Dual boot-up with Windows XP
 

When I boot up my computer, i want the option of either choosing windows xp or ubuntu. However, when I select Windows xp I get the following message:
---------------------------------------------------------
Booting ‘Microsoft Windows XP Professional’

Root (hd0,0)
Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1
---------------------------------------------------------

How do i go about correcting this issue? i can open window files from within the Ubuntu; so i know the operating system is still there.

Some Windows installations have a small hidden partition at the start of the disc. Your ubuntu installation might have set up grub to boot off this partition but the main partition will be on the second partition hd0,1 and it is this that needs to be booted.

I suggest editing menu.lst and changing hd0,0 to hd0,1 and see if that helps.

(menu.lst needs to be edited as root. From memory it is in /boot/grub)

The file to edit as root is /boot/grub/menu.lst . This is what mine looks like ... hd0 being the first hard drive and 0 being the first partition on that hard drive.


title Windows at hda1
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

Wayne

make sure that the entry in menu.lst has rootnoverify (hd0,N)
under the windows stanza. Where N is 0 or 1. It looks like grub is trying to verify the filesystem type on the specified partition.

Thanks but no luck
 

I tried editing the menu.lst but no luck. Any other advice? I was thinking about uninstalling the ubuntu and reload again but I not certain how to uninstall. Also, I donot have a xp cd as it came preinstalled.

You don't have to uninstall Ubuntu ... when you use the live CD to install it on the same partition it will reformat the partition before it installs itself therefore you will have a fresh install when you are done. But copy and paste your entire menu.lst here so we can have a look first.

Wayne

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 0
# Set the default entry to the entry number Num. Numbering starts from 0, and
# The set 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 sing dmraid do not change this entry to ‘saved’ or your array will
# desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

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

## 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 procted by the
# command ‘lock’
# e.g. password topsecret
password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# 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 makers 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 special 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=/dev/hda2 ro

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

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

## 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
## alternative
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
## defoptions=queit splash

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

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

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


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

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15.-23-386
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386 root=/dev/hda2 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
savedefault
boot

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15.-23-386 (recovery mode)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386 root=/dev/hda2 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
boot

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

## ## 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
# ondev/hda0
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

It probably won't make a difference if you reinstall but rather there is something it doesn't like in you menu.lst

Try this but l would also try the Ubuntu forums where someone probably has encountered and solved the same problem. Once l had a problem and it turned out that l didn't have a space between chainloader and +1 . If someone in Ubuntu gave you their menu.lst of a working Grub menu.lst containing XP you might figure it out.

title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Wayne