Can't get access to anything after attempting to install

Executor21 · 11-05-2006, 12:41 PM

I have a Dell 9100, which, before I attempted to install Mandriva 2007 had:

105 GB Windows XP partition
40 GB Fedora Core 5 partition

In the course of installation, I chose to resize the windows partition, to give 40 GB to Mandriva. Once it was partitioning, it said that Windows will perform a filecheck on the next boot, and told me to reboot. I did... and now, when I boot from hard drive, I can't get into Windows, Mandriva (which I don't think was actually installed) or Fedora. It just pops out a message I don't remember and a command line preceded by grub>

When I entered install mode again, I looked at the size of available partitions, and the partitioning was made. The Windows partition is now 63 GB. But I can't boot it.

I really need some help right now. I'm lucky I've got Knoppix, or I wouldn't be able to even ask for help here.

josenj · 11-06-2006, 12:02 PM

What is the exact message anyway? Since you are using the trusted Knoppix cd you can try this out (assuming /mnt/hda1 has your grub stuff):

sudo mount -o dev,rw /mnt/hda1

If have it mounted already type:

sudo mount -o remount,dev,rw /mnt/hda1

Then cd into /mnt/hda1/boot/grub and edit the menu.lst file. You can use my menu.lst file as a template but change stuff around to make it work for your system.

Code:

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.8-3-686 
root		(hd1,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-3-686 root=/dev/hdb1 ro 
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-3-686
savedefault
boot

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.8-3-686 (recovery mode)
root		(hd1,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-3-686 root=/dev/hdb1 ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-3-686
savedefault
boot

title		Other operating systems:
root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title		Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root		(hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader	+1

Then reboot. Here I gave you what one of my dual boot machines has since you said you had Windows on your machine.

Good Luck!

Executor21 · 11-06-2006, 11:38 PM

I think I figured out what happened. When the installer created new partitions, the old ones were renumbered... but because the installation wasn't completed, I couldn't change the configuration file, and so at the boot, the system attempted to boot a partition with nothing on it. I managed to boot into Windows using:

rootnoverify (hd0,1)
> makeactive
> chainloader +1
> boot

If I could remember my kernel address for Fedora, I could probably boot into it as well, but I don't, and Knoppix didn't let me access it (it did let me access the Windows partition, though).

I haven't lost anything, so the partitioning was made. I should probably either use Knoppix to delete the empty partitions and start over, this time resizing the Fedora partition, or use the manual option in the Mandriva installer to install Mandriva on the partitions it already created. Any good places to look up info on that (the manual options in the Mandriva installer, that is)?

Thanks a lot.