looks like winxp was originally installed on the first primary partition on your hard drive, sda1. However, on reinstall, either you or the windows installer decided to create an extended/logical partition, sda5, with sda1 as the container and install winxp there. Try changing your windows entry in menu.lst to:

Code:
title           Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root            (hd0,6)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader     +1
To see your new windows partition in ubuntu you will need to edit your /etc/fstab line changing the sda1 entry to sda5.
 
Old 10-31-2007, 03:28 PM   #3
saikee
Senior Member
 
Registered: Sep 2005
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne UK
Distribution: Any free distro.
Posts: 3,398
Blog Entries: 1

Rep: Reputation: 113Reputation: 113
No.

It is the installer that fails to deliver a correct booting choice for Windows. Nothing wrong with the existing system.

Try this, when see Ubuntu booting screen instead of choosing a system to boot just press the "c" key to get a Grub prompt.

You should be able to boot up Windows manually by these commands
Code:
root (hd0,3)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot
If the above works amend the /boot/grub/menu.lst for Windows as follow
Code:
title           Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root            (hd0,3)
chainloader     +1
Once you make (hd0,3), which is sda4 in Linux term, "active" (bootable in Linux term) it should remain active forever unless a stupid installer changes it.

You have sda4 and sda5 MS partitions. XP always dumps the boot loader in the first partition it detected so the Windows boot loader NTLDR should be in sda4. Sda5 is the XP partition but it should have no boot loader of its own inside. XP cannot boot itself from a logical partition and relies on a boot loader in a primary partition to pull it up. Therefore it has to be sda4.

Grub counts from zero so sda4 is (hd0,3) to Grub.

---------------------------------------------------------

Lastly after you know how to boot a Linux manually please type this command in a Grub prompt
Code:
geometry (hd0)
If you can see partition (3) and (4) displayed and they have partition type b for fat32 and 7 for ntfs then Grub proves to you that it "can" see Windows.

Since you have told the world "Grub can't see Windows" I gather you own Grub a apology. Fair?

Last edited by saikee; 10-31-2007 at 03:37 PM.
 
Old 11-03-2007, 07:49 PM   #4
sefaklc
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2007
Location: ankara(turkey)
Distribution: ubuntu,red hat
Posts: 28

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
thanks a lot.
when i change windows xp section of menu.lst , it works.
In front of you , i apologize from grub =)
Thnx again.
 
  


Reply



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Help of GRUB, How to Linux, Windows XP and Windows 200 ERBRMN Linux - General 4 04-25-2006 08:26 PM
GRUB dual boot problem: Boot "other" (windows) just restarts GRUB! stevod333 Linux - Software 13 04-06-2006 05:26 AM
windows and grub marioV Linux - General 1 11-28-2005 01:36 PM
SuSE 9.1 and Windows Xp refuse to live in harmony: error loading windows through GRUB sanctumtacete Linux - Newbie 3 10-19-2004 07:47 AM
Boot windows 98,windows XP and linux by GRUB Swift&Smart Linux - General 6 02-22-2003 09:11 AM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:23 PM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration