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Can't boot to windows XP with triple boot setup

I'm having problems with booting into Windows XP in a triple boot system

I installed the OS is this order:

1. Windows XP
2. SUSE 9.3
3. RHEL 5
4. Did a grub install using the RHEL CD.

I can boot to both SUSE and RHEL partitions without problems but with the XP option I get a :

Quote:

grub error 13: invalid unsupported executable format

error.

here is the grub.conf:

Code:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda

#

# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file

# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that

#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.

#          root (hd0,4)

#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00

#          initrd /initrd-version.img

#boot=/dev/hda

default=0

timeout=5

splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

hiddenmenu

title Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (2.6.18-8.el5)

        root (hd0,4)

        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-8.el5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet hpet=disable

        initrd /initrd-2.6.18-8.el5.img

title Windows XP

        rootnoverify (hd0,1)

        makeactive

        chainloader +1

title SUSE LINUX 9.3

    kernel (hd0,1)/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda4 vga=0x317 selinux=0  splash=silent acpi=off resume=/dev/hda4  showopts

    initrd (hd0,1)/initrd

and the fdisk -l command gave me:

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes



  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System

/dev/hda1  *          1        1698    13637498+  7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/hda2            1699        1711      104422+  83  Linux

/dev/hda3            4297        7296    24097500    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)

/dev/hda4            2736        4296    12538732+  83  Linux

/dev/hda5            4297        4309      104391  83  Linux

/dev/hda6            4310        7296    23993046  8e  Linux LVM



Partition table entries are not in disk order

----------------

I tried to add the "makeactive" option in the windows XP item based on another post I read that worked, but the same problems arises.

What should I do?

TIA

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickenjoy (Post 2994286)

Code:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda

#

# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file

# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that

#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.

#          root (hd0,4)

#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00

#          initrd /initrd-version.img

#boot=/dev/hda

default=0

timeout=5

splashimage=(hd0,4)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

hiddenmenu

title Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (2.6.18-8.el5)

        root (hd0,4)

        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-8.el5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet hpet=disable

        initrd /initrd-2.6.18-8.el5.img

title Windows XP

        rootnoverify (hd0,1)

        makeactive

        chainloader +1

title SUSE LINUX 9.3

    kernel (hd0,1)/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda4 vga=0x317 selinux=0  splash=silent acpi=off resume=/dev/hda4  showopts

    initrd (hd0,1)/initrd

and the fdisk -l command gave me:

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes



  Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System

/dev/hda1  *          1        1698    13637498+  7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/hda2            1699        1711      104422+  83  Linux

/dev/hda3            4297        7296    24097500    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)

/dev/hda4            2736        4296    12538732+  83  Linux

/dev/hda5            4297        4309      104391  83  Linux

/dev/hda6            4310        7296    23993046  8e  Linux LVM



Partition table entries are not in disk order

----------------

I tried to add the "makeactive" option in the windows XP item based on another post I read that worked, but the same problems arises.

What should I do?

TIA

Hi!

I am no expert but looking at your grub read-out, I would expect Windows to be (hd0,1) which it is. You also have Suse as (hd0,1) which to my mind it can't be. If this is your problem I am not sure how you fix it as you say Suse boots as (hd0,1). I would expect to have to change the Suse to (hd0,2) or (hd0,3 or 6), but you say it already recognises itself as (hd0,1). From your devices above it looks as if (hd0,6) is the other Linux partition.

I hope this might help, if not I am talking nonsense and so just ignore my nonsense.

Georgina Everingham

Nope - grub counts disks and partitions from zero. Try "rootnoverify (hd0,0)"

Tried rootnoverify (hd0,0) and grub just automatically goes back into the grub menu. Actually I tried hd0,0 till 8 and it still just reverts back to the grub selection menu.

thanks.