windows won't start after mint 5 install

[twodogs]

hi,

i have used mint 4 with windows xp without any problems.

i decided to install mint 5. i left my windows partition alone (20g) and installed mint 5 with /(10g) and /home(100+g) and swap.
on reboot, i choose windows and it starts to load but i get blue screen real quick and then grub restarts. i choose mint 5 and i get the desktop.
i reboot, again, and go for windows. same thing. i see windows for a split second (blue screen) and then restarts.

i decided to start from scratch. i totally wipe hard drive. i install windows xp. fine.
i reboot to check and i get to windows desktop. great i think. then i pop in mint 5 disk.

i shrink win partition to 20g's with gparted. and then do the install. i see the ntfs partition and i create the root, home and swap partitions.
i do the install. i reboot to grub and i see mint and windows. i choose windows and i still have same problem. mint loads perfectly.

i really would like to have a windows partition (for gaming) but could do without it. does anyone know how to fix this problem so i'll be happy?

thanks for your help.
Dave

[67GTA]

Post the output of

Code: Select all

fdisk -l

from a terminal, and a copy of your /boot/grub/menu.lst.

[Fred]

twodogs,

Also check and make sure you didn't shrink your XP install too much. How much of that 20 Gig is still free?

Fred

[twodogs]

fred, 3 gigs used and 16 gigs free.

67gta, fdisk -l is below

thanks

twodogs@ELYSSA ~ $ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password for twodogs:

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x9e159e15

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 2550 20482843+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 2551 3766 9767520 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 3767 19214 124086060 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 19215 19457 1951897+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
twodogs@ELYSSA ~ $

[twodogs]

to 67gta, menu.lst is below

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-legacy-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

gfxmenu=/etc/grub/message.elyssa

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/sda2 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,1)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery mode) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Linux Mint, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-16-generic root=/dev/sda2 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-16-generic

title Linux Mint, kernel 2.6.24-16-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-16-generic root=/dev/sda2 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-16-generic

title Linux Mint, kernel memtest86+
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

[67GTA]

That looks fine. I think Fred might be on the right path. You may have moved important system files around while shrinking XP. Did you defragment really well before you shrank?

[twodogs]

67gta, it was a fresh install, did nothing on it; i still need to defrag it? sorry if that sounded stupid.

[67GTA]

On a new install you shouldn't be too defragmented. The point of defragmenting is to try and move some of the system files Windows puts at the end of the partition. The fact that you did it twice is strange. I can see the first time maybe causing some file system damage to Windows, but not twice in a row. One other thing, open gparted and right click on your windows partition, and select "manage flags". Make sure the "boot" box is checked. I had this screw me up once. Windows likes to think it is #1. Also check to make sure you Mint partition is not set with the boot flag.

[twodogs]

thanks 67gta.

i am going to start from scratch and will report in an hour or so.

[twodogs]

well, it did not work, again.

i used live disk to wipe hard drive. installed windows. booted windows and it was good. booted live disc again. created root, home and swap after my windows partition. then installed mint 5.

rebooted computer and mint runs great but windows does the same thing. after i select windows in grub, it goes black and then i see the windows logo, the blue bar goes about 1 second, the blue screen flashes and then reboots back to the grub menu.

i am goin' nuts!

I think it is something to do with this new Mint. What do you think?

[twodogs]

ok.

so i have this theory that mint 5 is broke when it comes to doing fresh install of windows, then mint 5. it causes windows to not boot anymore.

this is what i am doing right now. all fresh, i install windows. then i install MINT 4. notice 4 not 5. if i reboot, then get into windows successfully then i will know it is mint 5 that is causing me all this grief. if for some reason it does the same problem, well, then i will know it is my computer somehow.

if it does work, and i can get to windows, then i am going to start over and do something different (my friend 'rockhaxor' thought of this)...

i will install windows, then install mint 5, but i won't install the grub bootloader. after the mint 5 install, i will put in the mint 4 live cd and then install grub. if i can boot into windows after that then it would prove the grub bootloader in mint 5 is the culprit. correct? if it goes bad then that would mean mint 5 itself is bad. i hope this makes sense. what do you think?

[twodogs]

WOW!

i just finished installing mint 4 and it did NOT work. so, that would mean it is my computer somehow. the only thing i have changed recently is new memory (from 768 to 1 gig) and hard drive (80 to 160g). what could be causing this problem that will not allow me to dual boot?

I guess this could be a good thing. If i just can't get it to work then i will just install mint 5 on the whole hard drive and no windows.

I am glad it is not a Mint problem.

-Dave

[twodogs]

i noticed this...

in mint 4, gparted, it lists my partitions as /dev/hda1/ntfs , /dev/hda2/ext3 /

and in mint 5, gparted lists them as /dev/sda1/ntfs , /dev/sda2/ext3 /

what is the difference between h and s ??

thanks for your help.

[twodogs]

i reinstalled windows and this time just let mint 5 install in upartitioned space with no seperate partitions for root or home.

and it worked. i can now get into windows and linux with no problems what so ever.