Think tis is an easy boot qstn (at bottom) but am giving up

[restevns]

I have a system with both a WinVista install (for my girls SIMS and wife itunes) and LM 9.

I attempted to create a new partition for a dedicated /home to make upgrading in the future easier.

I think by deleting the first partition (an OE Recovery partition) and moving things around, I messed up my MBR or Grub2 file, because I can't boot either O/S.

Output of fdisk:

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x81f5ee4e

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 674 5413873+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 675 12650 96197220 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 12687 38914 210663425 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 * 12687 20293 61096066+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 20294 38131 143283703+ 83 Linux

sda1 is empty
sda2 is windows
sda 5 is LM9
sda6 is going to be new home partition

I also tried booting with super grub disk and it can't seem to find a /boot file/partition or anything to boot to.

Any suggestions?

I also have a LM9 live cd ready to go.

*edit
after trying
sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt
sudo mount -o bind /sys /mnt/sys
sudo mount -o bind /proc /mnt/proc
sudo mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo chroot /mnt
grub-install /dev/sda
update-grub

I get an error msg after a grub screen with only linux as an option saying:
the disk drive at /mnt/sda7 is not ready or not present (obviously gone after rearranging) - I think was a swap partition.

[oobetimer]

Output of fdisk:

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 674 5413873+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 675 12650 96197220 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 12687 38914 210663425 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 * 12687 20293 61096066+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 20294 38131 143283703+ 83 Linux

Vista needs a bootflag *. My suggestion is that you remove grub via liveCD using LILO, set a bootflag for Vista using GParted, so you can see if Vista is still alive.

sudo apt-get install lilo

sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr

If Vista will boot, you can install grub via liveCD

sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/sda

sudo umount /mnt

If Mint will boot, terminal commands:

sudo os-prober

sudo update-grub

This CD may help you..

[restevns]

As instructed, and in order I tried -

lilo installed:

Processing triggers for menu ...
mint@mint ~ $ sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr
Backup copy of /dev/sda in /boot/boot.0800
The Master Boot Record of /dev/sda has been updated.

then gparted & set bootflag for vista:

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x81f5ee4e

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 674 5413873+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 * 675 12650 96197220 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 12687 38914 210663425 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 12687 20293 61096066+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 20294 38131 143283703+ 83 Linux


And now when I try to boot, I just get an endless boot loop, rebooting over and over....

[oobetimer]

And now when I try to boot, I just get an endless boot loop, rebooting over and over....

There is a trouble inside Vista, so you must fix Vista first.

http://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-fix-vi ... ken-vista/

http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-v ... -download/

[leejosepho]

I have a system with both a WinVista install (for my girls SIMS and wife itunes) and LM 9 ...

I think by deleting the first partition (an OE Recovery partition) and moving things around, I messed up my MBR or Grub2 file, because I can't boot either O/S.

As long as Vista is on your first hard drive and still has the same number of partitions ahead of it as before, its "startup repair" or "fixboot" (and possibly "fixmbr" also) from the recovery console on its installation disk should fix its startup ... but then you *might* need something like "Partition Table Doctor" (PTD) from Easeus (free) either before or after doing that. And then if your Mint installation has its "/boot" stuff right there in its own partition, EasyBCD should be able to add it to Vista's start menu and you will not need any kind of GRUB near your MBR or boot sector for machine startup.

[restevns]

tried to install grub using:

mint@mint ~ $ sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt
mint@mint ~ $ sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/sda
grub-probe: error: cannot find a device for /boot (is /dev mounted?).

I think "cannot find a device for /boot is one part of the problem....

"As long as Vista is on your first hard drive and still has the same number of partitions ahead of it as before,..." and I think that's why Vista is having a hard time booting - i removed the little recovery partition in front of everything, so it didn't have the same number of partitions ahead of it.

[restevns]

Vista needs a bootflag *. My suggestion is that you remove grub via liveCD using LILO, set a bootflag for Vista using GParted, so you can see if Vista is still alive.

sudo apt-get install lilo

sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr

If Vista will boot, you can install grub via liveCD

sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/sda

sudo umount /mnt

If Mint will boot, terminal commands:

sudo os-prober

sudo update-grub

This CD may help you..

Update - using above, got Vista to boot (using downloaded Vista recovery disk). Still cant get grub loaded to boot Linux Mint.

[oobetimer]

Update - using above, got Vista to boot (using downloaded Vista recovery disk). Still cant get grub loaded to boot Linux Mint.

You could make a rescue-LILO-boot ==>> http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 38#p330524

...or you could reinstall Mint without formatting partitions. Choose advanced choice (manual partitioning). The installer will disagree when not to format drives, but don´t care about it ..

[cwsnyder]

That 'little restore partition at the beginning' is where Windows Vista/Windows 7 stores its startup. Vista DOES require that partition, it can't be erased or reused and still use Vista.

You probably do need to run Gparted again and re-install a swap partition also.

The suggestion to use the Windows Vista startup either in place of or to point to GRUB in your sda3 partition is probably best as long as you wish to boot Vista at all. I have a quad-boot system with Windows XP Media Center/Windows 7/LMDE/Debian Lenny and from my experience, Windows updates can LITERALLY TRASH your boot setup if you try to setup GRUB in the boot sector, so either use the Vista startup to point to your Linux install or get used to 'fixing' your Windows and Linux boots just about every time you do a Windows update.

cwsnyder

[restevns]

With all of your able help, I've partially fixed my problem. Vista will now boot fine. I can get Linux to partially boot when I install grub from a LiveCD, but I get the "the disk drive /dev/sda7 is not ready or not present. Press s to skip or M for manual mounting" error msg. After picking either option, System just hangs.

As shown above, I don't have a /sda7 any longer. I believe the problem is in the /boot section of linux that somehow still points to a removable usb hard disk. I think if I can fix that, I can reinstall grub, and have back my system that dual boots along with the the now working (ugg) Vista.

My question is how do I use a LiveCD to fix the \boot section of the installed Linux Mint?

[restevns]

By the way, wife and kid are at least satiated for now

[oobetimer]

My question is how do I use a LiveCD to fix the \boot section of the installed Linux Mint?

Grub-reconfigure via liveCD

sudo fdisk-l

....you see the media. If the rescue partition is sda5, so ..

sudo mount /dev/sda5 /mnt

sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev

sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc

sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys

sudo chroot /mnt

dpkg-reconfigure grub-pc

....put the right value to the box

grub-install /dev/sda

update-grub

Ctrl d

sudo umount /mnt/sys

sudo umount /mnt/proc

sudo umount /mnt/dev

sudo umount /mnt

exit

PS. The picture's value is different than yours..

[restevns]

SAME problem STILL, am pulling out hair and about to chuck it

When updating grub, here's the output:

update-grub
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
ls: cannot access /var/lib/os-prober/mount/boot
Boot: No such file or directory

Again - when I install grub from a LiveCD, I get the "the disk drive /dev/sda7 is not ready or not present. Press s to skip or M for manual mounting" error msg. After picking either option, System just hangs.

As shown above, I don't have a /sda7 any longer. I believe the problem is in the /boot section of linux that somehow still points to a removable usb hard disk. I think if I can fix that, I can reinstall grub, and have back my system that dual boots along with the the now working (ugg) Vista.

My question is how do I use a LiveCD to fix the \boot section of the installed Linux Mint?

[oobetimer]

SAME problem STILL, am pulling out hair and about to chuck it

When updating grub, here's the output:

update-grub
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-21-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
ls: cannot access /var/lib/os-prober/mount/boot
Boot: No such file or directory

I think that when you used super-grub-CD for recovering, it messed your boot, because Mint uses grub2. Probably only way to recover boot is to use LILO (and it is quite simply to do) ..

[cwsnyder]

There are 3 versions of the Super GRUB disk: one for GRUB Legacy (GRUB 1), one for GRUB 2 (actually something like GRUB 1.9x), and Rescatux. see (http://www.supergrubdisk.org/). I actually have GRUB1 and GRUB2 versions in my tool box for that very reason.

SuperGRUB2, like SuperGRUB1, will actually allow your to rewrite your GRUB boot from within GRUB, without another Live CD, only using GRUB commands. The SuperGRUB disk wikis (http://www.supergrubdisk.org/wiki/Boot_Problems) actually address your problems, as long as your Super GRUB disk matches your GRUB version.