i had win-xp on hda and Slackware on hdb using the xp-bootmanager and
wanted to do a clean Slack-10 install. So i backed up some stuff and was ready to start a new install when i got hold of a Linspire cd. i just wanted to look at it..

So i installed it on hdb, but it changed also the MBR of hda !!!
Since i wasn t asked if this was oke, i think this is bad taste and very disturbing,
almost like a brutal virus.

Now i have seen Linspire ( don t like it ) and made a clean Slack-10 install, but i can t
remove the Linspire bootmanager, so when the pc boots i first get Linspire screen,( i have to choose win-xp ) and then the xp-bootmanager.

i tried to use the xp-cd with ' fixmbr ' , but this gives an error like
" cannot recognize mbr , restoring it could remove all partitioning data ,
and you lose all files on those partitions "

Maybe editing the MBR manually with a hex-editor could do the job, it s only 512 bytes,
but i think that is tricky ??

any suggestions are welcome.

egag

Did you try putting lilo on the mbr???

i put lilo in the MBR of the second disk, and always used the win-xp bootmanager because i read
that lilo was not able to start win-xp.
if so, that might be a good solution. ( and make my Linux-book too old ).
Can lilo boot xp ???

No problem with my system. (XPpro/Slack10.)
However. I don't have sp1 installed don't know if that would make any difference
(I doubt it) A little trick I use on dualboots is to install lilo and loadlin. That way if there's a problem with lilo, I can boot from the xp command line. This has saved me a lot of grief when I goof up (often)























0

Thank you...lilo is working A-oke
The book is dated 1999 and is old !!!
i will also install loadlin , good tip.

so it s bye bye Linspire....

egag.

I am currently running windows xpPro and Suse 9.1 and linspire 4.5 all on 2 HDs. I read how lilo will mess with the xp bootloader and what not, the only thing i've had this problem with so far was fedora core 2. I get the Lilo dbl boot option when my machine loads and i get to chose was OS i want to load. I installed xp pro first on a 40gig hd, I then installed Suse 9.1 on that same drive(got the dual boot) no problems so far. I got a 10gig hd from a buddy and decided to install linspire, so i threw it on there and now i have a system that will boot into any of the OS'S installed and I have absolutly no problem accessing any of them from any OS.
I'm new to linux, like a month or so new and reading all the horror stories etc that lilo isn't as good as GRUB and how things mess with the mbr if not done right.

Well I can say No worries here from either Suse or Linspire when trying a Dual Boot with either of them. the only Linux Dist to give me problems with the MBR has been FC2. and if you search the fedora core website and search for dualboot problems it'll quickly give you the answers you need to fix your dualboot problem. I'll post it here if i have the time.

ohh yeah i am running xp sp2 with this machine too and still no problems.

had same problem (not with linspire, your results may vary then. anyway ways trying to remove lilo)
lilo will boot winxp, but is slower. you have to go through lilo first, even if you set it on zero delay.

just do the winxp cd and do fixmbr. i did it, got the same warning, did it anyway, worked.

yeah... maybe ''fixmbr'' could have done the job, but there was data on that disc i'd rather not lose,
when you get such a warning......(i din't dare to try ).

but the last 3 weeks i've used Lilo and have been very much busy learning about it. ( and Slack/Linux )
right now i use Lilo rather than the xp-bootmanager.( some say lilo looks bad......then the xp-bootmanager looks horrible )
The choice between Grub & Lilo .... that's Linux, you've go a choice. ( nice eh....)

egag

I tried to get rid of Linspire 5.0's boot manager by using the XP pro cd's FIXMBR. I too got the warning but went ahead with the FIXMBR program and got the message that it had re-written the MBR. When I rebooted I still got that stupid Linspire boot up screen.

I have 4 primary partitions:

1: 30GB Windows XP Pro x64
2: 4GB Linux Swap
3: 30GB Linux - Linspire 5.0
4: 30GB Linux - Slackware 10.2

They were installed in this order: Win XP, Linspire, Slackware.

I had tried to install LILO over the Linspire boot manager with no luck. Then I tried the Boot CD for Windows XP - FIXMBR. Still didn't get rid of of the Linspire boot manager. Arrrrrrrg!!!!

Any suggestions?

Not sure what you are trying to do but if you just want the windows boot back then
98 floppy or similar or bootable cd
fdisk /mbr
wipe the mbr clean, lilo or grub will be GONE so no boot choices just straight into windows

I tried using a windows 98 CD with FDISK /mbr. I couldn't boot XP as a result (got no OS error) which, sadly, was the most promising result I had to date. I then used the XP's CD to run FIXMBR which, at the time, seemed to work. I rebooted yet again and much to my horror got the same old Linspire GRUB screen.

Finally, I deleted the Linspire partition, rebooted got a GRUB error, rebooted off the XP CD, ran FIXMBR again (I think I'm going to wear out that CD) and low and behold no more GRUB. No more Linspire and I am happy. Now I'm going to play with Gentoo.