me1191
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Linux install gone back!
My first go at Linux has ended up a disaster! I got mandrake installed ok but when I tried to boot into windows I got errors about missing files. In the end, I had to reformat and reinstall windows. Now ive gone from linux, but no windows to windows but no linux!
My main windows partition is now "J" instead of "C". I can still see the Linux partitions in Partition Magic so they're still there. Why has Linux disappeared? How can I get it back?
Here you can see a screenshot of what im seeing in Partition Magic.. http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~sa1nt/Snap1.jpg
I really need this all done by tonight so I will just have to hope that something goes right in the next two or three hours. I think I need to set the partition as active, but im afraid of doing even more harm and making myself another days work!
My main windows partition is now "J" instead of "C". I can still see the Linux partitions in Partition Magic so they're still there. Why has Linux disappeared? How can I get it back?
Here you can see a screenshot of what im seeing in Partition Magic.. http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~sa1nt/Snap1.jpg
I really need this all done by tonight so I will just have to hope that something goes right in the next two or three hours. I think I need to set the partition as active, but im afraid of doing even more harm and making myself another days work!
ASKER
I have always had two hard drives, one 80GB (main windows, games, utilites) and one 250GB (back up stuff, movie files, music).
I am now in windows and its working fine, ive jsut been installing a few things to get me back where I was.
The way my hard drives were partitioned before:
80GB drive:
C:\Windows
D:\Games
U:\Utilities
250GB drive:
K:\Back Up
P:\Pagefile
Maybe a bit odd to other people but its very neat and tidy really.
I am now in windows and its working fine, ive jsut been installing a few things to get me back where I was.
The way my hard drives were partitioned before:
80GB drive:
C:\Windows
D:\Games
U:\Utilities
250GB drive:
K:\Back Up
P:\Pagefile
Maybe a bit odd to other people but its very neat and tidy really.
Okay then. So you installed Linux and foul hit the fan? Could you then boot Linux but lost Windows? Which version of Windows is this?
ASKER
XP. First I could boot linux but not windows, now after reinstalling windows I cant use linux.
There is an issue with XP, disks and Linux. A quick google search on "Windows XP Linux Disk" will provide you the details about that. Looking over your partitioning scheme, I'm wondering if you are so close to a "scratch" install on both OSes that you may want to take some time, wipe both disks, then reinstall both.
To start off with, WinXP is now installed on drive "J:". Although I have not tried it with XP, my other experiences with Windows variants tells me that if you attempt to remap that drive back to "C:", then you'll be unable to boot Windows. What I think happened is that when you installed Linux, 'doze renamed all of the drives and was unable to find its installation when it needed to.
FWIW, I have had the most success when having to deal with Windows ensuring that I make PRIMARY partitions first (up to three) then an extended as the last partition (swallowing up all unused space) so that I could create logicals. Otherwise you run into the problem that you have suffered here -- the drive letters get renamed. This isn't an issue for Linux but Windows has hissy fits about it. I'd do something like this:
Drive 1: Drive 2:
Primary NTFS (c:) Primary NTFS (e:)
Primary NTFS (d:) Primary NTFS (f:)
Primary NTFS (e:) Primary EXT2 (linux boot)
Extended Extended
Linux stuff here More Linux stuff here.
Conventional wisdom puts a primary partition for the Linux Boot in the first 1024 cylinders of a drive so that all BIOS can boot from them but I find that most modern computers don't get wigged out wherever you decide to boot from.
If you load Windows XP first then you can have the Linux bootloader handle the switch between the two OSes. Linux will simply incorporate it.
To start off with, WinXP is now installed on drive "J:". Although I have not tried it with XP, my other experiences with Windows variants tells me that if you attempt to remap that drive back to "C:", then you'll be unable to boot Windows. What I think happened is that when you installed Linux, 'doze renamed all of the drives and was unable to find its installation when it needed to.
FWIW, I have had the most success when having to deal with Windows ensuring that I make PRIMARY partitions first (up to three) then an extended as the last partition (swallowing up all unused space) so that I could create logicals. Otherwise you run into the problem that you have suffered here -- the drive letters get renamed. This isn't an issue for Linux but Windows has hissy fits about it. I'd do something like this:
Drive 1: Drive 2:
Primary NTFS (c:) Primary NTFS (e:)
Primary NTFS (d:) Primary NTFS (f:)
Primary NTFS (e:) Primary EXT2 (linux boot)
Extended Extended
Linux stuff here More Linux stuff here.
Conventional wisdom puts a primary partition for the Linux Boot in the first 1024 cylinders of a drive so that all BIOS can boot from them but I find that most modern computers don't get wigged out wherever you decide to boot from.
If you load Windows XP first then you can have the Linux bootloader handle the switch between the two OSes. Linux will simply incorporate it.
Hi, I just answered pretty much the same question here: ;)
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/21143104/Cannot-access-Linux-partition.html
cheers
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/21143104/Cannot-access-Linux-partition.html
cheers
I read through that thread... you are in a bit of a bind, aren't you? I can tell you from experience that the partitioning scheme that you have now will cause you no end of trouble (as you have found). With enough effort you will be able to get both of the installed systems running but you will always have to be careful if you make any changes to the partitioning. It will take much less time to simply reinstall your software.
I see that you have your thesis material on the Linux side. You don't mention how much space this takes but what I would do, if I were in your position, would be to go to www.knoppix.org and download a copy of that distribution. It is a self-hosting CD-ROM based distro that you can boot. From there you will be able to access any of the data on any of the XP or Linux partitions. Use whatever means you'd like to get the important data off. Knoppix supports USB and networking so you can pick your favorite means to save the data. Once you have verified your backups, wipe that mess and reinstall both OSes again, using a paritioning scheme that won't cause XP to reletter the drives. Be sure to load XP first, then Linux.
Good luck!
I see that you have your thesis material on the Linux side. You don't mention how much space this takes but what I would do, if I were in your position, would be to go to www.knoppix.org and download a copy of that distribution. It is a self-hosting CD-ROM based distro that you can boot. From there you will be able to access any of the data on any of the XP or Linux partitions. Use whatever means you'd like to get the important data off. Knoppix supports USB and networking so you can pick your favorite means to save the data. Once you have verified your backups, wipe that mess and reinstall both OSes again, using a paritioning scheme that won't cause XP to reletter the drives. Be sure to load XP first, then Linux.
Good luck!
ASKER
So your saying that if I had Linux installed on my second hard drive I would have no bother because it's not on the same drive as windows?
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ASKER
Booted from cd, carried on with the rescue process and Linux would'nt boot. I then choose the fail safe option and it done its thing then rebooted, I then selected Linux again and booted into it fine. Very nervous when I went to load windows again, but sure enough it loaded fine. Now two working OS'es. Really all extremely simple when you know how. Thanks.
You can or can not boot Windows? I'm not clear on that from your description.
Looking at your Partition Magic report I'm wondering, how was the system originally configured? Did you add another disk when you installed Linux?
How about giving a summary of what happened starting when you had a working Windows system.
Barry