WinXP won't boot after installing MDK 10.0
 

As you can tell, I dual boot betweens WinXP and Mandrake. I just installed MDK10.0 today. (It'll take some getting used to, but I like it.) Anyways, after I installed it and messed with it for a bit, I tried to switch back over to Windows, but when I chose Windows in the (lilo) boot menu, the screen turned black, except for a cursor that just keeps blinking. I tried booting from both the XP and MDK CD's to see if the built-in recovery tools would help any, but it didn't.. I have no clue as to what the problem is. I hope someone will be able to help. Thanks in advance. :)

windows xp won't boot after mandrake 10 is installed?
hooray!

sorry
inaapropriate response, couldn't resist it

have heard the same complaint from several sources, am a little worried now as I am using xp to build a website for someone and I can do it in dreamweaver but don't know html
and I have just ordered and paid for, Mandrake 10

maybe create a mandrake boot floppy, then repair the xp bootloader using a windows bootfloppy and typing fdisk /mbr at the A: command prompt
then use the mandrake boot floppy to get into mandrake

thanks for the (unintentional) warning

Re: WinXP won't boot after installing MDK 10.0
 

I have bad news for you...sorry.

I had the exact same thing happen to me.

I tried the rescue/repair modes of both the Mdk CD and the WinXP CD. I tried fixboot and fixmbr.

I tried reinstalling WinXP...it didn't help.

I tried running 'lilo -v' from Mandrake....it didn't help.

I finally saved what I could, wiped the entire drive, and started over.

Some people are having this same serious problem with Mdk 10_rc1...I was one of the unlucky ones...it looks like you are too.

It took me 2 days to DL all the WinXP updates again...then I ghosted the drive just in case for the next time.

Was this Mandrake 10_rc1 ?

I have an IBM Deskstar 45G hard drive...this doesn't happen to be yours too is it?

I hope you find an easier way.

You don't use 'fdisk /mbr' with WinXP...you use "fixboot' or 'fixmbr' from the WinXP install CD.

...but neither of those work.

My trouble was with Mandrake 10_rc1 ...let's see if he has the same.

so
if neither fixboot or fixmbr work then try the old trusty win98 boot floppy
it can and does fix the mbr with fdisk /mbr
though I havent tried it under these specific circumstances

I'm using MDK 10.0 Community right now.. I thought I could use my '98 boot disk to fix the MBR, but after I did that, it wouldn't even go to the boot menu. I tried using fixboot and fixmbr from the XP CD, but I must've done something wrong, because it said something like "No OS Installed". It took me forever to get it so I could boot into Linux again.

I'm a bit of a MDK newbie, so concerned about your folks problems.

Have you tried booting from a Knoppix 3.3 CD and looking at /etc/lilo.conf file and checking the settings.

Just an idea.


PS. It's possible to get a free knoppix 3.4 CD from:

http://www.loadux.com/freeservers.html

You don't need a Knoppix cd to do the same thing with MDK. With the first cd in the drive and when it gets to the splash screen hit f1 and when is prompts you type in rescue. you will then have the option to reinstall the XP mbr or the linux mbr or mount all of you Linux partions under mnt and then you can vi or edit the lilo.conf file.

I booted with the MDK CD and told it to redo the Windows boot record, but when I rebooted, all I got was a blinking cursor at the bottom of the screen. I checked the hard drive light, but it was off.

third party bootloader?

acronis OS selector?

I don't have any of those. I just use lilo. Are those suggestions? If so, how do I install them? Would switching to grub help me out?

Try mbrwizard see what it reports. It's a free tool:
http://www.simtel.net/product.downlo...s.php?id=68928

It's a command line program so you will need to use a boot floppy or CD to get to a DOS prompt to run it from.

Set your Windows partition active and then reboot.

If your thinking of installing multiple systems use it to backup the MBR as well before installing something new.

It's saved me a couple of times.

I tried using that. No changes. :cry:

am I being overly optimistic here

or

is this REALLY crap of mandrake to realease an OS that screws up the Win boot process
and can't boot from cd1

i thought 9.2 was a bit dodgy
but surely these are fairly basic things

it sort of doesn't inspire confidence

or have i missed the point?

suggest you all email mandrake a.s.a.p.

have just done same
there is NO mention of this on the mdk10 errata page

yet