Messed UP Boot Order on dual-boot, don't know GRUB2, need help -- another's PC
 

I am working on another's Dell Inspiron 530 with Vista 64-bit; see below:

root@xxxxxxx:~# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x596dfeb6

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 43287 44353 8570677+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1 1917 15398271 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 * 1918 43286 332286996 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 44354 60801 132118560 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 44354 60018 125829081 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 60019 60618 4819468+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 60619 60801 1469916 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order
root@xxxxxxx:~# lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82G33/G31/P35/P31 Express DRAM Controller (rev 02)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82G33/G31/P35/P31 Express PCI Express Root Port (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82G33/G31 Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02)
00:19.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82562V-2 10/100 Network Connection (rev 02)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02)
00:1a.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 (rev 02)
00:1a.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6 (rev 02)
00:1a.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev 92)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801IR (ICH9R) LPC Interface Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801IR/IO/IH (ICH9R/DO/DH) 4 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.5 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) 2 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 02)

The PROBLEM is that, wanting a dual-boot, 500GB hdd was formatted as above, Win Vista x64 Recovery CD was created, and antiX-M11 (as Swift Linux 0_1_1) installed. Now, at startup, machine boots to antiX and not Vista. User wants it the other way around.

I think I should have reordered the partitions and not installed GRUB in MBR. EasyBCD is the preferred boot loader for User.

This is a learning experience but due to time constraints and not being at my home where references are available, I need your help, please. I'm rushed.

EasyBCD is on a USB stick -- should I boot to the Vista Recovery CD and then try to install EasyBCD to sda3 from it, uninstall antiX (but this will not fix the MBR problem, will it?), or edit fstab or what. Sorry if answer is in the archives, but I'm intimidated by GRUB2 and do not like it much.

Will do what I have to, however. This is not my machine.

a) Does this mean that you don't see a grub menu listing Windows and Linux, allowing you to select which to boot,
b) Does this mean that you do see the grub menu listing Windows and Linux, but the default boot is Linux (and you want it to be Vista),

If a), search Linuxquestions and google for instructions on how to add a menuentry for Windows to your /boot/grub/grub.cfg file.

If b), it's as easy as cut and paste. As root, open /boot/grub/grub.cfg and look for this:
. Cut out the menuentry stanza for Windows and paste it back in ahead of the Linux menuentry, and on subsequent boots you will see windows above Linux in the grub menu.

No, bigrigdriver, it means I do not see Windows listed anywhere -- not in /boot/grub/menu.lst and not as a menuentry in the file /etc/grub.d/10_linux!

I tried editing the former, only to have it fail to boot and had to use lucid puppy to restore. I think I need an example of how to edit the /grub/menu.lst to include Vista -- either that or a) delete GRUB2 and install LILO properly or, b) delete GRUB2 and somehow boot into Vista so EasyBCD.exe file can be installed or, c) another alternative.

I was starting to grasp the concept of legacy GRUB then along comes GRUB2 and things changed. Overwriting MBR is first thing I did wrong.

Your post indicates the machine has antiX and vista installed. You refer to Grub Legacy and Grub2, which do you have. It's not likely that antix uses both and I expect it is Grub Legacy. You need to check to see if you have a /boot/grub/menu.lst (Grub Legacy)file or a /boot/grub/grub.cfg (Grub2)file. Not likely to have both.

Your fdisk output shows sda3 as bootable so, if that is the system partition and it has the boot files, the following entry for Grub Legacy should work:

Solved
 

Thanks much, yancek, that did the trick!
GRUB Legacy is what it is -- no /boot/grub/grub.cfg exists (but the file /etc/grub.d/10_linux does).

Thanks, too, to bigrigdriver.