Hey all,

Ntdetect.com just hangs...

Mbrwizd.exe might be the answer... but I can't see how... it doesn't report any errors.

I'm going to try installing MDK9.2 next and see if I can get WinXP to post.

Karl

I have a lowend motherboard.. (cant remeber the brand) buit it is AMD Athlon, witha via chipset, I have a Radeon 9000, and an older 30gig maxtor drive. If you need anything more specific let me know.. (btw this was a clean install not an upgrade if that makes anydiffrences as well)

thanks
trey

Where is your XP installed? On the C: partition or another partition?

This is a copy of my Boot.ini file:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Recovery Console" /cmdcons

Note: all bootloader files- boot.ini, NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM are located in the root partition i.e. partition (1) along with my Win2K. Windows XP is located on partition (3).

If I were to add a new partition between these two operating systems, I would effectively move XP to partition (4). Then if I tried to boot into XP without editing my boot.ini file, I would hit a blank screen or get some message referring to no O/S or some such.

If you know which partition your XP lives on, boot into your Linux O/S, mount the XP drive, navigate to the root and look for the boot.ini file. Check it to see that the XP partition number corresponds with the ACTUAL partition location. If not, change it to reflect XP's actual location on your HDD and save.

Try then to reboot via your Lilo loader.

Hey Capblanc,

Thanks for the post.

I've reformated the hard drive (two partitions), WinXP is on the first, c:. I am further subdividing the second half of the drive (using MDK9.2 recommended spacing) and am installing MDK9.2.

Once I get MDK posting I go look at the WinXP boot.ini and see, and post back.

Karl

Hey,

....wait... rats, WinXP is in NTFS... I'm not going to be able to edit the boot.ini file!

Thoughts?

Karl

Hey,

Okay... MDK9.2 install is done. I'm booting for the first time now. I tried going into Windows and it just hung.

I'll boot MDK and look at boot.ini.

Karl

Hey all,

Okay I'm up in MDK (had problems there for a few minutes... forgot that my LCD is on digital... so clean install analog only until I can get nVidia's drivers installed...)

Boot.ini from WinXP directory:

[boot loader]
timeout= 1
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" /fastdetect

Anyone?

What about editing the bootloader from MDK using MDK configurer... I think I'll go poke at that.

Karl

You should at least be able to read the boot.ini file if not write to it. I seem to think you should be able to write to the boot.ini file from linux. In any case it is only a text file.

Main thing is to see how it is configured and if the other essential files are there. ( I can't imagine why not, but anyway)

If your XP is on C: the boot.ini entry should be pointing to:

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]

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

Which indicates that XP is located on the first partition of disk (0) your primary drive.

BTW, I am not an expert in Linux, but have you thought to look at how Lilo is set up? Is it pointing to the correct partition for windows? I believe that should be dev/hda1.

Hey Capblanc,

I think the WinXP boot.ini file looks okay.

In linux looking at bootloader... everything refers to hdc.

The WinXP reference is to /dev/hdc1

The working MDK is referenced to /dev/hdc5

Why hdc5? I don't know... should the WinXP pointer be to a different partition?

I'm going to try adding another entry to the boot list and select it on reboot and see if it'll post...


Karl

After this I will never try Mandrake again.

although I can now boot my windows partition, Im greeted with the same error as most people "cant load OS".

Im going to back up what files I can, then completely format the entire hard drive.


I'm pretty depressed by this.. as I had windows working to perfection, yet had to satisfy my curiosity about Linux, and I'm regretting it..

Hopefully all will be well once I flatten and reinstall.

Hey all,

I think I'm making progress...

Went into Drake and tried to add and edit the boot loader. It would just hang when it would try to write... since newer loader?

So, I swapped to grub... which worked, swapped back to lilo... and it worked. Added new entry for Windows. Rebooted, still didn't load WinXP... but now it's using the version loader with MDK9.2, so I'm going to try fdisk /mbr... can't since c: doesn't show up because it's NTFS... in FDISK it shows up as partition2... what the heck?

Now that I have the older bootloader installed. I'm going to Fdisk repartition, format and fdisk /mbr (or console fixmbr)...

I'll post back in a while...

Karl

Hey [SA]Chem,

Hello!

I hear ya... but it's worse then that... reformating everything may not allow you to boot WinXP... that's where I'm stuck right now.

I'm onto something right now... I'll post back in <1hr with something (gulp, I hope).

Karl

^^^^^^^^
What?
How can reformatting not fix it? there wouldn't be anything of Linux OR Windows left?

Is this a linux Distro or a cleverly disguised Windows Virus?

Hey,

Darn it... didn't work.

I figured with the older bootloader, that I could enter the console and fixmbr... no luck still gave the error about not loading os.

I'm going to hose the hd again and try again...

Karl

Hey [SA]Chem,

I kid you not... try it and see.

Some folks seem to be able to wipe and go... some don't have any issues at all...

Me I'm thoroughly stuck. So bad... that the only OS I can get to work is MDK. I suppose I could dig out Win2k and try that... but I bet it acts like WinXP...

I'm going to reformat my hard drive (3rd time) and try again.

I now have the MDK10.0 version bootloader removed so this might help!

Karl