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If the install cd is bootable, why can't you do a 'fixboot' from it?
For the d:
Let's say that, right now your 'C:' is hda, and your 'D:' is hdc. These names do not change like the letters do, hda will always refer to the hd plugged in at Primary Master (assuming you only have IDE), hdc will be Secondary Master.
You remove the Linux 'C:' ( it's plugged in at hda) and put the Windows 'D:' (it was plugged in at hdc) to where the Linux one was. The Windows drive is now plugged in as hda. You install Windows. It thinks it is plugged in at hda, and notes this in it's boot.ini (in a funny way). You move it to hdc like it was before, and put the Linux one at hda. You boot it, and the ntldr (the Windows bootloader) looks at the boot.ini on hdc. "Hmm, says here Windows is on hda. This where I'll find important stuff like hal.dll and ntoskrnl.exe." It looks at the Linux drive. "Where are they? They must be corrupted." And thats what it will tell you. I think editing the boot.ini to show the changes in position will fix it, but I never tried it.
I don't think that solution would work, because before when I tried booting it and it said: "OS missing." it didn't repair. When I used LILO it simply didn't do anything and not to mention that it couldn't start with the Windows 2000 floppies.
I honestly don't belive it would work considering Microsofts attention to these kind of details. Also if it fails I would have screwed up my drive even more.
Considering previous events and Microsofts behaviour I would stick with my own way. Because it is more clean, and if anything goes wrong I always have my backup.
Actually my solution was the one were I use a third harddisk, and I format my D:\ drive and reinstall windows 2000 on it etc....
Okay I'll try "fixboot" first. I'll pull out the C:\ make my D:\ drive Primary.
But can I do this from a ME boot disk? Or is there another boot disk I can download that will automaticly startup in dos and allow me to use this command?
If this doesn't work, I'll try my own methode, with the third hardisk.
What I meant by copying was either putting a third harddisk in and using Linux to copy
or
putting another harddisk with a working Windows ME in instead of Linux, and then copying using it.
Originally posted by aaa 1) Pull out the 'c:', because whenever you repair or install Windows, it is likely to mess Linux up.
2) Yes, Slack can write to FAT32 fine. However, you will need to install the Windows bootloader to it's partition's bootsector, along with the files that need to be copied. This would not be very easy with Linux.
I think Microsoft's answer is total bullshit. They're just not being accomodating with their product. I've installed (over and over) FreeBSD, NetBSD, Linux (I'll not name all of the distros), BeOS, Windows (everything except 3.x and ME), and their respective bootloaders, and the only one that ended up crapping out was the 2000 and XP install disk. Got a black screen when 'detecting hardware'. To alleviate the problem, I installed a windows 98 boot disk and fixed it with that before re-inserting the 2000 or XP disk. Lo and behold, I got my blue screen of incredible helpfulness back.
If Microsoft points the finger anywheres but to their own crippled and biased disk-based tools, they are not pointing in the right direction. Perhaps more money spent on the product and less time spinning it as the best thing since sliced bread, might make it just that.
I can't agree with that, since their own earlier products don't come with this problem (see that I don't call it a flaw?)
Try my solution. It has worked for me several times and it will work for you. If you don't do it the easy way and you still get your result, that is good too, but more work. Please save yourself a bit of work and try my method. It won't screw anything up more than it is (but I bet it'll fix the problem). Your Windows cd is getting messed up with the lilo in the way. Not a BIOS problem. Its a Windows problem with the BIOS.
Originally posted by vectordrake If its the second problem, I think this should help you(screwdriver required):
Disconnect your first drive (with Linux on it) temporarily, and put your Windows disk in the master position (be sure to set the jumper properly). Boot up your puter with the Win CD in it. You should then be allowed to boot to the screen where you can choose to install or to enter the recovery console. Enter the recovery console. Type fixboot, as suggested before (it can't hurt to also follow it with fixmbr (which should be actually all you need to have to restore your boot sector). if you reboot, you should be into your Windows installation. If you're good to go, then swap the drives back to their original state. Boot into Linux to be sure that LILO sees both. If its a go, you should be able to dual boot after all. Good luck. Check back if need be.
This was what I referred to. I'll spell it out in point form. Just a few steps, and I see its a bit hazy as to what I may have tried to convey. i'm sorry about that.
1)disconnect your first dive (with linux)
2)swap the windows drive to the master position (where you currently have the windows drive). Be sure to move the jumper on it from slave position (if its on the primary controller as a slave) to master - if its the master on the second cable, don't bother.
3)put in your windows 2000 cd and see if it'll boot into install/fix mode. if it won't, you need one extra step:
-----3a)if its necessary, get a windows 98 boot floppy (and perhaps ME, but 98 is better - I know the tools are there) and boot from it. When you finally get to the a: type fdisk /mbr and reboot without the floppy (reset or ctrl+alt+del). After this evil requirement, you should be able to use your 2000 cd.
4)if step 3a is not required, consider this a continuation. at the choice screen between installing windows and recovery, choose the recovery console. when the console is ready (another a: - wierd), type fixmbr
5)reboot your computer and see if windows can now boot. It should. if it doesn't, I don't know how to proceed, except to choose to "upgrade windows" which almost never is successful, or "reinstall".
6)if you're at this step, that means you're almost dual-boot. Put your drives back in order. Linux first and Windows second.
7)add to your /etc/lilo.conf a stanza, if not already there:
other=/dev/hdb1
label=windows #you may need quotes around this title
boot-as=0x80 #btw these are zeros
8)run lilo. if no errors, you're done. Dual boot.
This all should work, as I have outlined. I got my windows cd to boot to recovery console this way in two instances. One was with my try at installing LindowsOS (which I didn't do successfully yet - too much hand-holding and little desire for success with all the other distros out there FOR FREE). Its version of lilo seemed to throw off the windows cd (but my 98 cd worked fine!). And, FreeBSD's bootloader threw it off as well. As you can see from this, I have a strong opinion about what is the real cause, and its not the BIOS. Its Windows 2000/XPs installer and the flawed (or perhaps discriminatory) way it reads the boot sector. Good luck. I think you'll be dual booting with your current install if you do this 10 minute fix.
Windows 2000 works ok now, and so does Linux if I mount from CD, but if I just use the normal boot it won't work. I would probably need to change the "LILO.conf" file, and then run "\sbin\lilo". The question is just how it should look like now, cause I have tried but I couldn't make it work.
So can somebody tell me how it should look for:
C:\ Windows 2000
D:\ Linux Slackware
Besides from these there is one last issue. Before when I installed Linux I chosed to make my *then* D:\ drive appear like "/Fat-D" but now when I mount from CD and look at it, I can't open it. I would probably need to delete it and add a new one called "/Fat-C" pointing at my C: drive.
How can I do this?
As I have said already, I would suggest that you swap them back now that they both work, and then you can access both with the least interference with Windows' MBR. Its the easiest way. However, if you want to use Windows' bootloader to load Linux, there are also several threads on this site with clear instructions (if you hit the search button below my post, you'll come across reference to one such thread (I didn't post it, but its in the thread I posted to). The solution I have layed out for you is also documented several times as well (I have posted it several times myself - twice to you in this thread).
I don't mean to harp, but why are you working so hard at this???
Unless you have a lot of suff already setup in Linux, I would re-install Linux and write lilo to the MBR during install. It should handle all your booting needs.
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