Hello people. My first post on this forums is about help =/.

last friday i read alot about Linux and i started to understand ~what is was. I got pretty excited about it and wanted to give it a try, without any big experience.
I know about computing in general, but not about deeper than that.

Okay, got tips about Ubuntu. I checked the website. Sounds cool. Click. Download, burned on Cd. In with it into the computer and booted on a live-cd thing, my first time. cool. when it came to the install the problem happened i think.

my partitations:
320 total.
160
160. this one i took 20 gb from and made it to my linux disc. of that 20gb i took 512 mb for the swap.

all seemed OK. completed install and computer wanted to reboot for making the parts. and it restarted, oh by the way im using XP ^^. it started to make the new things and comp restarted again. blackscreen on boot and a message: GRUB 1.5 loading error 17, if im correct.

somewhere it failed with something. i dont know exacly where. i also tried to format the disc at some point and it maybe was there it happened.

i tried now today to push the windows CD inside and chec what i could do. some option named Bootfix. googled it, sounds nice. tried but nothing. saw it had to be on a specal system, processor something, and nothing happened. great =/.

anyways, how do i solve this? anyone got a idea?

my computer is realative new, not old one in anyway.
on the first part i had my windows installed and most of it, and my downloa... my personal pictures on the sec disc, about halffilled. could something happen to my windows install? do i need to format computer?

i would deeply and greatly appriciate some help next post maybe is about a guideline how to install some linux dist

/cheers Anders
<- haha !


Edit: I tried to enter the commands: fixboot c:, and fixmbr. but i suppose i dont got that system.

To reinstall the windows bootloader you will need your windows install cd and;

Use the Windows Setup floppy disks or the Windows CD-ROM to start your computer. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press F10 or press 'R" to repair.

then;

here you would enter 1

then

fixmbr

for your troubles with grub what is the make and model of your computer?

its a Dell 9150, a fairly new.

I was into that console today, but when i wrote fixmbr, fixmbr c, nothing happened. =/

i would advise getting grub to work as it is a good bootloader (but i still use lilo).

I would try to reinstall Ubuntu again, checking that your partitions are setup properly.

As it is a Dell, do you have any odd partitions floating about? (Dell do things with partition tables)

update with any progress

Thanks
Tom

Sorry i dont understand? You see, im from sweden

"As it is a Dell, do you have any odd partitions floating about? (Dell do things with partition tables)"

trying to get it to work sounds good. but i dont think its going to work.

today i put my ubuntu CD back in to try start it up via CD. when i clicked new / install or what it is on english, it hangs on like 30 % of load, then turn blackscreen and the power button on my screen turns on and off. i dont know how deep this problem is, really :S.

That sounds odd.

What i meant with the partitions is..

Are there any other partitions that you do not know what they are for?

Have you formated the Linux partition before you try to reinstall?

yes actually i have..

when i had that partion program started i saw two more, beloning to the first big part, i think. one of them was very small, only about MB's, same with the other. one was fat 32 and one fat 16 or something else. Fat anyways i think . what are those for?

nope i havent. i cant even get into Windows, as far windows i can come is the time when i have the windows CD inside, and i can be inside the recovery promt. but it seem like none of those two boot commands dont work. =/

I think the smaller partitions are Dell's random fetish. They create them a lot. DO NOT DELETE THEM. Unless you want to reinstall XP. they are inportant.

If you need to get into XP soon. Then download GRUB on its own and try to install that. At the very least i think it has some of its own recovery options (but im not sure).

but how can i install something when i cant get into any OS on the computer..? not ubuntu or XP? i got a laptop so i swapped all the cables into this.. im not on that comp now. =/

You can download the grub boot loader from:

http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/

and select 'download' down the left.

Burn this to CD and then boot onto it on your broken PC. then install.

You do not need to download GRUB---you can install it from the live CD.

Follow the link below to my article on booting. Also, look for Saikee here at LQ and read some of his stuff.

By the way, I have never tried Ubuntu. The Ubuntu's installation gives options between GRUB and LILO?

If yes, then try Lilo. I don't know why the hell, but I also have problems with Grub, then maybe lilo works better for you too.
Just a thought.

if you have a startup disk. you can run fdisk/mbr which rewrites the boot record back to what it was before, so that grub disappears you just start windows. Format your linux partitions in mmc under run in windows.

Boot off of the cd.
Follow what it states for partition sizing I forget off hand.
Make your swap partition 1-1.5 times your ram size.
Follow the on screen instructions. Make sure you set a root password too, I didnt now im having issues of my own.

I myself have gotten Windows 2000 and ubuntu working on the same physical hard drive this way.

thanks for all replies but i sort of helped myself. i found a thread on Ubuntu forums, that told that guy it was about to download a program and burn it on a CD. boot with it and follow instructions. it helped me as much as him - All green! but thank you alot for your compassion and helpfullness

myself i helped a lady who fell on the street today, thats my helpfullness :O.

cheers :>

Glad its all fixed. And keep up the good work