Mandrake / WinXP problem
 

I just installed Mandrake 9.1 on a machine that was already running WinXP. I used the recommended option to install into the Windows' partition's free space. The problem is that now Windows won't boot when I select it from the Boot Loader. It just gets stuck on the "Loading windows" screen.

The fact that I cannot load Windows is not so much a problem as is the fact that I NEED access to the files in my Windows partition. How do I go about getting at these? I read some information about how mounting may be what I need... so how do I do that?

Thanks in advance

If the windows partition is NTFS, I think mandrake 9.1 has NTFS support I dunno I've never used MD but the general mount command for that is

(first make a mount point)
(as root of course)
mkdir /mnt/windows
(then mount it)
mount -t ntfs /dev/hdXY /mnt/windows


or for a FAT32

mount -t vfat /dev/hdXY /mnt/windows

I'm assuming you know the dev naming system and how it works, if not, just go ahead and ask and we'll explain



edit: we'll make sure this works first, and then we'll check your booting procedure

If you can boot linux, then your windows partition should be already mounted in under /mnt/win_c or something like that - just look in the /mnt directory. You should be able to read the files.

Hi elipt

Taking this at face value - when people talk about installing in free space they're referring to installing into unpartitioned free space - not free space thats left over inside a current Windows partition.

Can you currently boot into Linux? Did you use LILO? - Can you post your lilo.conf file?

Open a Console

su
root password

cat /etc/lilo.conf

(Mandrake 9.1 can Read NTFS out of the box)

Yeah, it's NTFS. A couple things:
- How do I make a mount point?
- /mnt/windows already exists.
- When I try the mount command, it says that only the root can do that, although I'm assuming that this has something to do with making a mount point "as root".

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
vga=normal
default="linux"
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off quiet"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
read-only
other=/dev/hda1
label="windows"
table=/dev/hda
other=/dev/fd0
label="floppy"
unsafe
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-0.13mdk
label="old_linux"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.21-0.13mdk.img
append="quiet devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=nomount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off failsafe"
read-only

/mnt/windows is empty, or so it appears

In general - to create a mount point

Open a shell

su
root password

mkdir /mnt/windows

Have you actually cheked whether its already mounted in /mnt/windows?

in a terminal window, first become root using the su command. you will be asked for the root password. then do
mount /mnt/windows
this should mount the windows partition.

BTW, mandrake by default mounts all windows partitions it finds so it shouldn't be necessary to mount it. What is the output of the command df?

Su to root user in a shell - then type

mount –t ntfs –o ro /dev/hda1 /mnt/windows

then go to the /mnt/windows directory and check whether its mounted

mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/hda1,
or too many mounted file systems

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/hda5 5.4G 1.6G 3.6G 31% /
/dev/hda9 3.4G 148M 3.3G 5% /home

Can you post your mtab file?

su to root user in a shell

cat /etc/mtab

ok, your windows partition is not mounted.
try as root
mount /mnt/windows

what actually happened to hda6 thru 8?

/dev/hda5 / ext3 rw 0 0
none /proc proc rw 0 0
none /proc/bus/usb usbdevfs rw 0 0
none /dev devfs rw 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts rw,mode=0620 0 0
/dev/hda9 /home ext3 rw 0 0
none /mnt/cdrom supermount ro,dev=/dev/scd0,fs=auto,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,codepage=850,umask=0 0 0
none /mnt/cdrom2 supermount ro,dev=/dev/hdd,fs=auto,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,codepage=850,umask=0 0 0
none /mnt/floppy supermount rw,sync,dev=/dev/fd0,fs=auto,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,codepage=850,umask=0 0 0

Trying to mount gives me the message, "mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/hda1,
or too many mounted file systems"

I'm not sure about hda6 through 8, but I think it may have to do with a failed installation (computer froze).

Your Windows partition isnt currently mounted. - I'm wondering where it is.............

Post your partition table.

su to root user

fdisk -l /dev/hda

(-l= small L)

(incidentally you dont appear to have a swap file either)

and also your
/etc/fstab

Disk /dev/hda: 13.7 GB, 13701316608 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1665 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 382 3068383+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 383 1665 10305697+ 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 383 1098 5751238+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 1608 1654 377496 83 Linux
/dev/hda7 1655 1665 88326 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda8 1099 1161 506016 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda9 1162 1607 3582463+ 83 Linux

/dev/hda5 / ext3 defaults 1 1
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0620 0 0
/dev/hda9 /home ext3 defaults 1 2
none /mnt/cdrom supermount dev=/dev/scd0,fs=auto,ro,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,codepage=850,umask=0 0 0
none /mnt/cdrom2 supermount dev=/dev/hdd,fs=auto,ro,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,codepage=850,umask=0 0 0
none /mnt/floppy supermount dev=/dev/fd0,fs=auto,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,sync,codepage=850,umask=0 0 0
/dev/hda1 /mnt/windows ntfs iocharset=iso8859-1,ro,umask=0 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/hda7 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/hda8 swap swap defaults 0 0

Change this line above in /etc/fstab to

/dev/hda1 /mnt/windows ntfs auto,ro,umask=0222 0 0


to do that - su to root user

kedit /etc/fstab

once youve made the changes save the file and reboot your computer then check inside the /mnt/windows directory

Still didn't work. I also saw a message saying something about not being about to find /proc in mtab and fstab when it was booting up.

This is a strange one................. I suppose you could always try a different mount point besides the default one Mandrake sets up ie

su to root user

mkdir /mnt/xp

then

kedit /etc/fstab

then change this:

/dev/hda1 /mnt/windows ntfs auto,ro,umask=0222 0 0

to

/dev/hda1 /mnt/xp ntfs umask=0222,auto,ro 0 0


(if all else fails you could always put your old line back later to get rid of the proc mention)

xp shows up, but is still empty

Anything else I should try? Would Wine help any?

I have used Mandrake since 8.0 and I have never seen
it not mount the windows partition.
Linux can read NTFS so I don't see the problem. Something fishy occured during installation.
It is easy to reinstall and save all the hastles.
Just use the normal install and not expert.
If you aren't yet familiar with the linux console now is not the
time for this.
Get it working first and keep the fustration lever down to
a glow.

Garion
I didn't lose my hair from hieredity, I pulled it out the hard way.
One strand at a time

Is there any way for me to delete my existing Linux partitions before reinstalling so that it doesn't get really messy on my hard drive? And would reinstalling Mandrake like you say possibly help me access my Windows files, or are those pretty much a lost cause at this point?

the mandrake installer will allow you to wipe the existing linux partitions and let you choose the size etc. of the new partitions (you might have to do it in expert mode - i never understood why they call it expert mode - i used it the first time I ever installed linux and nothing struck me as expertish) just make sure you don't wipe the windows partition.

the windows partition is still there so the stuff should be retrevable somehow.

Mandrake 8 did this to me, it seems to somehow stupidly point to another copy of Lilo instead of the windows boot loader. Never did figure it out, what I did {after considering purchasing a rifle and sitting outside mandrake headquarters} was boot to the XP install CD rom and go to the recovery console. There is a command you can enter from here something along the lines of MBRFIX which will rewrite the MBR to load windows XP automatically. I hope this helps you, in my case apparently mandrakes partition manager overwrote part of my NTFS partition and it was corrupted. Thankfully I don't ever keep data on my computer that isn't duplicated elsewhere so I just reinstalled XP. Not the first time I've had a linux install FUBAR my windows. So I kind of was expecting it.

If the MBRFIX util works, just go into windows patrtition manager, axe the linux partition into nothing, DO NOT allocate it as a drive in XP, just clear it out.

Then, reinstall linux. What I have found that works REALLY WELL was this. I have an 80GB drive so I allocated 30GB to XP {when i had to reinstall} and then another 10GB to a FAT32 partition. This was done so that XP and linux had both read and write access to the same area of my HD. Then let linux use the rest of the freespace. The advantage of this is, if linux fuxors up the partitioning, it kills the FAT32 partition which you just remake. And yes, Linux did screw this parition up on me, but going back into windows XP and reallocating it has seemingly set everything straight.

I like what WhiteChedda says.

I suggest first fix your WinXP by MBRFIX or a reinstallation and see
if your data even still exists. The Windoze system must be installed
first anyway
If MD has created new partitions, leave them so you can use them
for the Linux reinstall. You will need these partitions anyway.
(if you have Partition Magic you can check first)

After fixing XP, if the data exists and the partitions are there, just reinstall
MD to the linux partitions.
There should be two, ext2 or ext3 and a swap partition.

MD (in expert mode)will ask you if you what partitions to format
and how to format them (type of partition(ext or swap)) Do not format
hda1, that is the Win partition.
That may be what you did and now your data is lost.

This is only my opinion.
Mandrake has been good to me and I ain't that proficient.
It will do what you tell it and if you screw up, it will too.

My opinion about XP is that it seem to be the most successful
virus ever.

Windows xp problem
 

Excuse for my bad english, but i have a big problem. Yesterday i installed linux mandrake 9.1 with windows xp operating system already installed,hte problem is this: i have 2 partitions ntfs where win xp is installed,and another left where mandrake installed itself in auto mode,after reboot linux starts but windows no,in a first moment the system hang itself for a virus in the boot sector,then the loader says that the system windows is not recognized.What i must to do? Thanks in advance

This should answer tell you how to boot both successfully.
First fix the mbr of XP

Fixing MBR with WindozXP CD.

1)Using partition software such as Partition Magic®,delete the Linux partition and distributed the free space among your existing partitions.
2)Insert your WinXP CD in your CD-ROM and enable CD-Boot in your BIOS.
3)After CD loadup process finished, you will get the Setup menu.
4)Press R to enter the Recovery Console.
5)Choose the drive where you install your windows.
6)Insert your administrator password.
7)At the console, type fixmbr
8)Press Y for all questions.
9)Reboot the Zion..oopss the PC
10)And Walla!! your MasterBootRecord has come back to normal.

Then follow the directions in this link to get Linux to work

http://www.geocities.com/epark/linu...-w2k-HOWTO.html

Good luck

Garion
Windoze XP - the world's most successful virus.