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New FC3 Install for Dual Boot w/ WinXP Fails After BIOS



Quick response.  My guess is that the Windows MBR is hosed, the Linux
partition isn't set to be bootable and I think it needs to be a primary
partition to be bootable.  I've never had RH/Fedora successfully dual
boot Windows when I let it set it up during installation.  I know it can
be done but I can't get it to work for me. I've always used System
Commander to get it work on my laptops and it had the advantage of
including Partition Commander which does an OK job of setting up the
partitions without messing the Windows partition up. And then I set grub
to use the initial blocks of the boot partition rather than the MBR.

You'll probably need to find the recovery CD and use it to recover the
Windows MBR or use fdisk \mbr (I think).  In theory Windows can use it's
boot loader to dual boot but I've had trouble with that, too.

Others on the list, feel free to flame me and show me the errors of my
advice.

On Tue, 2004-11-16 at 11:05 -0800, Steven Erat wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I'm looking for assistance with the following problem.  Any help
> appreciated. Thank you!
> 
> -Steve
> 
> 
> Description:
> -----------------
> New install of Fedora Core 3 final build from DVD iso to Dell 8600
> Inspiron laptop with Windows XP SP2 on hda2 and 12.5 MB free space.  First
> time Linux has touched this machine.
> 
> Configured Windows as default OS during FC3 install and set boot password
> option for grub. FC3 installe12 MB is pretty slim for an FC3 install.  In fact I think it's probably too slim.  


> d to the free space with: 1GB Swap, 4.5 GB /,
> 2GB /opt, 2GB /home, 2GB /usr/local. No problems.  
> 
> /dev/hda4 is the extended partition. /dev/hda5 is /.
> 
> Windows XP boots off /dev/hda2.  Dell has some type of recovery data that
> came with the machine on /dev/hda1.  I'm not inclinded to try any
> Dell/Windows recovery software quite yet because I don't want to disturb
> the evidence at the crime scene.
> 
> Machine will not boot past BIOS display. It displays BIOS, then does an
> auto reboot, displays BIOS, ad infinitum...  Does not even get to
> visualization of grub stage 2 splash screen.
> 
> To inspect the file system and recover data to post here, I loaded
> Knopppix 3.3 from boot CD and file system for WinXP and FC3 appear intact.
>  In the fdisk output below, not that /dev/sda1 is an artifact of having an
> external USB storage device mounted while running Knoppix to recover data
> 
> This is not the same hard disk geometry problem as was in FC2. I
> experienced that problem and solution on another machine earlier this
> year.
> 
> 
> /boot/grub/grub.conf
> --------------------------------------
> # grub.conf generated by anaconda
> #
> # Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this
> file
> # NOTICE: You do not have a /boot partition. This means that
> # all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /, eg.
> # root (hd0,4)
> # kernel /boot/vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda5
> # initrd /boot/initrd-version.img
> #boot=/dev/hda
> default=1
> timeout=5
> splashimage=(hd0,4)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
> hiddenmenu
> password --md5 $1$NXG3B1/H$R7cS/REM8ngkrOmtXOyno/
> title Fedora Core (2.6.9-1.667)
> root (hd0,4)
> kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.9-1.667 ro root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
> initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.9-1.667.img
> title Windows XP
> rootnoverify (hd0,1)
> chainloader +1
> 
> 
> /boot/devices.map
> ------------------------------------------
> # this device map was generated by anaconda
> (fd0) /dev/fd0
> (hd0) /dev/hda
> 
> 
> 
> fdisk -l
> --------------------------------------------
> 
> Disk /dev/sda: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
> 
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/sda1 1 4864 39070048+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
> 
> Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
> 
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/hda1 1 6 48163+ de Dell Utility
> /dev/hda2 * 7 2875 23045242+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
> /dev/hda3 4407 4863 3670852+ db CP/M / CTOS / ...
> /dev/hda4 2876 4406 12297757+ 5 Extended
> /dev/hda5 2876 3492 4956021 83 Linux
> /dev/hda6 3493 3753 2096451 83 Linux
> /dev/hda7 3754 4014 2096451 83 Linux
> /dev/hda8 4015 4275 2096451 83 Linux
> /dev/hda9 4276 4406 1052226 82 Linux swap
> 
> Partition table entries are not in disk order
> 
> 
> 
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> Discuss at blu.org
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