I finally was able to install open suse 10.3 as a multiboot with XP and Vista but now from grub I can't boot into windows, is it because of the new vista boot loader? how do I fix this. I urgently need to fix this so that I can boot into windows to do my work.

You need to post a bit more info if you want help with your problem. Firstly post the contents of /boot/grub/menu.lst and let us know which partitions have your Windows installations (you could just post the output of running "/sbin/fdisk -l" as root).

i got vista and running fine with suse 10.3

If you need it so urgently that you dont have the time to be mucking around with grub. Just grab a windows install disk and use the repair utility on the disc. It should give you command line access and you should call "fixmbr"

Forgive me for asking as I am just a linux newbie but how do I run "/sbin/fdisk -l" as root", I opened a root shell in Konsole and typed "/sbin/fdisk -l" annd got-: "No such file or directory"
please help

You sure you were root?
There is no fixmbr with vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

Yep, you right. I just tried it myself with same result! Works without quotation marks though.

thx for posting back with some help, I tried it and it worked. Here is the info you asked for:
Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 64601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x94479447

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 5418 40960048+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 5419 9482 30723840 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 9483 64601 416699640 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 9483 23027 102400168+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 23028 36572 102400168+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7 36573 50117 102400168+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda8 50118 64601 109499008+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0d0e0e90

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 9785 78589980 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 9785 19457 77698341 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 9785 10046 2104452 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb6 10047 12657 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 12658 19457 54620968+ 83 Linux

Here is the info you requested,

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 64601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x94479447

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 5418 40960048+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 5419 9482 30723840 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 9483 64601 416699640 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 9483 23027 102400168+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 23028 36572 102400168+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7 36573 50117 102400168+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda8 50118 64601 109499008+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0d0e0e90

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 9785 78589980 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 9785 19457 77698341 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 9785 10046 2104452 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb6 10047 12657 20972826 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 12658 19457 54620968+ 83 Linux
I hope you can help me

When you try install OS at your computer, what OS that you installed first? Second? And the last? If you had installed open suse on very last, you would have met no difficult in GRUB configuration. It'll auto config --> has no problem.

And if you had installed open SUse at first or second, windows bootloader (MBR) would had overwrited Open Suse loader (GRUB). If this happened, you had to edit GRUB config. Type this at command shell:

(I recommend you make back up before try this. look at www.andreaslm.wordpress.com)

name@computername: su (hit enter) // if it can't, try sudo
password: (your password) (hit enter)
root@computername: cp /boot/grub/menu.lst /boot/grub/menu.lst_bak
root@computername: nano* /boot/grub/menu.lst (hit enter) //*=editor, you can use your favourite like gedit or vim or nano

try find this
##End Default Options#

Afetr you have found it, add this text below ##End Default Options#

* means depends where you installed. If you want to know run QTparted on Knoppix Live CD

title Windows Vista
root (hdX*,X)
makeactive
chainloader +1

title Windows XP
root (hdX,X)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Then Save it!

If you want to add some timeout, find this line

timeout X

X means what time you required to display GRUB options which on firstly you reboot your computer. If you set it to 0 (zero), then you can't choose any OS because you set out 0 second. And if you choose 10 seconds, it means it will automatically boot the first line of GRUB options after 10 seconds you don't give any react (It means Open Suse, you can make Vista or Xp as the first boot options).

Suggestion: Remember, you have to back up GRUB. And if you don't sure about this, please find your friend that able in Linux.

Hope this will help you.

I installed XP first, Vista second and suse third

Cyberspeedjunkie