Linux works great, now windows won't boot

samanthamarie · 01-21-2006, 08:45 PM

Okay, I'm completely new at this. I just got done installing Fedora into a dual boot system using a second hard drive for the Fedora. When I shut down and reboot I have no problem at all booting into Fedora, the problem is now I can't boot into Windows XP. When I select it I get the window that tells me that windows had problems shutting down. Then no matter what I choose to boot into windows (regular, safemode, command line, etc...) I get the windows start up screen for about 2 seconds and then my whole computer shuts down and reboots. How do I get Windows running? If there is no way to get it running is there a way to get my files out of Windows and into Linux?

Like I said before I'm completely new at this so if you can explain things to me like your talking to a 10 year old I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

mr_coffee · 01-21-2006, 09:47 PM

Are you using LiLo or grub? i've found Grub fails alot, but Lilo works awesome when i dual boot, but i'm using 2 seperate harddrives, is that ur case or is urs both on the same harddrive?

tuxrules · 01-21-2006, 09:47 PM

If you absolutely have to boot windows, boot with you windows installation cd. Choose to repair windows and then at the command prompt type

Code:

fixmbr

But remember that this procedure will result in Fedora not booting (don't panic it would still be there just that it won't boot).

The other option (since you want data out of windows partition) is to mount windows partition from Linux. If you have Windows with NTFS then you'll only be able to read the data (not write it). If you have windows with FAT32 then Linux can both read and write to that partition.

Hope this helps,
Tux,

samanthamarie · 01-21-2006, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_coffee

Are you using LiLo or grub? i've found Grub fails alot, but Lilo works awesome when i dual boot, but i'm using 2 seperate harddrives, is that ur case or is urs both on the same harddrive?

I'm using grub and two seperate harddrives.

pixellany · 01-21-2006, 10:30 PM

When you start up, do you get a grub menu allowing you to choose Windows or Linux?

If you get this, and Windows tries to boot but gets stuck, then it is not a GRUB issue.

If you do the "fixmbr" thing, then you may not be able to get into Fedora. SO....first open Fedora, and use GRUB to make a boot floppy for Fedora. Then you can use Windows rescue, fixmbr, etc.

AwesomeMachine · 01-22-2006, 05:02 AM

It sounds like the boot loader is ok. That sounds like a finicky windoze prob. But, you can mount the windows part in linux and get the files. in /etc/fstab /dev/windowspartition /mnt/windows ntfs ro,user 0 0 close the file mount /mnt/windows cd /mnt/windows theres the windoze tree