Just installed Debian onto a partition that I had set aside on my PC when I last formatted and installed windows XP the debian installation worked fine but now I can't get grub to boot xp... had more errors than I can list from trying to change menu.lst in grub, the current one is

filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7

Error 12 invalid device requested

Not sure but I think it may have something to do with the fact that for some reason instead of being numbered as 1 the XP partition is numbered as 5

If someone could tell me what I'm doing wrong it'd be great thanks

Coud you post your current grub.conf ?

And too set some things straigth:

You have 1 harddisk?
It's divided in 2 partitions?
Windows is on Partition 1?
Linux on Partition 2?

Then your grub.conf should look somewhat like this: (based on my questions. XP part1 *nix part2).

So Windows was on the computer, and then you installed Linux.....If this is correct, I don't see how Windows got on partition #5.

When you installed Debian, what option(s) did you select for installing the bootloader?

Can you boot up from CD--ie the Debian CD, or any "live CD" version of Linux?
If so, Please post the output of "fdisk -l".

No clue how it got onto partition 5 when I loaded it on it went on to the second partition because I accidentally made that one the larger one and I needed windows on the larger partition, when I installed debian it automatically moved it to 5.

I just reinstalled debian and it moved it to partition 2 this time and when the grub setup went through it actually recognised that XP was there which is more then it's done before but it still wont load it it comes up with
file system type unknown, partition type 0x7

when you print out fdisk it comes up with:
Disk /dev/hda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 684 5494198+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 * 2551 9728 57657253+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda3 685 2550 14988645 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 685 767 666666 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda6 768 2550 14321916 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/hdb: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 1 9729 78148161 7 HPFS/NTFS


and the menu.lst is
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 5

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(single-user) single
# altoptions=(single-user mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.17-2-686
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-2-686 root=/dev/hda1 ro
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-2-686
savedefault

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.17-2-686 (single-user mode)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-2-686 root=/dev/hda1 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-2-686
savedefault

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda2
title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
root (hd0,1)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1


No clue why it wont read it only thing i can think it that i somehow deleted the wondows boot thing but it wont let me fix that either.

debian loads up fine it's just windows that wont load and i just let the boot installer configre everything automatically figured it knew what it was doing better then i did

Looks to me like you need to map Windows to make it think it's in the first partition. What's a little confusing, is whether you had free space before the Windows partition, or was there another primary partition. I would think it was free space, if it was not and there was a partition, there's a good chance it was a Windows boot partition, in which case Windows won't boot and may need to be reinstalled, but looks too big for a boot partition.

If it was a boot partition, you may be able to repair it using the WIndows installation CD and put the boot files in the Windows partition, then you'll have to reinstall grub in the MBR.

Tried mapping it, it still comes up with the same filesystem type unknown error and i can't get the fixboot for windows to change where it bots to it's fixed in the one place, which seems to be the drive that linux is on...

ok just gave in and reformatted and put XP in the first partition stupid windows and their sticking highly important bits in completely different partitions to everything else.... thanks for all your help anyway...