Can't boot to windows XP with triple boot setup

chickenjoy · 12-18-2007, 12:48 AM

I'm having problems with booting into Windows XP in a triple boot system

I installed the OS is this order:

1. Windows XP
2. SUSE 9.3
3. RHEL 5
4. Did a grub install using the RHEL CD.

I can boot to both SUSE and RHEL partitions without problems but with the XP option I get a :

Quote:

grub error 13: invalid unsupported executable format

error.

here is the grub.conf:

Code:

# 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 (hd0,4)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (2.6.18-8.el5)
	root (hd0,4)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-8.el5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet hpet=disable
	initrd /initrd-2.6.18-8.el5.img
title Windows XP
	rootnoverify (hd0,1)
	makeactive
	chainloader +1
title SUSE LINUX 9.3
    kernel (hd0,1)/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda4 vga=0x317 selinux=0  splash=silent acpi=off resume=/dev/hda4  showopts
    initrd (hd0,1)/initrd

and the fdisk -l command gave me:

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *           1        1698    13637498+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2            1699        1711      104422+  83  Linux
/dev/hda3            4297        7296    24097500    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda4            2736        4296    12538732+  83  Linux
/dev/hda5            4297        4309      104391   83  Linux
/dev/hda6            4310        7296    23993046   8e  Linux LVM

Partition table entries are not in disk order

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

I tried to add the "makeactive" option in the windows XP item based on another post I read that worked, but the same problems arises.

What should I do?

TIA

Georgina Everingham · 12-18-2007, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickenjoy

I'm having problems with booting into Windows XP in a triple boot system

I installed the OS is this order:

1. Windows XP
2. SUSE 9.3
3. RHEL 5
4. Did a grub install using the RHEL CD.

I can boot to both SUSE and RHEL partitions without problems but with the XP option I get a :

error.

here is the grub.conf:

Code:

# 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 (hd0,4)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (2.6.18-8.el5)
	root (hd0,4)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-8.el5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet hpet=disable
	initrd /initrd-2.6.18-8.el5.img
title Windows XP
	rootnoverify (hd0,1)
	makeactive
	chainloader +1
title SUSE LINUX 9.3
    kernel (hd0,1)/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda4 vga=0x317 selinux=0  splash=silent acpi=off resume=/dev/hda4  showopts
    initrd (hd0,1)/initrd

and the fdisk -l command gave me:

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *           1        1698    13637498+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2            1699        1711      104422+  83  Linux
/dev/hda3            4297        7296    24097500    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda4            2736        4296    12538732+  83  Linux
/dev/hda5            4297        4309      104391   83  Linux
/dev/hda6            4310        7296    23993046   8e  Linux LVM

Partition table entries are not in disk order

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

I tried to add the "makeactive" option in the windows XP item based on another post I read that worked, but the same problems arises.

What should I do?

TIA

Hi!

I am no expert but looking at your grub read-out, I would expect Windows to be (hd0,1) which it is. You also have Suse as (hd0,1) which to my mind it can't be. If this is your problem I am not sure how you fix it as you say Suse boots as (hd0,1). I would expect to have to change the Suse to (hd0,2) or (hd0,3 or 6), but you say it already recognises itself as (hd0,1). From your devices above it looks as if (hd0,6) is the other Linux partition.

I hope this might help, if not I am talking nonsense and so just ignore my nonsense.

Georgina Everingham

syg00 · 12-18-2007, 03:00 AM

Nope - grub counts disks and partitions from zero. Try "rootnoverify (hd0,0)"

chickenjoy · 12-18-2007, 06:25 AM

Tried rootnoverify (hd0,0) and grub just automatically goes back into the grub menu. Actually I tried hd0,0 till 8 and it still just reverts back to the grub selection menu.

thanks.