I'm a 20+ year DOS/Windows user trying to expand my horizons ... so Linux Newbie is an understatment.

I've loaded Vista SP2 and created a partition for OpenSUSE, which was suggested by another trusted co-worker whom knows I am trying to expand. Rather than burden them down with questions, I am using some support sites they suggested. For the first day I was able to boot to either OS without incident. Then I changed the default boot option to have Windows as the default (I know, but I know it best ... at least for now) Then it all broke loose.

Now all I get when I reboot my PC is a black screen with a blinking line cursor in the upper left of my display.

I tried the repair option with the SUSE CD, but I still get the cursor in the upper left. I can't even get into OpenSUSE. So, I've used the Windows install DVD and fixed the MBR there.

I'm sure there is a trick, I just need to know what it is. I'd rather not reinstall OpenSUSE again, unless that is the only option.

I have also tried on my laptop, a Dell Inspiron 9400. It's Vista SP1 with a partition for OpenSUSE ... but with the same results.

Tnx in advance.

Changing the default option shouldn't cause any problem as long as the default number is pointing to a valid, bootable partition. Can you use your OPensuse CD, start it in Rescue mode and login as root (su & password)
and run the command "fdisk -l" and post the output. That's a lower case Letter L not a one. You know Grub counts from zero not one?

Yancek ... I hope I type this correctly.

Disk /dev/sda 120.90 BG 120034123776 bytes
255 herads 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = Cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk Identifier 0xd873d750

Device Boot Start End Blocks ID System
/dev/sda1 * 1 10586 85025788 7 HFFS/NTfs
/dev/sda2 * 10587 14593 32186277+ f W95 Ext'd LBA
/dev/sda5 10587 10848 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 10849 12375 12265596 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 12376 14593 17816053+ 83 Linux

Thanx. No, I don't know about Grub.

Calrification. How did you change the default boot option? Were you booting from Opensuse Grub bootloader? or from vista bootloader originally? I assumed Grub but...? You did repair the vista bootloader and are able to now boot vista? What do you want to do? Do you want to boot both with Grub from Opensuse or both from vista?

Your fdisk output shows two Linux partitions, I assume they are both Opensuse? Is one a /boot partition? data partition?

If sda6 is your root partition, you could re-install Grub using your Opensuse CD and logging as root and entering the following commands:

grub (to get grub prompt grub>)
root (hd0,5)
setup (hd0)
quit

This will install Grub to the master boot record of your hard drive and obviously overwrite what is there now (vista boot record). You will then likely need to make and entry manually for vista by editing the /boot/grub/menu.lst file and adding:

rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

I'm not sure you want to go this route. I'm also not sure after re-reading your original post how you were booting and what your meant by changing default the default boot option? BIOS?

I'd like for the Suse boot loader to enable me to load either Suse or Vista. I've got it booting into Suse, but not to Windows.

I added the two lines (I think) to the menu.lst file, and it boots straight into Suse.

Maybe it's time to delete the partition and reload all over.

Would need your menu.lst (in /boot/grub) or the lilo.conf file to see whats wrong.