I think by executing ls /dev/hd* at a konsole (terminal), you can start on your way very quickly to getting to your XP partition. You need to know WHAT to mount. Your files are probably still there just waiting for you to mount a way to them. I think that finding your hard disk devices and then mounting each one is by far the simplest way to find your files. I'll bet that there are a couple partitions that aren't being mounted, and I think your XP partition is one of them.

When I ls /dev/hd* I get a list of several hundred hd* (hda1, hda7, hdq8, etc.).

But I think at this point my original winxp parition may not be as accessible as it once was due to some weirdness with an HP recovery CD and an attempt at using fixmbr.

I tried to use the HP recovery CD because it said it would back up my data files and reinstall winXP, but it went along for a while but then would never finish because the computer would only boot to GRUB or to the CD.

Then I attempted to use fixmbr on that partition and it may be corrupted or inaccessible now by normal means (I still have hopes that a good data recovery program can find some or all of the files).

So I think my best bet now is to make a new parition from some of the space on my linux partition (because I have no other freespace to use without potentially writing over some of the files I want to try to recover later). So I need to figure out how to create a new partition from the some of the space on my linux partition and then make that new partition bootable and install WinXP.

You got CD's? I didn't.

You got several hundred hard disk devices? I bet your XP partition is still accessable. I made the mistake of resizing mine after the initial crash and I still could read mine all day. Also, try reinstalling your Linux if you got nothing to lose. When you partition your disk, you should see it. ...but first, see how many hda's you have (IE cd /dev/hda*). Try to mount each one if there aren't a million of them (mount /dev/hda1, mount /dev/hda2, etc.). ...of course, if it's already mounted, no use mounting it again, it'll say it's already mounted.

If it could boot to Grub, try the Windows entry in Grub. If it fixed it but didn't f*** with your MBR, Grub will still come up. Now, the Windows entry in Grub may work. Try it.

I think your files are just fine, but you just gotta mount a way to them. Let's assume they're fine until we mount a way to them and recognize them but are not able to use them. My experiences so far has proven that a tore up NTFS partition still has its files intact. Mounting a way to them is the only stressful part right now.

I suggest you leave XP alone for now. It's just too dam much trouble. You'll also have to call M$ to unlock it. In my book, XP is now legally gone.

ShawnC...just a word...before you start on linux..you gotta keep this in your head that you gotta know your system, know it very very well...you must have idea about everything regarding your system. if you are on linux and you dont even know what type of partitions do you have, thats bad, really bad. so next time you get on linux, be careful, be very careful, its not the shitty windows, its the manly talk ...besta luck

Well, I finally had to reinstall WinXP on a new partition that I created over the old partition I was trying to leave untouched, and then hope that it didn't write over any files I wanted to recover. This did the trick and my computer was finally booting into XP, but it didn't show a trace of the old partition or files that I wanted.

But luckily Easy Recovery showed them and I was able to recover all my files.

I think my main problem was an MBR that I made changes to and didn't realize it and then I changed my old winXP partition to make it unrecognizble to any OS.

Thanks to everyone for all the help! Except maybe to javedlodhi. I do appreciate the advice, but a lecture after I screwed things up doesn't help. That's what I have my wife for.

I probably won't be posting again because I have promised the aformentioned wife not to try this again on our main computer.

Thanks!

Shawn the