Problem with XP&SuSE

prasepretep · 10-22-2007, 05:30 AM

Hi guys
I did a lot of research on this one but need to be sure before taking action so the question is :
I received a new computer awhile ago with pre-installed Win XP.
After I installed Open Suse 10.2 on separate partition (but same disk), Windows won't boot anymore and are giving me the following (exact) message :

Code:

rootnoverify (hd0, 0)
chainloader (hd1, 0)+1

Now I did search the web and was pointed to a few posts here as well, and most of them are saying that I should boot into XP using install CD, fix MBR and then follow these instructions :

Quote:

Reboot using install DVD. Go through Language, Check media (skip), Licence to Installation mode. When you get to the screen where the choices are "install", "upgrade" or "other" then select "other". Of the two choices in "other" select Boot Installed System. You will boot into the installed version of SuSE and from there you can Yast-> system-> bootloader and check that Windows has been included. If it hasn't been, the select Add-> Other system (chainloader-> enter "Windows" in top box and use the down arrow in lower box to select /device/hda1 and proceed. You should be fine to remove media and reboot. You should get a menu with SuSE and Windows as choices.

Now, I'm asking because these instructions are mostly talking about "Windows XP" not on Lilo list of choices and similar (not being on list but not booting), and I want to make sure that this is the right thing to do and that there's no chance I will mess up my Linux installation (I care for Linux installation about 1000000 more than the XP that I would only use for games anyway).
So, should I proceed with the stuff above or do you experts have any other way for me to safely recover XP installation?

Oh, my Device listing in Suse is :
/dev/hdb -> DVD
/dev/sda1 -> XP partition NTFS
/dev/sda2 -> ext3 Suse partition

Thanks in advance.

saikee · 10-22-2007, 07:03 AM

Your XP should boot if you change the lines like this (changes marked red)

Code:

title Windows in the 1st partition of 1st disk
rootnoverify (hd0, 0)
chainloader +1

The tile statement has no consequence except to separate one booting choice from another and display the booting choice. I delected the (hd1,0) in your chainloader line because its asks Grub to load the 1st partition of the second disk (hd1). Grub counts from 0.

seelenbild28 · 10-22-2007, 07:28 AM

also I would recommend the use of grub since lilo is old fashioned and not very stable....

prasepretep · 10-22-2007, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saikee

Your XP should boot if you change the lines like this (changes marked red)

Code:

title Windows in the 1st partition of 1st disk
rootnoverify (hd0, 0)
chainloader +1

The tile statement has no consequence except to separate one booting choice from another and display the booting choice. I delected the (hd1,0) in your chainloader line because its asks Grub to load the 1st partition of the second disk (hd1). Grub counts from 0.

Tried that but still didn't work. Now it says something along the lines of "unsupported executable format".
I remembered one more thing though. Could it have something to do with the fact that there is 1 more hard drive in the machine (old Suse data disk) but it doesn't show on Linux as it's not auto-mounted (I mount the HD when I need data from it).

device.map file shows :

Code:

(hd1)    /dev/sda
(hd0)    /dev/hda

Windows is on first partition of hd1, Suse on second partition on the same disk.
Hope that helps.

seelenbild28 · 10-22-2007, 11:04 AM

could be that suse mixes something up since - if I remember well - there was a major change in the naming of devices using hda, sda since kernel 2.6.20? (I am not sure about the number). But I think there was some kernel change where they started naming all devices sdx,y etc. independent of the type (ide, sata)... in your case this would mean that both devices are called sda...

saikee · 10-22-2007, 11:58 AM

Usually when I get nearer to the problem the OP would show up a can of worms and things that have been hidden from me. May be trying to see how good I can speculate.

Well in a PC the (hd0) is the first disk to be booted. Therefore it is a data only disk then Grub must be using the MBR of the hda.

Therefore if Windows was installed as the 2nd disk in the PC then it will be fired by commands

Code:

title Windows in the 1st partition of 2nd disk
rootnoverify (hd1, 0)
chainloader +1

because sda is (hd1) as recorded by Grub as the 2nd disk.

However if Windows was originally installed as the 1st disk and then you changed the disk order in the Bios then a different set of commands is needed, like this

Code:

title Windows installed as (hd0,0) but now boot as (hd1,0)
rootnoverify (hd1, 0)
map (hd1) (hd0)
map (hd0) (hd1)
chainloader +1

The two map statements re-map the windows disk from (hd1) back to (hd0) position for the purpose of booting and then revert back when Windows exits.

So take your pick or show me another can of worm.

---------------------------------------------
seelenbild28 ,

There is nothing wrong Lilo. It is stable. It is not old-fashion either because it is the official Linux boot loader stands for "Linux Loader" .

It is still actively maintained where Grub, the lagacy version v0.97 we are using, has been declared obsolete and no longer be maintained. GNU/Grub has since switched to Grub2 but they haven't any documentation for the new system. It has been in this situation for the last three years.

Also it is true that the kernel 2.6.20 has led to a major change of device names but this does not affect OP's booting problem with Windows. Every Linux boots a Windows by chainloading and no Linux device name is needed by Grub in chainloading.

prasepretep · 10-22-2007, 01:35 PM

Saikee - you're a genius

The second one was the solution (disk mapping)
Now both XP and SuSE are happily living alongside each other.

Thanks a bunch