Thanks a million times ngcooper23

Boot loaders are far more trouble than they're worth IMO. I can't tell you how many times I've had to re-install Windows or Linux just because of loader problems.

Now I have two disks, each with an OS. I installed each OS while the other disk was UNPLUGGED so they don't even try to plop down a loat-loader. Now all I do is use the BIOS to pick which disk I boot into. Now the machine will boot into whichever OS was last used, so I don't have to answer the boot loader every time I boot up.

No boot-loader, no boot-loader problems.

i'm sorry but i like mac at least it was the only one that never crashed on my hands....
well i've done this crazy thing, i installed with my laptop, debian live 5.0, on an external disk, it doesn't work it installs but it doesn't recognize the working group of LINUX OS, it just doesn't work, well i want to use virtual box to do this but i must reformat the external disk, and one thing with grup and without the the disk connected with the OS it won't load another OS as well vista. ok ok recover MBRECORD and format the disk, HOW???????? safe mode with command prompt? It doesn't recognize FDISK or FIXMBR as commands. final dot on setence. vista bootable dvd or cd??? hey i have a recovery disk from asus that erases every fuckin thing on the pc goddamn. well Win98 start with cd fdisk /mbr it functions but after reeboting it doesn't load any OS....
Is there any way of creating a bootable usb drive with a command prompt line to use fdisk and format c:? oh my god old ms-dos------- answer for vitorreaper @ hotmail.com

let me explain, first i started the install and choose lvm partioning on the entire usb external disk, afeter that it installed everything and grub on master record, but when it loads it gives a message that it can't find "blabla" group and keeps waiting about a minute for the disk, and does load th OS, well iwant to recover everything incçluding the external disk, i can't just reuse it by partioning agian because grub doe'nt load unless i ahve the dosk with the instalation connected, ok.
i entered in vistas safe mode with prompt line it didn't recgnize both fdisk or fix mbr commands, i thpught that fdisk /mbr fromm win98 would solve it. no. ok reinstall debian with grub, and i will try one last command but if it does work, before that i'm going recover what i really need from the pc and after that i'm going to reinstall everything creating two partitions on the ineternal disk and external disks, one for vista other for linux on both to use however i want to and i will install both OS, thonk this will solve everything if not i fucked up... o need vista and linux for what i'm doing now sveral programs (music prgrams need tor run on windows and university things like work with ssh client on linux i don't want to use programs to connect by windows i want to work with linux... jesus is this so complicated??? i cant' lose my data that's my problem...

you might be right on that, but with a lapto, chosing between loading with internal or external disks is not easy as that, maybe there's a way, if you install linux on the external grub loader will be installed on the internal, and i'm shure that linux won't load, ok connect the disk internally do the instalation, and then use it externaly chosing starting with usb external. if grub is installed on the external disk it might function, but to be shure of that i must recover master boot from windows disk and only after i can do such thing. but i need to recover it... let's wait to see what happens....

look i don't have vista install disk, i only have a recovery disk from Asus cause i have a laptop, i wll try do that loadinbg grub and vista in the f8 prompting menu and chossing safe mode with prompt line but if it doesn't work like fixmbr or fdisk commands that it doesn't recgonize them i'm not shure of what to do...

I did try this simple trick and it works for me (grub is history). I was having problem with my fedora 10 installation on my Dell XPS M1330. Vista is the other OS sharing the drive. Now, I'm ready for another run at Fedora...thanks

i did this, and it worked.
i started, (it gave a error on memory test. i pressed enter. Then it was like, "you sure that you want to start the computer?". i said "enter". then we were best buds) the computer and it worked thanks for the simple answer.

Does the laptop have a built in Recovery Partition? If so use it, it is usually the windows CD (of sorts) just as a partition of a hardrive instead of a disk. Or barrow a disk from someone... its a wonderful world share! (*I in no way mean for you to steal from Microsoft that is for cowards, pay your dues!*)

Other options, Download Windows 7 (the RC/test beta) it is free and it isn't half bad, kinda fun to get a first look at the new OS. Us that to correct the problem, it is built significantly on the Vista platform so my previous idea /fixmbr should work. (well Windows 7 was prior to vista so i guess vista was build off it and released just to show everyone the Microsoft still was incompatent at releasing a working OS...

Final Option, Just keep Ubuntu or "your linux" OS, keep it in a small partition and work around it. I will try to find a solution... one day.

Glad to help!

Nathaniel Cooper
X-Wired Service Inc.

P.S. : I do suport the destruction of Apple!

Oh, what modal Asus do you have, I will check it for you if need be.

There is almost no way, if you install Linux on the same disk it will be a f*** of a hard work to recover the vista loader without losing everything and formating again unless you have of course an install disk, i have two now, free keysn and download from my study department no stealing, but one things for shure best thing is to get an e-sata connection, look replace the disk inside the laptop with an external 2.5 inch disk and install linux, take it of, go the bios and change to start with an external disk like an usb dríve connect the other disk on the e-sata connection and voilá two OS running completely portable on the amount of disk space you want... you just need a laptop with e-sata connection USB transfer rate is not capable of transfering data to run an OS... but e-sata does it actually with a certain speed...
look to connect externally you need a case for the disk with an e-sata connection, try not to misunderstand with sata norm pof 2.5 and 3.5 disks, i'm talking about a connection there are some laptops with e-sata connectors built-in, and there are some connectors built on pcmcia cards, try to find them...
I have my problem solved for now, and i support apple for christ safe, best OS, best built-on pc's rarelly crashed on my hands, and really best fucking producing programs for musicians...
really i'm waiting for the linux options for this music matter let's see what comes up... by now i'm having problems with my sound card, with DEBIAN 5.0, xubuntu didn't installed error on reading some part of the disk... bleh??? i'm gonna getg a good version of xubuntu or ubuntu for it butr i like debian i jsut need to install some things like java and others to run some makefile's to intall other progs... whatr a mess to install the programsss.

iT HADED TO BE INSTALLED WITH THE DISK CONNECTED ON THE INSIDE OF THE LAPTOP, NOT ON THE EXTERNAL CONNECTION, OR THE LOADER WILL BE INSTALLED BY DEFAULT ON THE PRIMARY DISK WITH VISTA, AND THAT'S CRAP, JUST THE SAME THING AS DOING NOTHING... SHUTDOWN THE PC, TAKE THE DISK OF PUT THE EMPTY ONE AND INSTALL LINUX CHOSING ON BIOS TO START WITH THE DVD DRIVE...

What is your problem you seem to ask a question before yet, you settle of the fact you see there to be no solution. GRUB is not installed onto a harddrive, it is installed into the computer MBR. as you notice simply changing the hardrive does not get rid of grub. So, if you have a question or problem with grub ask it. Your contriditive nature to your post annoys and destroys the authenticity of this forum.

My issue started when upgrading my hard drive. I think that the utility I used (Seatools) copied all the partitions in the correct format, but it either left the partition with the Grub locked or screwed up the Grub.

I tried several things - even reinstalling Linux. Would not fix the Grub. So I tried deleting the Linux partition and reinstalling Linux - no dice.

I again decided to delete the Linux partition and see if I could keep Vista working.

I did two things.

1) Ran Startup repair from my Vista disk - fixes were made, however the grub error 18 remained.
2) ran "bootrec.exe /FixMbr"
with no quotes at the DOS command line with the Vista install disk as suggested in this thread

Bingo - Vista now boots.

If I was more Linux literate - I would have done the clone in Linux.

Linux needs a really easy to use Grubfixer that is Microsoft friendly

Glad it helped!

Is there still someone looking for help in this long confusing thread that has been reopened several times?

The MBR is in the first sector of the hard drive. So taking away that hard drive would certainly take away that MBR and if that had been the MBR set to load grub, grub would no longer load. (If you had more than one hard drive, then what exactly was loading what might be a more complicated question).

If you want to completely get rid of grub and be able to boot Windows, you need to write a Windows version of the MBR code to the first sector of the hard drive. If you are uninstalling Linux, you would be wise to fix the MBR for Windows before you uninstall Linux.

If you can boot Windows with grub before uninstalling Linux, there are programs you can download and run that will fix the MBR for the copy of Windows you are currently running. Then you can reboot and see you get straight to Windows without grub. Then deinstall Linux. Sorry, I don't recall URL or names for any of those programs. I just recall they exist.

Depending on how the OEM you bought from set up Vista, there are probably tools in Vista (again assuming you can boot Vista with grub) that can write a bootable floppy or CD image that can be used later for basic repairs, including repairing the MBR. I don't know the details for any specific OEM. If you bought Vista without recovery media, you would be wise to find and use those tools and create recovery media before you need it.