GRUB borked my system!!! Help please!

[Redeemed]

Okay, first off I must clarify that I'm an extreme Linux noob.

Okay, here's what happened-

I was dual-booting XP Pro and Kubuntu for quite a while, but being that I seldom use Kubuntu I wanted to wipe the drive clean and put WIndows ME on that drive so I could play some older DOS and early Windows games that don't work in XP.

Okay, I have two 300GB hard drives in my computer. The primary hard drive has the XP Pro installation in it, the secondary hard drive had Kubuntu installed on it.

I went into the Storage Manager in Administrative Properties in XP and re-partitioned my secondary hard drive. I did not format it as XP will only format it with the NTFS file system and Win 9x requires FAT. So I booted into DOS, formated the drive.

Okay, right after the drive finished formatting I restarted my computer and went to boot into Windows- but GRUB keeps trying to come up but can't, so now I can't boot into XP. All of my files (pictures, movies, photos, etc) are stored on the drive with XP on it.

How do I get rid of GRUB so I can get back into XP? Right now I'm running off of the Kubuntu LiveCD. Is there any way to get rid of GRUB in my situation? Was there a better method of removing Kubuntu from my system?

Again, I'm a complete noob when it comes to Linux. :o Thanks in advance for all your help. :D :D :D

[grey_1]

Boot off your XP disk, select repair. After your in type "fixboot", then "fixmbr", exit and go.

I got tired of repairing that after trying a bunch of distros so now I just disconnect the xp hdd altogether, install linux, then plug it back in and switch from the bios.

[Redeemed]

Boot off your XP disk, select repair. After your in type "fixboot", then "fixmbr", exit and go.

I got tired of repairing that after trying a bunch of distros so now I just disconnect the xp hdd altogether, install linux, then plug it back in and switch from the bios.

MY HERO!!! LOL

Okay, so by "select repair" do you mean to use the recovery console? I could never figure out how to use that (though I never did really try all that hard).

You do mean the recovery console, right?

[Redeemed]

And I did unplug my primary hard drive (that's the one with XP on it). Kubuntu was installed on my secondary hard drive. But some how GRUB is still tangle up in the MBR I guess.

A friend is barrowing my XP disc- I'll see if I can get it back today. Thanks Grey, I really do appreciate this. :D

[grey_1]

np Bro! I'm trying to figure out how GRUB got to your XP if it were unplugged??

Are you getting a grub error message or a disk read error? If it's disk-read try swapping the sata ports your plugged into. I don't know why, but XP can sometimes get 'lost' WRT booting off a secondary channel, if that's the case.

[Redeemed]

np Bro! I'm trying to figure out how GRUB got to your XP if it were unplugged??

Are you getting a grub error message or a disk read error? If it's disk-read try swapping the sata ports your plugged into. I don't know why, but XP can sometimes get 'lost' WRT booting off a secondary channel, if that's the case.

The error message I'm recieving is something to the extent of "GRUB error 17". And the computer doesn't do anything after that message appears.

My drives aren't SATA- they're PATA. My Primary Master IDE drive had the XP installation on it, while the Primary Slave IDE drive had Kubuntu installed on it. I just assumed that if I wiped that Primary slave hard drive clean, it'd get rid of Kubuntu, Grub- the works. Evidently it didn't.

[Redeemed]

Grey,

If I just re-installed Kubuntu on my secondary hard drive- would that resolve the problem? Since I finally got the internet to work in Kubuntu, I'm thinking of keeping it on my system. I can always throw in another hard drive to run ME off of.

[grey_1]

Grey,

If I just re-installed Kubuntu on my secondary hard drive- would that resolve the problem? Since I finally got the internet to work in Kubuntu, I'm thinking of keeping it on my system. I can always throw in another hard drive to run ME off of.
That should solve it for you, assuming grub doesnt start complaining to itself. ;)

Either way, if it doesn't, you can still do the recovery console for XP. For me, I stick with switching at boot out of the bios. It's more rare now than it used to be, but if a major update like xorg fubars your kubuntu install, your win is still untouched.

Personal preference I guess. ;)

[Redeemed]

That should solve it for you, assuming grub doesnt start complaining to itself. ;)

Either way, if it doesn't, you can still do the recovery console for XP. For me, I stick with switching at boot out of the bios. It's more rare now than it used to be, but if a major update like xorg fubars your kubuntu install, your win is still untouched.

Personal preference I guess. ;)

That sounds like the best route to take.

Anyhow, it's 4:20 AM and I still haven't gotten to sleep yet. :( Gotta' be up for Church at 10. Off to bed I go. I'll get my copy of XP back from my friend and just try the recovery console.

Thanks again man, I do appreciate it. :D

[grey_1]

Have a great Easter Bro, chat with you later.

[Redeemed]

Have a great Easter Bro, chat with you later.

Hey thanks man- you to! :D

[Redeemed]

Well, I tried the recovery console- but that did not work. I typed in "fixboot" and recieved an error message. I typed in "fixmbr" and I got this message saying that if I proceed the partition tables might be damaged- so I did not proceed (I do not want to lose all of my data).

So, I am just gonna' try re-installing Kubuntu for now. Hopefully that'll solve the problem. If not, I will just re-install XP on my second hard drive, and go from there.

[grey_1]

Well, I tried the recovery console- but that did not work. I typed in "fixboot" and recieved an error message. I typed in "fixmbr" and I got this message saying that if I proceed the partition tables might be damaged- so I did not proceed (I do not want to lose all of my data).

So, I am just gonna' try re-installing Kubuntu for now. Hopefully that'll solve the problem. If not, I will just re-install XP on my second hard drive, and go from there.
You get that error off a default dows install also. It's just win complaining and moaning, it's good though.

[Redeemed]

You get that error off a default dows install also. It's just win complaining and moaning, it's good though.

What do you mean by "a default dows install"?

Any, just got XP installed on my secondary drive. I'm gonna' leave XP on this drive (it is my Primary Slave- the drive Kubunto was on originally), transfer my files over from the Primary Master (the drive with the original XP install and all my files and documents) to this Primary slave (the one with the new XP install), then re-install Kubuntu on my Primary Master (the drive with the original XP on it).

Whew, this turned out to be far more of a pain than I anticipated. :p Least I'm back up and running... sort of. :p Going through all the Windows Updates now, then to transfer my files, re-install my games, ugh. :(

Oh well. Gives me somethin' to do. :p

[grey_1]

Lol, the coffee hadn't reached my fingers yet. A default "windows" install gives the same warning about non-standard partitions. Should have remembered to mention that...

[Redeemed]

Lol, the coffee hadn't reached my fingers yet. A default "windows" install gives the same warning about non-standard partitions. Should have remembered to mention that...

I think I know what you are getting at now.

My copy of windows (the installation CD) is from 2001, when XP was first released. Thus it has no updates of any sort. It is as barebones basic a copy of XP Pro as you can get. Would that be why the recovery console didn't work?

[grey_1]

I think I know what you are getting at now.

My copy of windows (the installation CD) is from 2001, when XP was first released. Thus it has no updates of any sort. It is as barebones basic a copy of XP Pro as you can get. Would that be why the recovery console didn't work?
You didn't get the "repair windows" option after booting from the cd? Is it a full install or upgrade cd?

Mine all have sp2 either slipstreamed or bought that way, so I can't really answer, but that sure could cause a bit of trouble if you don't have the recovery/repair option.

[Redeemed]

No, I had the option to enter the recovery console, and that is what I did. But I'm thinking since the CD had absolutely no updates on it and the Windows installation was fully updated, that is why I was unable to successfully repair the MBR.

Seems to make sense, atleast to me. :p