inaccessible_boot_device

[SolidTechie]

Oh dear!

Okay folks, I took the plunge, and installed Mandrake 9.0 on my Laptop, which previously had Win2k on a single (NTFS) 20GB C:\drive.

Using Partition Magic 7, I moved the partition up the drive a bit to create a 1GB space at the front(split into 2 - a 135 MB Linux Swap partition and the balance for the linux install, and reduced it in size, to allow a 6GB partition at the end, split in 2, for an upcoming trial install of XP, and a Linux area..... well that was the idea anyway...

Okay. So, the Install of Mandrake was fairly painless, except for the Inspiron laptop needed new drivers - but that's a seperate question and thread.

The problem of course, is that I now can't boot into my Win2K partition, I think I know why, but I'm not sure that I know how to fix it.

The Boot.ini still reads the way it was before (default), and I think I need to change the partition from (0) to (2). This is gonna be difficult, 'cos I can't boot to "DOS" or windows, and Linux doesn't support writing to NTFS partitions AFAIK

Any ideas anyone?

[BigFatJoe]

Linux DOES support ntfs, but you will have to recompile your kernel. Second, your setup was a little hard to get through...but if I got it right, your "XP space" is not in the begging of the drive. BAD IDEA. just reformat and start over. Windows is selfish...it must reside in the first part of your harddrive. Just leave space for XP, (better yet, install it first if possible) then install linux on the remaining space.

[SolidTechie]

Originally posted by BigFatJoe
Linux DOES support ntfs, but you will have to recompile your kernel. Second, your setup was a little hard to get through...but if I got it right, your "XP space" is not in the begging of the drive. BAD IDEA. just reformat and start over. Windows is selfish...it must reside in the first part of your harddrive. Just leave space for XP, (better yet, install it first if possible) then install linux on the remaining space.

Sorry it wasn't clear and thanks for the reply.... but...

The problem I have is with the WIN2K space - XP isn't loaded yet - and in fact probably never will be!

Win2K was installed first, but because it took the whole drive, I had to re-size the partition and then create new spaces for Linux.

Luckily, I backed up all the important stuff before I started, so it's not going to be earth shattering if I have to re-install 2k, I'd just prefer to spend the time learning about Linux, than feeding the laptop an endless supply of CD's!

I know that the windows stuff is all still there - I can access it in RO mode from /mnt/nt, and it's clearly on /dev/hda1

I guess the long way round would be to uninstall Linux, install win on the first partition, run fdisk & delete all but the windows partition, but that's still gonna leave it half way up the drive rather than at the front?

[BigFatJoe]

Originally posted by SolidTechie
The problem I have is with the WIN2K space - XP isn't loaded yet - and in fact probably never will be!

Win2K was installed first, but because it took the whole drive, I had to re-size the partition and then create new spaces for Linux.

Luckily, I backed up all the important stuff before I started, so it's not going to be earth shattering if I have to re-install 2k, I'd just prefer to spend the time learning about Linux, than feeding the laptop an endless supply of CD's!

I know that the windows stuff is all still there - I can access it in RO mode from /mnt/nt, and it's clearly on /dev/hda1

I guess the long way round would be to uninstall Linux, install win on the first partition, run fdisk & delete all but the windows partition, but that's still gonna leave it half way up the drive rather than at the front?

hmmm...now I'm confused. Windows is on /dev/hda1? So it is in the begging of the harddrive...no problem there.

Let me try to decypher this:
/dev/hda1 - Windows (2k?)
/dev/hda2 - linux
/dev/hda3 - linux swap.

Is this right?
Ok well, to get windows to boot, you will need to tell us whether you use grub or lilo.

And as a seperate question, what was the problem with XP? Are you planning on resizing 2k for xp later, or replacing 2k with xp...or was it not even a problem, and I'm just making things up? (I have a tendency to do that...)

[JohnT]

The thing to do is not use PM.:D
What I would do is divide the disk into Primary partitions one for window and one for Linux. Make them active. Now install windows in the first primary partition and Linux in the second and make a bootdisk during install. Then follow THESE (http://linuxnewbie.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75693&highlight=dual+boot) instructions to boot with windows NT loader.

[SolidTechie]

Originally posted by BigFatJoe
hmmm...now I'm confused.

Sorry-- That's me trying to be a smart A**e. :o


Let me try to decypher this:
/dev/hda1 - Windows (2k?)
/dev/hda2 - linux
/dev/hda3 - linux swap.

Is this right?

No.. it's like this:

Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/hda5 3075504 1394344 1524932 48% /
/dev/hda1 12241496 9974944 2266552 82% /mnt/nt
/dev/hda4 907392 0 907392 0% /mnt/win_c
/dev/hda6 3104434 2 3104432 1% /mnt/win_d

for whatever reason...

I guess that:
hda6 is the bit I cleared out ready for XP
hda4 is I think the bit I envisaged linuzx loading into - but it didn't seem to work that way.

Don't ask about hda2 & 3, I don't know where they are either!


Ok well, to get windows to boot, you will need to tell us whether you use grub or lilo.


I really am not sure... it's whatever Mandrake installs? Sorry.


And as a seperate question, what was the problem with XP? Are you planning on resizing 2k for xp later, or replacing 2k with xp...or was it not even a problem, and I'm just making things up? (I have a tendency to do that...)

Nope, no problem really, I have (had!) a stable Win2K setup, but was contemplating addin a seperate install of XP as a trial. I'm having so much "fun" with Linux, I think it'll be a while before I get round to Xp - if ever.


Thanks for your perseverence...

[JohnT]

If you would make two primary partitions as I suggested they would be seen as two separate drives. Windows on the first and Linux on the second. When setting up either OS you can further subdivide these partitions (logical partitions). eg: D:\ , E:\ for windows and / , /boot, /home etc. for Linux. (These are only examples). This will make for a more logical mapping system as it is understood by the MBR.

[SolidTechie]

Originally posted by JohnT
If you would make two primary partitions as I suggested they would be seen as two separate drives. Windows on the first and Linux on the second. When setting up either OS you can further subdivide these partitions (logical partitions). eg: D:\ , E:\ for windows and / , /boot, /home etc. for Linux. (These are only examples). This will make for a more logical mapping system as it is understood by the MBR.

Understood, and I fully intend to take your sound and sensible advice(previous post noted also), however, what I need to be able to do first, is get at my existing install of Winows. I don't really want to have to set it all up again. I am happy to sacrifice (temporarily) the Linux install at this stage.

[SolidTechie]

Originally posted by BigFatJoe
Let me try to decypher this:
/dev/hda1 - Windows (2k?)
/dev/hda2 - linux
/dev/hda3 - linux swap.

Is this right?



I knew I'd find it if I looked around long enough:



Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 2432 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 132 1655 12241498+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 1656 2432 6241252+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda3 114 131 144585 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda4 1 113 907641 6 FAT16
/dev/hda5 1656 2044 3124611 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 2045 2432 3116578+ b Win95 FAT32

Partition table entries are not in disk order

[JohnT]

OK before you do this make sure you have a bootdisk made to boot into linux if you need to.
Boot with 2K cd , choose repair, choose to repair with the console. Once in the console issue the command....."fix/mbr". Look at the list of commands available from within the console to double check the syntax of the command. Reboot into windows.

[BigFatJoe]

Originally posted by SolidTechie
Understood, and I fully intend to take your sound and sensible advice(previous post noted also), however, what I need to be able to do first, is get at my existing install of Winows. I don't really want to have to set it all up again. I am happy to sacrifice (temporarily) the Linux install at this stage.

Ok, since you don't seem to mind losing a lot of this stuff and starting from scratch ( a backup may come in handy :D ), then what you would want to do is a combination of me and JohnT. I think the easiest, most straightforward method is to:

1. boot with a windows floppy, run fdisk.
2. Delete all partitions
3. Create new windows partition. format partition.
4. Install windows
5. Install linux, during the install resize the windows partition, creating a linux, swap, and possibly other seperate partitions (/home, /usr, etc.)
6. Setup bootloader (probably GRUB with MD) to boot either windows or linux.

[BigFatJoe]

Originally posted by JohnT
OK before you do this make sure you have a bootdisk made to boot into linux if you need to.
Boot with 2K cd , choose repair, choose to repair with the console. Once in the console issue the command....."fix/mbr". Look at the list of commands available from within the console to double check the syntax of the command. Reboot into windows.

But what about the wacky partition setup?

[SolidTechie]

BigFatJoe and JohnT

Thanks for your help yesterday... just to let you know I managed eventually to restore my working Windows Partition, at the expense of the Linux install.

I'm about to redo the Mandrake installation in the manner that you both suggested, hopefully all will go well, look out for further problems any time real soon! ;)

I know I'm gonna have problems with the Nvidia drivers, 'cos I couldn't get it to work yesterday, but I'll post questions when I know how badly broken it is!

Thanks again,