The CD shows no options of starting it :/

Okay, let's go back to the boot disk. First, use Partition Magic to figure out what partition number your Linux partition now is--it should be 2 or 3.

Boot your computer from the Linux floppy. When you see the Grub menu, highlight your Red Hat Version and press the letter 'e'--this will allow you to manually make some changes. There should be three lines and the first one should look like this:

root (hd0,2)

A Grub peculiarity is that they start counting at zero, instead of the normal Linux wasy of starting at one. This means that you have to subtract one from the actual partition number to give Grub the correct parameter. In the example above, it simply tells Grub that the root partition is hd0 (hda in Linux) in the third partition (2). For partition number two, we would change this to (hd0,1).

Using that information, change the partition number to reflect your present system and see if it will start Linux.

If it doesn't work, try 0-3 and see if one will trigger a boot.

If you get it started, log on as Root and reinstall Grub in the beginning of the boot partition (your '/'). At a command line, type this, replacing the question mark with your correct partition number (one more than the number that made Grub work).

/sbin/grub-install /dev/hda?

Then go back up in this post where I told you how to make a boot disk and fix do that again--it will give you the ability to boot from a floppy until you get boot.ini set up.

Now, if it still doesn't work, we need to go back to your deleting partitions, adding smaller ones in their place and anything else you may have done with Partition Magic. Honestly, Snake, I've got a few questions about what you actually did.

You deleted a 7.7 GB partition and replaced it with a 100 MB one--what is now occupying the other 7.6 GB hole that leaves?

Did you try to move or change your Linux partitions with Partition Magic?

Hopefully, these questions are overcome by events and that your system started.

Ciao,

Questions come first. (I had to download damned Partition magic, took me 2 days as I removed the earlier copy for some reason )

1) There is nothing occupying that 7.6GB hole. It's "unallocated" in partition magic.

You know what, I'll just show you the table partition magic shows me, or wait.. just a part of the screen shot.

http://www.hardfist.com/picz/table.JPG

2) And no, I did'nt try to move or do anything to it.


Now my questions

>If you get it started, log on as Root and reinstall Grub in the >beginning of the boot partition (your '/'). At a command line, >type this, replacing the question mark with your correct partition >number (one more than the number that made Grub work).

I did'nt quite understand this.


>Then go back up in this post where I told you how to make a >boot disk and fix do that again--it will give you the ability to >boot from a floppy until you get boot.ini set up.

Which boot floppy stuff?

Thanks so much.

do a search on this site for NTLDR, we've seen something similar before.

Snake, good to hear from you again! Need a favor--no more changes to the hard drive configuration until we get this worked out--okay?

I didn't mean to confuse you--let me see if I can explain what I was trying to get you to do. For some reason, your boot disk won't start RH. The picture you posted would indicate that you didn't alter the drive order from Red Hat's perspective, but for some reason, it now cannot find the image it is looking for. My thought was to just play with the boot loader a little and see what it thinks it should try to boot.

Looking at the partition it should be hda4, or, in Grub parlance, hd(0,3). The directions I posted should let you enter Grub's edit mode by highlighting the Red Hat line and pressing the letter 'e.' In that edit mode, change the root line and see if it works. If it doesn't, experiment a little--try hd(0,2). The point is if you get it to work, we need to know what that is.

Let's just do that, then I' run you through the boot floppy stuff.

Note to other readers: If you look at Snake's picture from PM and do not understand why I would have any doubts about his Linux partition being hda4, go back to his original post. Even though Linux labels them sequentially, his Linux drive was hda3 and the Swap partition in front of it was hda4.

Apparently not, or else deadbug wud'nt have been patient enuf to take me thru this since a whole month.

Ok deadbug

BTW, I don't think there's a grub coming there. :/ If i simply start up, it comes for the windows xp option. Or, if i put in the floppy, it starts RH, but thats the error it gives.

You'll see Grub before that. It isn't the graphic menu you normall get--it is a text-based one more like NTLDR. It probably only has one option and gives you just a few seconds to change/edit the selection. That is when you want to press 'e'

Or, try this:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...208#post209208

Ok.. lemme try.

Any luck?

Ok,

I did that thing which asks me to do the 'linux rescue' thingy.. with no problems, but then.. when i saved and exited and rebooted the pc without the linux cd. It booted and brought the NTLDR with the following 2 options:

MS XP Professional
Windows (0)

Upon clicking windows, it doesnt work (I remember this entry in the grub.conf) and it simply reboots the pc. And also, If i dont choose any option, it still reboots. Upon entering on the MS XP Professional, it brings me into MS XP without any problems.

Back to square one.

We're going to see if we can fix several things at once--put your CD in and start it down the install path (at the text menu, just hit return). When you get to where you can chose the type of install (Server, Workstation, Personal, ...), chose upgrade. The idea is to have it install something (anything--you can remove it later). Along the way, it will let you install a bootloader (put it in the superblock, or first part, of your Linux partition) and it will let you make a new boot floppy.

When you finish, you should have lost no data and be able to boot Red Hat from the floppy.

Make sense?

Makes awesome sense.

Working a LOT lately with sleep as less as 2 hours, so dont mind my irritating downtimes :/

Ok, I tried. But as luck always has it, I dont get luck.

I followed the CD steps, everything went fine till I cose "Upgrade" and then it asks me to check a box if I want to customize the packages I want to get upgraded.. but whether I check it and click on next or NOT check it and click on next, this is what I got:


Error enabling swap device hda4:
Invalid Arguement

The most likely means this swap partition has not been initialized.

Press OK to reboot the system.


That's what I got, and I pressed ok to reboot, but I did that maybe 6 times by now.. and it still does'nt work.

Snake,

Send me an email, please.