Problem after resizing partition and installing ubuntu

[Pongo A. Pan]

On Tue, 2011-02-22 at 09:22 +0000, Jorge Gusmao wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I installed ubuntu 10.10 on my hp dv8 at home.
> No grub error for now, but i have other issue concerning windows7.
> After resizing windows OS partition and create other for ubuntu,
> installation went well. Grub menu is there on reboot and ubuntu will
> start if chosen.
> However windows will present me with the following:
> 
> After clicking on the windows at /dev/sda1 option in the grub menu, it
> notified me that i needed to restart to perform the check, and I did
> as it said. And then, it gets into the disk check, it either:
> 1,freezes at 1 second during the count down process, in which no
> matter how hard i press any key it won't do anything. I6t will remain
> there all night as I tested today morning.
> 
> This is what happen if I choose windows at /dev/sda1. if my choice
> goes to windows at /dev/sda2 it will say something like:
> 
> "Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might
> be the cause..."
> Then im instructed to insert windows installations disks, but im sure
> that if i do that I will end with no grub menu as happened here at
> work.

On our similar (HP dm4t-1200) laptop, grub calls /dev/sda1 "Windows 7"
and boots from it very nicely.  /dev/sda2 is labeled "Windows Vista
(loader)" and is actually the restore partition for Win7.  You got Win7
install disks with a laptop????

I would first try re-installing grub from Ubuntu.  "sudo
grub-install /dev/sda" followed by "sudo update-grub" will do it.  Maybe
it the partitions are properly identified things will work better.

Have you tried pressing F8 while Windows tries to boot?  This *might*
allow you to boot in "safe mode," doing which often enough fixes things
all by itself or at least will allow chkdsk to run on the changed
partition.

The next thing I would try is pressing ESC during boot.  This should get
you to the diagnostics menu and a system restore option.  I've not tried
this (because we haven't had any trouble with our dual boot), but it
should let you put things back to factory specs so you can start over
with a healthy Win7 at least. I doubt that it will change your partition
layout or do anything to your Ubuntu install other than remove grub from
the boot sector. 

Fixing a boot sector over written by Windows is fairly easy with super
grub disk from here: http://www.supergrubdisk.org/.  This saves having
to learn all the ins and outs of the grub command line (which I promise
to do someday if I live long enough). 

You want disk two, the one that lets you boot with grub even if Windows
has done its piggy thing and taken over the boot sector.  Then you just
do "sudo grub-install /dev/sda" and "sudo update-grub" and Bob's your
uncle.


-- 
Pongo Pan, running Linux Mint 10 Julia, and Gnome 2.32.0
Glücklich der Mann, der den Hafen erreicht hat,
Und hinter sich ließ das Meer und die Stürme,
Und jetzo warm und ruhig sitzt
Im guten Ratskeller zu Bremen.