Recovering XP boot after installing EasyPeasy 1.1

AbuKaidman · 06-25-2009, 06:29 AM

First time poster, neophyte Linux user -- please be gentle!

I am using a netbook - Asus EEE pc 1000H - and after getting completely aggravated by the slowness of XP, was tempted by Jon Ramvi's EasyPeasy 1.1 I initially played with the distro on a USB drive, and liked it enough that I went ahead and installed it from said USB drive onto my laptop, *trying* to follow the directions for creating a dual-boot system.

(If I could get Office 2007 running at all through Wine, I would do away with XP altogether, but I can't...and please, no flaming about how superior Open Office is, and how crappy Windows is, etc. Please just accept that I REALLY like Word 07 and Excel 07, and want to keep using them despite having an easily-accessible-to-n00bz version of Linux as my OS...)

Anyway, I've been struggling to get Office 07 installed via Wine (a topic for another post), and decided perhaps I'd be better off just figuring out how to recover my XP boot and just logging into XP whenever I need to modify one of my Office 2007 docs. The problem is that something has gone wrong with my boot menu, so while I can SEE options to boot into something other than EasyPeasy 1.1, I get "Error 13" and "Error 17" messages, and can't *actually* boot to XP. (More details below.)

I found something that looked helpful here: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ubuntu-694481/.

I followed CJS' directions to install and run testdisk, as follows:
I selected

1) Disk /dev/sdb - 32 GB / 30 GiB - ATA ASUS-PHISON SSD
2) [Intel]
3) [Advanced]

CJS then states I should select the Windows partition, but testdisk lists the following:

1* HPFS - NTFS
2 E extended
5 L Linux
x extended
6 L Linux Swap

I selected the first option, and originally the boot sectors were not identical. I followed CJS' directions, and now they are. Unfortunately, at this point his suggestions run out of utility for me - unlike the original poster in that thread, after rebooting I cannot even get a Blue Screen of Death.

I see three EasyPeasy boot choices, followed by

Normal boot (on /dev/sda1)
Perform Disk scan (on /dev/sda1)
Restore Factory Settings (on /dev/sda1)
Windows XP Professional

Selecting either of the first three choices produces the following result:

Error 17: Cannot mount selected partition. (Press any key to continue...)

Selecting the XP option produces the following:

Error 13: Invalid or unsupported executable format

Here is my Boot Info Summary:

Code:

============================= Boot Info Summary: ==============================

 => Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda
 => Grub0.97 is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdb and looks on the same drive 
    in partition #5 for /boot/grub/stage2 and /boot/grub/menu.lst.
 => No boot loader is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdc

sda1: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       ext2
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  
    Operating System:  Debian GNU/Linux 4.0
    Boot files/dirs:   /boot/grub/menu.lst /boot/grub/grub.conf /etc/fstab

sda2: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       vfat
    Boot sector type:  Fat16
    Boot sector info:  According to the info in the boot sector, sda2 starts 
                       at sector 0. But according to the info from fdisk, 
                       sda2 starts at sector 15727635. According to the info 
                       in the boot sector, sda2 has 0 sectors.
    Operating System:  
    Boot files/dirs:   

sda3: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  
    Mounting failed:
mount: unknown filesystem type ''

sdb1: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       ntfs
    Boot sector type:  Windows XP
    Boot sector info:  No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
    Operating System:  Windows XP
    Boot files/dirs:   /boot.ini /ntldr /NTDETECT.COM

sdb2: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       Extended Partition
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  

sdb5: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       ext3
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  
    Operating System:  Ubuntu 8.10
    Boot files/dirs:   /boot/grub/menu.lst /etc/fstab

sdb6: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       swap
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  

sdc1: _________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       vfat
    Boot sector type:  -
    Boot sector info:  No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
    Operating System:  
    Boot files/dirs:   

=========================== Drive/Partition Info: =============================

Drive sda: _____________________________________________________________________

Disk /dev/sda: 8069 MB, 8069677056 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 981 cylinders, total 15761088 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x6c0966b1

Partition  Boot         Start           End          Size  Id System

/dev/sda1                  63     6,425,999     6,425,937  83 Linux
/dev/sda2          15,727,635    15,743,699        16,065   c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda3          15,743,700    15,759,764        16,065  ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)


Drive sdb: _____________________________________________________________________

Disk /dev/sdb: 32.2 GB, 32279224320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3924 cylinders, total 63045360 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x90599059

Partition  Boot         Start           End          Size  Id System

/dev/sdb1    *             63    31,631,984    31,631,922   7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2          31,631,985    63,039,059    31,407,075   5 Extended
/dev/sdb5          31,632,048    61,625,339    29,993,292  83 Linux
/dev/sdb6          61,625,403    63,039,059     1,413,657  82 Linux swap / Solaris


Drive sdc: _____________________________________________________________________

Disk /dev/sdc: 32.5 GB, 32528924672 bytes
192 heads, 13 sectors/track, 25453 cylinders, total 63533056 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Partition  Boot         Start           End          Size  Id System

/dev/sdc1               8,192    63,533,055    63,524,864   b W95 FAT32

/dev/sdc1 ends after the last cylinder of /dev/sdc

blkid -c /dev/null: ____________________________________________________________

/dev/ramzswap0: TYPE="swap" 
/dev/sda1: LABEL="SYSTEM" UUID="15fb1bc0-1a9d-448f-8f49-e01dcc163a24" TYPE="ext2" 
/dev/sda2: SEC_TYPE="msdos" LABEL="BIOS" UUID="49EE-5C52" TYPE="vfat" 
/dev/sdb1: UUID="D4CC1F35CC1F117A" TYPE="ntfs" 
/dev/sdb5: UUID="e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77" TYPE="ext3" 
/dev/sdb6: UUID="3e6bcd7c-11e1-496a-969e-c0c677f4393a" TYPE="swap" 
/dev/sdc1: UUID="FC30-3DA9" TYPE="vfat" 

=============================== "mount" output: ===============================

/dev/sdb5 on / type ext3 (rw,noatime,errors=remount-ro)
tmpfs on /lib/init/rw type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
/proc on /proc type proc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)
udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620)
fusectl on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
tmpfs on /tmp type tmpfs (rw,noatime,mode=1777)
tmpfs on /var/tmp type tmpfs (rw,noatime,mode=1777)
tmpfs on /var/log type tmpfs (rw,noatime,mode=0755)
securityfs on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw)
binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
/dev/sdc1 on /media/disk type vfat (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,shortname=mixed,uid=1000,utf8,umask=077,flush)

=========================== sda1/boot/grub/menu.lst: ===========================

#
# Configured by Xandros Configuration system.
#
hiddenmenu
# default boot entry
default=0

# Boot automatically after 1 second.
timeout=0

# Fallback to Configure.
fallback=2

title Normal Boot
	root (0x80,0)
	kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc quiet rw vga=785 irqpoll root=/dev/sda1
	initrd /boot/initramfs-eeepc.img

title Perform Disk Scan
	root (0x80,0)
	kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc quiet rw vga=785 irqpoll root=/dev/sda1 XANDROSSCAN=y
	initrd /boot/initramfs-eeepc.img

title Restore Factory Settings
	root (0x80,0)
	kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc quiet rw vga=normal nosplash=y irqpoll root=/dev/sda1 XANDROSRESTORE=y
	initrd /boot/initramfs-eeepc.img

=============================== sda1/etc/fstab: ===============================

# /etc/fstab -- static file system information
# auto generation: on
# generated by: /sbin/etcdev2fstab
# 
# NOTE: to make this file readable, it has been formatted for 132 columns
# 
#<device>                              <mountpoint>      <fstype>  <options>                                       <dbg> <pass>
/dev/sda1                               /                 ext2      defaults                                        0     0
proc                                    /proc             proc      rw                                              0     0

=================== sda1: Location of files loaded by Grub: ===================


   1.3GB: boot/grub/grub.conf
   1.3GB: boot/grub/menu.lst
   1.3GB: boot/grub/stage2
   1.0GB: boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc
   1.0GB: vmlinuz

================================ sdb1/boot.ini: ================================

[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect


=========================== sdb5/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 use 'savedefault' 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=e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77

## 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

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Easy Peasy 1.0, kernel 2.6.27-8-eeepc
uuid		e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-8-eeepc root=UUID=e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77 ro quiet splash 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-8-eeepc
quiet

title		Easy Peasy 1.0, kernel 2.6.27-8-eeepc (recovery mode)
uuid		e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-8-eeepc root=UUID=e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77 ro  single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-8-eeepc

title		Easy Peasy 1.0, memtest86+
uuid		e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77
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 an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sda1.
title		Normal Boot (on /dev/sda1)
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc quiet rw vga=785 irqpoll root=/dev/sda1 
initrd		/boot/initramfs-eeepc.img
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sda1.
title		Perform Disk Scan (on /dev/sda1)
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc quiet rw vga=785 irqpoll root=/dev/sda1 XANDROSSCAN=y 
initrd		/boot/initramfs-eeepc.img
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for an existing
# linux installation on /dev/sda1.
title		Restore Factory Settings (on /dev/sda1)
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc quiet rw vga=normal nosplash=y irqpoll root=/dev/sda1 XANDROSRESTORE=y 
initrd		/boot/initramfs-eeepc.img
savedefault
boot


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sdb1
title		Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root		(hd1,0)
savedefault
map		(hd0) (hd1)
map		(hd1) (hd0)
chainloader	+1


=============================== sdb5/etc/fstab: ===============================

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc            /proc           proc    defaults        0       0
# /dev/sdb5
UUID=e559f46f-69bf-4fad-a2c2-dbb44e031d77 /               ext3    noatime,errors=remount-ro 0       1
# /dev/sdb6
UUID=3e6bcd7c-11e1-496a-969e-c0c677f4393a none            swap    sw              0       0
# settings added by eeepc-tweaks
tmpfs		/tmp		tmpfs	defaults,noatime,mode=1777	0 0
tmpfs		/var/tmp	tmpfs	defaults,noatime,mode=1777	0 0
tmpfs		/var/log	tmpfs	defaults,noatime,mode=0755	0 0

=================== sdb5: Location of files loaded by Grub: ===================


  23.9GB: boot/grub/menu.lst
  24.0GB: boot/grub/stage2
  24.0GB: boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-8-eeepc
  24.0GB: boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-8-eeepc
  24.0GB: initrd.img
  24.0GB: vmlinuz

=============================== StdErr Messages: ===============================

boot_info_script.txt: line 1043: [: =: unary operator expected

Any ideas? W.r.t. to reinstalling anything, I am hampered by two major issues:

1) my netbook does not have an external CD drive, and
2) at any rate my XP install discs are living in the bottom of a storage container in Raleigh, NC -- and I am in Cairo for the next several months.

onebuck · 06-25-2009, 07:02 AM

Hi,

Instead of jumping through hoops with 'WINE' you can try a 'VM' such as 'VirtualBox' for your XP install.

This link and others are available from 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!

EDIT:

You can recover your XP from the M$ recovery console. Then you can update your bootloader via the install media to reflect the new install.

AbuKaidman · 06-25-2009, 06:52 PM

Quote:

EDIT:

You can recover your XP from the M$ recovery console. Then you can update your bootloader via the install media to reflect the new install.

I am not entirely sure what you mean by the above - what is the M$ recovery console? By this do you mean the Microsoft XP 'Recovery' option listed in the boot menu? If so, while I appreciate the suggestion, I'm going to need more guidance than that - as I mentioned in the original post, I get an error when I select that option. If not, and M$ stands for something else, please elaborate for me - like I said, I'm new at this!

I did a little bit of poking around and looking at VMWare, VirtualBox, etc., and I remain a little hesitant about using them. Part of the reason is that most of the folks I've seen write about those two seem to find a greater drop in performance than with Wine; another reason is that my frustration with getting Wine to work has made me leery of diving into yet another emulator[-type] installation.

Finally, as I mentioned in the post, I don't have access to my installation media, so I don't know that it would be feasible to pursue any approach that relies too heavily on my having an XP disc handy.

Thanks for the ideas, though, onebuck. Are there other suggestions you can think of?

okos · 06-25-2009, 08:41 PM

Ive used both virtualbox and vmware. And yes it can run quite slow.

As a quick fix, Open Office will run .doc files. I am not sure about .xls files.

Just for peace of mind, try the following command and post the result:

Quote:

fdisk -l

If perhaps your xp got over written, the results would show that you no longer have the ntfs partition.

Covering all bases, did you backup everything from your xp partition before doing anything else?

When you dual boot you have to shrink the xp (ntfs) partition and add a separate linux partition. Prior to shrinking the ntfs partition, you needed to defrag the xp software at least three times. Defrag moves all of the binary 1's and 0's to one end of the disk leaving the rest of the disk blank. Failing to defrag may have caused windows xp or other data to be overwritten. If that is the case, as one buck stated, you will need to reinstall windows from disk and rerun grub for both partitions to work.

In spite of that, if you had not backed up your documents don't fear. Prior to reinstalling windows, you should be able to access the ntfs partition with linux using ntfs-3g program. Retrieve the data you need, then reinstall windows xp.

syg00 · 06-25-2009, 09:56 PM

I'd say there is a mismatch between the BIOS disk order and what the init scripts present.
Try modifying the menu.lst entry for XP to

Code:

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

AbuKaidman · 06-26-2009, 04:17 AM

Thanks for the responses, guys - one thing at a time. First I'll respond to Okos' post, then I'll try sygoo's idea.

The product of my sudo fdisk -l is the following:

Code:

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1         400     3212968+  83  Linux
/dev/sda2             980         980        8032+   c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda3             981         981        8032+  ef  EFI (FAT-12/16/32)

Disk /dev/sdb: 32.2 GB, 32279224320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3924 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x90599059

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1        1969    15815961    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2            1970        3924    15703537+   5  Extended
/dev/sdb5            1970        3836    14996646   83  Linux
/dev/sdb6            3837        3924      706828+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdc: 32.5 GB, 32528924672 bytes
192 heads, 13 sectors/track, 25453 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2496 * 512 = 1277952 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdc1               4       25454    31762432    b  W95 FAT32

When I originally installed EasyPeasy, I backed things up manually. I'd not had the machine for terribly long, so I just copied all the files I actually cared about onto a flash memory card. I honestly don't recall whether I defragged three times or not - I imagine I probably didn't.

So to make sure I understand you correctly: Even if I'm not worried about having lost valuable personal documents because of my failure to defrag, I should still be concerned about having overwritten portions of the boot sector or something?

Many thanks!

@Sygoo:

I edited the menu.lst file as you recommended, and have made marginal progress: rather than getting the "Error 13" cited in the OP, I know get "Starting Up ...", with the ellipsis flashing at me and no other discernible activity. 10+ minutes of waiting resulted in no change on any of the three times I tried that.

Does it matter that my XP partition is installed on sdb1, rather than sda?

My understanding of the EEE 1000H's internal working is the following:

There are two SDDs, one that has an 8Gb capacity and one that has a 32Gb capacity. I *think* they are named sda1 and sda2 respectively - does that make sense? I also am fairly certain that when I installed XP on the machine (it shipped with Xandros) I placed the install on sda2 because (not knowing anything about computers *actually* work on the inside) I wasn't sure whether XP could reach outside the SDD on which it was installed in order to access other data/space...i.e., I wanted to give it the lion's share of the space on my laptop, so I put it on the bigger drive, which is #2.

So, Sygoo -- in reading up on these things, I have thought that (0,0) would tell the computer to look at the first partition on the first drive in order to seek out its boot instructions. Is that correct? But in this case, XP is on the first partition on the second drive -- so doesn't that make (1,0) the correct reference for it?

(I'm not challenging you, I'm trying to make sure I'm actually understanding how this all works...)

onebuck · 06-26-2009, 11:16 AM

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbuKaidman

I am not entirely sure what you mean by the above - what is the M$ recovery console? By this do you mean the Microsoft XP 'Recovery' option listed in the boot menu? If so, while I appreciate the suggestion, I'm going to need more guidance than that - as I mentioned in the original post, I get an error when I select that option. If not, and M$ stands for something else, please elaborate for me - like I said, I'm new at this!

One and in the same! M$=Microsoft, get it now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbuKaidman

I did a little bit of poking around and looking at VMWare, VirtualBox, etc., and I remain a little hesitant about using them. Part of the reason is that most of the folks I've seen write about those two seem to find a greater drop in performance than with Wine; another reason is that my frustration with getting Wine to work has made me leery of diving into yet another emulator[-type] installation.

First, a 'VM' is not a emulator. 'Wine' is a emulator.

As for performance benchmarks or performance as a whole will depend on the power of the 'host' machine. Along with the way the 'VM' is setup to provide services to the 'client' from the 'host'. If there is not sufficient memory allocation and poor virtual disk performance then your 'VM' will suffer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbuKaidman

Finally, as I mentioned in the post, I don't have access to my installation media, so I don't know that it would be feasible to pursue any approach that relies too heavily on my having an XP disc handy.

Thanks for the ideas, though, onebuck. Are there other suggestions you can think of?

You can setup XP as the host.

AbuKaidman · 06-26-2009, 06:32 PM

Onebuck, you wrote

Quote:

You can set up XP as the host

.

What does that mean? Is there a way for me to do that without having access to any XP discs/install media? If so, and you can talk me through it, I am *all* about that option. I just need more information than you have provided thus far.

onebuck · 06-27-2009, 08:05 AM

Hi,

Install 'VirtualBox' on the XP then install the client OS on that host machine(XP). The client OS can be anything that the VM supports, even XP.

syg00 · 06-27-2009, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbuKaidman

-- in reading up on these things, I have thought that (0,0) would tell the computer to look at the first partition on the first drive in order to seek out its boot instructions. Is that correct? But in this case, XP is on the first partition on the second drive -- so doesn't that make (1,0) the correct reference for it?

Normally yes, but what you see is what the init scripts present - which can be anything.
We all hope normally the init scripts are good.
Your layout doesn't make a lot of sense.

Try resetting the XP entry to

Code:

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sdb1
title		Microsoft Windows XP Professional
rootnoverify	(hd1,0)
savedefault
map		(hd0) (hd1)
map		(hd1) (hd0)
chainloader	+1

Just trying things - hard to diagnose remotely.