dysfunctional bootloader

[skorchio 0]

Evening all,

 

My system runs XP pro and Mandrake 9.1, dualboot with the grub bootloader. I recently used Partition magic to create a new partition (logical) for windows data on my drive. It was doing its thing, so I left the machine to its devices. When I came back, its in a screen with a "grub>" prompt. Apparently minimal BASH line editing is supported at this level. I can get into the BIOS setup, but cant do anything from there.

 

have I got to reconfigure the bootloader now that I have a new partition? Anyone know how to do that? I cant get pst this grub prompt....

 

Cheers

Irish Geoff

skorchio@hotmail.com

 

 

[deviant_prick 0]

have you got a windows or mandrake boot disk? also dosn't partian magic come with a emegency boot disk? boot up with a windows boot disk and type: "fdisk /mbr" (don't take this as advice)

sorry don't know how to create a boot for mandrake

[Dapper Dan 0]

I just used PM 8.0 last night, and I believe you can boot from it to do a rescue. Try putting it in and booting it to see what happens. I may be wrong though. danleff is very knowledgable about this type of problem. I'm sure he can give you more help than I can. Sorry.

[danleff 0]

I assume that you put the partition at the end of the drive? If not, you changed the partiton scheme. Additionally, the scheme may change, depending where the partition was put.

 

Three questions. Do you have the PartitionMagic cd, or is is resident on the hard drive as a download version only?

 

I assume also that you did not make the PartitionMagic boot floppys before making the changes?

 

Do you have the Mandrake install disks? You may be able to do a rescue, if this is the case.

 

Let us know what the case is.

[skorchio 0]

Thanks guys

 

Danleff, I dont have the PMagic CD, the software was installed.

 

No I didn't make PM boot floppies, my machine doesn't even have a floppy drive.

 

as far as I remember, I used the default and recommended location for the new logical partition, which was at the front of the extended partition. looks like this:

 

|----NTFS-----| {|-new NTFS-| |linux swap| |linux|}

 

 

where the first NTFS is the primary partition, the curly brackets denote the extended partition, the others being logical partitions thereof.

 

I dont have my Mnadrake CDs here, I am on a ship off the coast Borneo for the next 3 weeks!!!!

Surely there is a way to configure ther bootloader from the grub prompt, if not, it sounds like I'm up the creek no paddle etc etc...

[jimf43 0]

I had told people that there is a problem with the latest Qparted and its interaction with the window$ utility and Partition magic 8. I have assurances the Qparted is actually the most standards complaint of the three, but that really isn't helpful to anyone who needs to run a dual boot setup. My advise is that all initial partitions be set with PM8 or with windows fdisk. You can then format with the Linux utility. When PM8 tells you there is an offset error (do you want to correct) tell it 'no'. After you are set up, don't even think of resizing any of the Linux volumes.

 

What you have now requires that you restore the windows boot sector, then, use a boot floppy to boot Linux and then reinstall grub.

See:

http://mepislovers.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=132&forum=4

 

You may have to manually add the Window$ grub menu.lst entry.

See:

http://mepislovers.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=132&forum=4

 

Actually, since you don't have a mandrake boot floppy, It sounds as though you might have to reinstall mandrake... or you could just try Mepis

---

 

[skorchio 0]

Jim

 

you've saved the day mate, thanks

 

I got the windows boot sector restored, the rest can wait

 

Thank you!

Geoff Smith

[martouf 0]

grub stopped where it did because it couldn't find the /boot/grub

directory on the indicated hd partition. The new partition you

created means hd{N} is now hd{N+1}. the grub command line will

permit you to specify hd{N+1} and from there you'll be able to fix

your configuration.