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Absolution3 09-22-2013 12:19 PM

System boot error: unknown filesystem
 
I recently installed Linux mint 15 and was displeased with the amount of setup I had to do just to play the games I wanted. Anyways I tried to uninstall Linux mint 15 cinnamon by doing a factory reset by using the windows installation cd, but my computer was unable to complete the job and now I can't access any filesystem. I tried to do a system format using a system repair disc, but it ran into an unknown error, and if anyone could help me restore my computer so It can boot an operating system that would be awesome!

yancek 09-22-2013 04:24 PM

You don't uninstall operating systems the way you uninstall programs/applications.
In your situation, you did things backwards. From the information you posted, I would guess you had the Mint bootloader installed to the master boot record of the drive. Most of the bootloader files are on the partition but a small part is in the mbr so when you reset you removed the Mint boot files from the partition. You should have first repaired the bootloader with windows before doing anything else with Mint.

Apparently, the reset doesn't affect the mbr according to what you posted. You need to repair the mbr which you should be able to do with the windows installation CD, according to microsoft. It's explained in detail at the microsoft site below:


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

haertig 09-22-2013 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Absolution3 (Post 5032600)
...I tried to uninstall Linux mint 15 cinnamon by doing a factory reset by using the windows installation cd...

What does that mean exactly? Are you saying you tried to reinstall Windows from scratch? "Factory reset" doesn't have a defined meaning when you are talking about replacing operating systems. "my computer was unable to complete the job" ... how so? Did you get some error message?
Quote:

I tried to do a system format using a system repair disc, but it ran into an unknown error
You're being too vague here again. What is a "system format"? Do you mean you repartitioned the hard disk. Which "system repair disk" are you talking about? "Unknown error" doesn't tell us anything either. What, specifically, were you doing when you ran into this error? You were running some specific program. Which program? And what was the exact text of the error message?

Deleting/ignoring everything on a hard disk and installing an OS from scratch is usually a fairly straightforward and trivial procedure, for any OS. The fact that you are having problems is what is prompting me to ask exactly what you are doing. You need to be specific. Generic references to "factory reset", "system format", and "unknown error" are not enough information for anybody to work with to try to help you.

"System boot error: unknown filesystem" does tell us that you are stuck in the boot loader, but it doesn't tell us what you did, specifically, to end up at that point.

Absolution3 09-22-2013 06:15 PM

Ok so I booted to my gateway recovery management disc and from there I selected the option "completely restore system to factory defaults" so after I plugged in my first recovery disc it gave me the error message "there is insufficient space on the disc for the temporary files required for this operation." So from there I tried to reinitialze the computer it gave me the error: unknown filesystem

Absolution3 09-22-2013 06:18 PM

And also the Microsoft support page does not help because I do not have the "repair your computer" option for the windows installation disc

yancek 09-22-2013 07:56 PM

Quote:

doing a factory reset by using the windows installation cd
From your initial post above, you said you had an installation CD. A Recovery CD is what you now say you have is not the same thing and does not have the functionality required to repair the mbr. You could try to download and use the SuperGrubDisk at the link below and select the option to repair windows:

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/category/download/

You might take a look at some of the options at the link below, particularly the additional links in post #2.

http://www.sevenforums.com/software/...hout-disk.html

You could also borrow an installation CD from someone. It would need to be the same, windows home premium if that's what you have or whatever it is you do then use the instructions at the site above from microsoft.

If you haven't changed the partitions, you could reinstall Mint and its bootloader to boot both Mint and windows 7, at least until you learn more about how they work. You could have a small 1-200MB partition for boot files.

Neosmart used to have a free download CD at their site but microsoft apparently complained and now it cost $20.00USD.


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