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Cant get windows or ubuntu to boot

Hi all. I'm trying to setup a dual boot with XP and ubuntu. I already had ubuntu installed on it's own ext4 partitions and I had an existing NTFS partition from when I had windows before. I tried to setup XP in that partition but after the initial text-based screen where it copies all the files then reboots, it doesnt continue the installation.

In the live cd I can mount the the partition and view the files but gparted only shows one large partition (mounted or unmounted) "unallocated" and wont give me the option to resize (only create new partitions). Since I dont want to overwrite existing data on the partition, how should I create a new partition in the free space for windows? Or how do I continue this stupid XP installation so I can eventually recover grub and get a dual boot working? Thanks in advance!

Code:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ fdisk -l



Disk /dev/sdb: 2032 MB, 2032664576 bytes

63 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1016 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 3906 * 512 = 1999872 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x00049dbe



  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System

/dev/sdb1  *          1        513      999984+  b  W95 FAT32

Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):

    phys=(0, 1, 1) logical=(0, 0, 33)

Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:

    phys=(124, 126, 3) logical=(512, 2, 5)

Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.

/dev/sdb2            513        1017      985023+  83  Linux

Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):

    phys=(124, 126, 4) logical=(512, 2, 6)

Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:

    phys=(247, 31, 40) logical=(1016, 25, 2)

Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Do you have your drive attached? The output you posted shows info on what would normally be the second drive (sdb) and is only 2GB (USB?). You're trying to install Ubuntu and xp on that??

GParted has never given me that problem, you could try to use fdisk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yancek (Post 3672200)

Do you have your drive attached? The output you posted shows info on what would normally be the second drive (sdb) and is only 2GB (USB?). You're trying to install Ubuntu and xp on that??

no, that's just a usb key. My normal drive is supposed to be sda which has my ext4 partitions and 1 ntfs partition

Quote:

Originally Posted by el_b (Post 3672205)

GParted has never given me that problem, you could try to use fdisk.

I didnt know fdisk could resize an ntfs partition? I'm kinda nervous about using fdisk because fdisk to me has never been synonymous with "non-destructive partitioning"

What you have listed in your first post does not tell us what sda disk and partitions look like. If you run fdisk -l from terminal it would list sda unless you are unplugged I would think.

now I could well be wrong but... fdisk only seems to register the boot partition, the others seem to have no defining parameters.I do not know how to recover these, perhaps, someone else does? Try fdisk -ls for another read out. If you have no important data I would start again, put Windows on first and do the usual incredible shrining routine with Ubuntu etc. Just a thought.

Fred.

I definitely would have done a clean install by now if I could but I have data I need on that drive :\

Code:

mitting empty partition (5)



Disk /dev/hda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk identifier: 0xb15fb15f



  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System

/dev/hda1              1        1419    11398086  83  Linux

/dev/hda2            1420        9729    66750075    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)

/dev/hda3  *        1541        9729    65772441    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/hda5            1420        1540      971869+  82  Linux swap / Solaris



Disk /dev/sda: 2032 MB, 2032664576 bytes

63 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1016 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 3906 * 512 = 1999872 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x00049dbe



  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System

/dev/sda1  *          1        513      999984+  b  W95 FAT32

Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):

    phys=(0, 1, 1) logical=(0, 0, 33)

Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:

    phys=(124, 126, 3) logical=(512, 2, 5)

Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.

/dev/sda2            513        1017      985023+  83  Linux

Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):

    phys=(124, 126, 4) logical=(512, 2, 6)

Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:

    phys=(247, 31, 40) logical=(1016, 25, 2)

Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.

This is a different boot (BT off USB key) than my ubuntu one so I think hte output might be different

You should be able to mount your / with your ubuntu cd terminal and then write it to disc or to your pen. Your windows needs to be in the first partition or think it is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Webb (Post 3672431)

You should be able to mount your / with your ubuntu cd terminal and then write it to disc or to your pen. Your windows needs to be in the first partition or think it is.

So if you already have linux installed in the first sector of hte first partition or whatever, you cant get windows to install at all? Grr I should have known I couldnt just easily install it on a partition already formatted for it and just be done with it! I hate windows! :\ I've got around 60gb I gotta backup now :doh:

mmm. the main thing is to extract your data and if advice has led to this then whoopie do. The list of partitions overlaps cylinders and I think that is where the basic problem has occurred. Grub will boot just about owt but not if it can't count the reference. I said put Windows on first because I'm told that creates least problems. I admit loosing windows is more of a problem as the bast*rds don't provide a disk these days. More reason to leave 'em alone.

Fred.

If you are going to multiboot here is the method I use. The article goes into depth describing the boot process and partition layouts. Mind this is not the only way but I have found it to be the easiest for me. There are several tutorials here and Google has endless advice on multiboot.

http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showt...hreadid=147959

What data are you trying to save? The hda3 partition with windows? In your first post, you said (I think) you tried to install xp on that partition, is that right? If so, you've probably overwritten at least some of the data. Did that windows partition contain an xp operating system or was it just data?