Disk boot failure

[Riktar]

For whatever reason I am getting the DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT yada, yada, yada when I turned my computer on the other day. So I placed my Linux Mint 6 LiveCd back in the computer and was greeted with the automatically start in 6, 5, 4, etc. screen. Just for grins I hit the enter button to get to the list that gives you additional options. I selected boot from hard drive and lo and behold my grub menu came up. I tried loading Windows XP it went right in. So I powered down the computer, removed the LiveCD and got the same DISK BOOT FAILURE message. I repeated the above procedure of putting the Live CD in and rebooting the machine and again selected boot from hard disk. This time I picked the Linux Mint and it went right in.

So basically I am able to boot and load the grub menu ONLY if I start the machine up with the Live CD. Otherwise I get the DISK BOOT FAILURE message. What I don't understand is if my Grub got messed up, why does the system work if I use the LiveCd and select boot from hard disk option? Shouldn't it go right back to the DISK BOOT FAILURE message?

I am not sure if there is a menu item inside Mint that would allow me to re-install the GRUB system back onto my hard drive? Or is this a command line rescue operation?

[Husse]

What probably has happened is that the MBR has become corrupt - very unusual but happens
Follow this guide (to the minute!) - you can do that from the installed Mint or from the live CD
http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php ... _your_grub
If for some reason the repair does not work download super grub (google for it to get the link) it's only some 20 MB and use that to repair grub. Super grub also has an option to repair MBR but I think repairing grub would take care of that

[Riktar]

I thought I would reply back with the solution to my problem. Bear with me on this,,,,,,,,,,

I followed the advice in the above post with no success. So I figured the hell with it I will just re-install Mint.

No dice.

Ok I thought, I will install Windows XP again.

No dice.

Undaunted and without common sense, I proceed to install 2 different versions of Linux,,,,, AGAIN.

No Dice.

Now I am really cheesed. My hard drive must be bad right? Aw hell I need a (albeit feeble) excuse to go get the latest giant size hard drive anyway. Before going out and dropping hard earned cash, and for reasons unbeknown to me, I FORTUNATELY went into the bios to check the drive assignments so I could see what channels I had open. While I was in there a light went on (albeit dim) in my head and I went to see what the boot order was for the hard drives.

I know you ALL can see this coming,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

For whatever reason (I am at a loss to explain) the secondary drive was listed ahead of the primary drive. And since that drive is nothing more than a storage device it OBVIOUSLY (kicks self in butt) was only formatted for that purpose.

Don't ask me how or why the load order was altered in my bios. I sure as heck don't remember doing it.

So I change the load order back and (you can) guess what?

The thing boots up just like it should.

Hours wasted, hair pulled out. AND I now have no reason to go shopping for a new hard drive. NUTS!!!!!!

I hope some of you get a chuckle out of this.

[Husse]

I hope some of you get a chuckle out of this.

I a kind and gentle person - only a smile