[ubuntu-za] WINDOWS BOOT PROBLEM

[Brenton Edgar Scott]

bullet at ballmail.co.za wrote:
> Wesley Werner wrote:
>   
>>     I've only got the XP version that came with the computer which I
>>     believe
>>     is not the same as a separate disk and can't do the fixmbr function.
>>     I don't want to fiddle and wipe everything off - You've guessed it, no
>>     recent back ups on XP.
>>     Will the repair installation option correct the "corrupt version"
>>     problem or am I looking at a complete re-install of XP?
>>
>>     Vincent
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Vincent. You don't have to reinstall XP, if the files are still 
>> intact. Now I see plenty of suggestions here to reinstall Grub, have 
>> you tried this? 
>>
>> I suggest don't bother with the XP repair console, since you don't 
>> have a XP boot CD anyway. Just reinstall Grub, let it detect all 
>> bootable partitions and it will rewrite your boot menu. Instructions 
>> for doing this via an Ubuntu Live CD on the Ubuntu help site 
>> <https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Reinstalling%20GRUB%202>.
>>     
> Hi Wesley,
> Sorry for the slow response, but work issues have kept me away from my 
> OS problems. Yes I have tried reinstalling grub and it does just as you 
> say, including XP in the menu, but it still gives me the error call & 
> cannot boot XP.
>
> I suspect that on one of my many attempts to re install, I selected the 
> boot side by side option, 10.04, 8.04 & XP.
> Ubuntu then re partitioned my hard drive & a primary partition was 
> reduced to about 6Mb, this right next to the XP partition.
> Possibly, in doing this its taken some data out of the XP section. The 
> MBR, which I think is at the end of the partition?
>
> I can access in the short term, some of the more important work related 
> programs via wine, but obviously, this is not ideal.
>
> I'll also download a boot disk with fdisk on as suggested by Lee and 
> hopefully recover  the boot loader &MBR.
>
> Many thanks to you and Lee for your help & advice.I'll keep you posted 
> as to my progress.
>
> Vincent
>  
>
>
>   
Just as a useless side note - the main boot record sits at the first few 
bites of the disk so it gets read first.

I foresee this problem in my near future (4 days from now) too, so 
thanks for bringing it up.

----- Brenton Edgar Scott -----
http://www.irc-wiki.org
http://www.trixarian.za.net
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