Hello everyone,
I am a newbie who recently started using Linux. I was using windows xp in my laptop. Since I got interest in Linux, I installed Fedora 10 in another new partition. After installing it, when I try to log into windows, there is an error popping out "BOOTMGR MISSING. PRESS CTRL+ALT+DEL TO RESTART". I tried using windows XP cd to boot. But it's not working. :-( I can still access files which I stored in windows. But I cant get into WINDOWS... Any solution??? Pls help me out friends. :-(
Regards,
Vignesh.

Welcome to LQ!!

Since you apparently can boot into Fedora, open a terminal, enter "su" to become root, and enter "fdisk -l" (ell, not one). Post the results here.

The Fedora installer should have recognized the Windows install and automatically configured the bootloader. When it starts up, are you given an option for Windows?

Hello my friend,
Thank you for your reply. Here is the output I got after entering "fdisk -l".

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x10000000

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 11 1316 10485760 7 HPFS/NTFS
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2 1316 9148 62914560 7 HPFS/NTFS
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda3 9148 19458 82807808 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda5 9149 14452 42597376 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 * 19131 19458 2620416 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda7 14453 14477 200781 83 Linux
/dev/sda8 14478 19130 37375191 8e Linux LVM

Partition table entries are not in disk order





Is there any problem with the output which I got? :-(
Thank you for the reply.
Regards,
Vignesh.

First did you use windows all ready for sometime ?
If so did you defrag the drive befor partitioning ?
How did you try to start windows via the option Others mentioned in the GRUB menu ?

I am guessing that Windows is on the first partition---you can confirm this by looking at it with Linux and seeing if you see the normal Windows directories.

To boot Windows, you need to add this to your GRUB configuration file (/boot/grub/menu.lst)

Hello mate,
I did the steps which you have mentioned. I have added Windows in GRUB list. But still I am not able to log into windows mate. :-( Any other suggestions? I have tried to boot using windows xp cd so that I can atleast repair it. But it doesn't boot. :-(


And to ronlau9 reply: I was not able to log into windows after I installed fedora 10. I didn't do de fragmentation before installing linux. And I did the steps what pixellany has mentioned. But it still doesn't work. Any other solution mate? :-(

That's awesome news, man -- your computer is working correctly!

vigneshke:

Q=":-( Any other suggestions? I have tried to boot using windows xp cd so that I can atleast repair it. But it doesn't boot. :-("

The instruction by Pixellany above should have "given you the option" to boot into your Xp. Try to recheck, redo, and edit your /boot/grub/menu.lst and somewhere after 'defaults' at the bottom add the lines given by Pixellany above. See to it that you copy it point-by-point.

Can you post here your menu.lst entries? at least the uncommented lines at the bottom of the list?

Just for a try, if kernel (hd0,0) doesn't work, try (hd0,1) or (hd0,5).

this is what my part of /boot/grug/grub.conf looks like

it happens with some computers,that when linux is installed windows xp cd doesn't boot.it considers the linux partitions as dos partitions.
use partition manager to delete the linux partitions,format windows and recover it and then install linux again.
you can bakup ur xp if you wish to, by booting into linux.
hope this will help you...

Hello friends,
Thank you very much for your replies. Here is what I have in the GRUB list.


# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,6)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,6)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686)
root (hd0,6)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686 ro root=UUID=688a95b8-5948-4cbb-b710-bd1481a2083c rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.27.21-170.2.56.fc10.i686.img
title Other
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
title WindowsXP
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot












Have tried all the possible ways. Still can't boot into windows. :-( Has anyone here experienced the same problem what I am facing now?


Regards,
Vignesh.

I take 3 lines out of you're menu.lst it might help
If windows is already running for somwetime it always better to defrag
first , because you find a windows data all over the HD

i would guess that seeing as windows xp was not defraged before you shrunk it ( sometimes even if you do ) windows can get messed up .
Reinstall xp
you might want to 100% reformat the drive and partition it 50% / 50% ntfs and ext3
then reinstall xp and then fedora .

Hello mate,
Well... I installed Linux in different partition. That partition doesn't have Windows XP in it. And I have tried editing the GRUB list as well. Nothing works mate!!! :-( And on top of that, I think my computer contains some bugs. When I do something, the computer restarts without any reason!!! And after it restarts, there is an error message popping out saying that there is a bug in my computer. Now I think I have made a wrong decision in installing linux. I know I am dumb in linux. But since I wanted to explore something, I started using it. I don't know what to do mate... :-(
Regards,
Vignesh.

Is fedoras boot loder can be instll at root prtiton?u can instll some like gag(graphcl lodr)it s eazy 2 set