Cannot Start Linux!

I reinstalled Windows XP on my machine, deleting the exsiting Windows partition, then creating a new partition (with xp install disk). Now that Windows is installed for some reason INstead of C: its I:

AND EVEN WORSE:
When I turn on my computer, I dont get selection to start up LINUX! It just loads Windows! I'm so afraid what do I do!?!?! I love LInux!!!

Please help me!

ANyone can help me please? I'm so anxious to figure out what to DO!?!?

How do I reinstall my bootloader?

This is the time I really need help from this site and I pay money to contribute and noone can help me? Nice Nice.....

http://home.tampabay.rr.com/rcastoro/HELP.GIF This is my partion manager Screenshot, Linux is still there right?

OK I used the Updated Mandriva core update cd to reinstall bootloader with rescue mode..

It seemed to work
LInux boots up very wierd.

It sasys No Dir /home/bdd86
logging in with home = "/"

then it gives me a bash-3.00$ and I cannot do squat with it, what do I do?

I guess ill just reinstall linux...

I was about to learn C++ in linux and now everything is ruined. thanks for all the help guys

You waited all of one hour for help. The money you paid to become a Contributing Member was just that, contributing to the running of the site. It doesn't entitle you to an answer quicker than anyone else and after reading this appalling display "omg help me i'm so important" I can't see why anyone would want to.

Think before you post, you have now created two threads in regards to an issue that has been solved a hundred times as a quick search would have shown you. I'll be reporting this to the mods so they can clean up the dual-thread issue and perhaps you should think before you post in future. The anonymous nature of online forums do not mean that basic social ettiquette should not apply and I see no evidence that anything of the sort has been applied here.

You should have been more carefull with these stupid windows. This invalid partition at the end of the disk must have been your /home. Run "fsck /dev/hda8" as root just in case the partition is still recoverable. However the NTFS partition is the active partition and windows should give a C: to the active partition. However, it gives an I:, so it seems to me that you have an invalid partition table. How did you partition the disk?

Sorry, I'm very frustrated, It took me a long time and countless hours to set up Linux the way it looked best with all packages and everythign perfect, then I go to delete Windows to make more room for linux, and just have Windows for Games and everything goes hay wire.

Windows installation process I followed:

Put in Win XP Disk rebooted
Hit F8 to accept terms
Hit Delete current Windows partition. (still saw the linux partitions)
Create new partition (still saw linux partitions)
Install windows on new partition. (still saw linux partitions)

hda5 was /
hda7 /usr
hda8 /home

i think


When I run find * while in the bash3.00$ I see it searching through /home/bdd86 so its still there right?

edit* When i unmount hda8 and hda7 and do a fsck in SU for both hda8 and hda7 it says there both clean and I get no errors... So what does this mean, can I still fix my problem?

read above

Instresting. When I log in as root with command su and I go

# cd usr/

i still see my bdd86 (my username) and when i CD into there

cd bdd86/

I see all my files?

I just need to get something configured correct. when i type 'liloconfig' it says command not found

Results from cat /etc/fstab (minus the cdrom info and floppy)

/dev/hda5 / ext3 defaults 1 1
/dev/hda8 /home ext 3 defaults 1 2
/dev/hda1 /mnt/win_c ntfs
none /proc proc
/dev/hda7 /usr ext3 defaults 1 2
/dev/hda6 swap swap defaults 0 0

Does this help me?

here it is, fdisk -l What do I do now (i appreicate your help GREATLY!)

disk /dev/hda : 80 GB
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 155061 cylinder
units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device        Boot    Start          End           Blocks          ID    System

/dev/hda1     *         1           35095       17687533+      7      hpfs/ntfs
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundry
/dev/hda2             55415       155061      502217141+    5      Extended
Parition 2 does not end on cylinder boundry
/dev/hda5             55415       67591        6136798+       83    Linux
/dev/hda6             67592       69823       1124518+      82  Linuxswap/solaris
/dev/hda7             69823       111483      20996923+    83     Linux
/dev/hda8             111483      155061      21963375     83     Linux

Thanks for all ur help people I will never use this forum again after you help me

Also when I first log in to the bash shell it says this

bash:dircolors: command not found
bash: locale: command not found
bash: tty: command not found
bash: head: command not found
bash-3.00$