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Thread ID: 36750	2003-08-19 09:48:00	I broke XP.. Real bad.. It'll teach me for playing with partitions!	Chilling_Silently (228)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
168677	2003-08-22 03:34:00	Yeah.. It is in the extended.. hence hda5 being its ref. in Linux... but.. hmm.... perhaps I should have a play around, coz it was origionally like this: C:\ Extended> F:\ (Where XP's installed on) I then removed C: and created 3 primary /boot, /, and SWAP partition! What's this abour Mandrake?? *Lost*	Chilling_Silently (228)
168678	2003-08-22 03:45:00	Chill, Not exactly sure where you are up to in your "Broke XP . . . " but: Some information on the startup process and Boot . Ini file which may help you work out what should/needs to be there . Note also that the files NTLDR, NTDETECT, BOOT . INI must be on the first partition of the first disk - the boot partition (often C:\) . Other files may be CMLDR (Recovery Console driver), CDLDR . Further files may be AUTOEXEC . BAT, CONFIG . SYS, IO . SYS, MSDOS . SYS (not used as such normally 0KB in size - come from an upgrade from Win9x/me) Your BOOT . INI file says that the WinXP system files are to be found in the directory WINDOWS on the fifth partition of the first disk on the first controller . . . is this correct, and have you got the necessary boot files on the active boot partition . Cheers, Babe . Overview of Windows XP Startup Process When you turn on your computer, it goes through a startup process . The process begins when your computer performs its power-on self test (POST), which is followed by the POST for each adapter card that has a BIOS, such as SCSI adapters and video cards . The system BIOS then reads the master boot record (MBR)—the first sector on the first hard disk—and transfers control to the code in the MBR, which is created by Windows XP Setup . This is where Windows takes over the startup process . Next: The MBR reads the boot sector—the first sector of the active partition—which contains code that starts Ntldr, the bootstrap loader for Windows XP . The initial role of Ntldr is to switch the system to protected mode with paging enabled (to allow full memory addressing), start the file system, read the Boot . ini file, and display the boot menu . Note that Ntldr must be located in the root folder of the active partition, along with Ntdetect . com, Boot . ini, Bootsect . dos (if you’re going to dual boot), and Ntbootdd . sys (if you’re using certain SCSI adapters for the drive with the boot partition) . For more information about sectors, partitions, and drives . If you select Windows XP from the boot menu, Ntldr runs Ntdetect . com to gather information about the currently installed hardware . Ntldr then uses the Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) path specified in Boot . ini to find the boot partition—the one where Windows XP is installed—and loads the two files that constitute the Windows XP core: Ntoskrnl . exe and Hal . dll . Both files must be located in the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder . Ntldr continues by reading the files that make up the registry, selecting a hardware profile and control set, and loading device drivers . At this point, Ntoskrnl . exe takes over and starts Winlogon . exe, which in turn starts Lsass . exe (Local Security Administration), the program that displays theWelcome screen (or the Windows logon dialog box) and allows you to log on with your user name and password . ARC Paths in Boot . ini In the [operating systems] section of the Boot . ini file, you’ll find a somewhat cryptic line for each installed copy of Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT . This line uses Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) paths to specify the location of the boot partition . On a system that uses standard IDE drives, the ARC path in Boot . ini looks like this: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS The first parameter identifies the disk controller . In the multi() form, it should always be 0 . The disk parameter is not used in the multi() form and should always be 0 . The rdisk parameter in the multi() form specifies the ordinal number on the controller (starting with 0) of the disk that contains the boot partition . Thus, if multiple hard disks are installed, the first disk is 0, the second is 1, and so on . The partition parameter identifies the partition number of the boot partition . Partitions on a disk are numbered starting with 1 . The last part of the ARC path (usually \WINDOWS or \WINNT) identifies the path to the folder where that version of Windows is installed . More Info Two additional ARC structures identify disks using scsi()and signature() as the beginning of the ARC path, as described in Knowledge Base articles Q227704 and Q102873 . It’s rare that you’d ever need (or want) to edit any of the ARC paths in Boot . ini . (The most likely reason is if you’ve used a third-party utility like PartitionMagic to add or remove partitions on your boot or system drive . ) In fact, if you don’t have a deep understanding of disk structures, you can render your system unable to start by editing these settings incorrectly . But if you need to revive a system that’s lost its Boot . ini and other key startup files, you might need this information .	Babe Ruth (416)
168679	2003-08-22 03:57:00	So the F could be partition 6: the first logical partition in the extended partition. You said they were all primary. :_| The whole thing about this is that you can't get it "nearly right'. Like just about everything to do with computing it has to be exactly right. Why do people think it's easy? :_| :_| Try to find something which will tell you (and us) exactly how the disk is partitioned. FDISK /STATUS from a DOS boot might work if there isn't any NTFS junk about. :D Or, possibly better, use a Linux boot floppy, and use fdisk /dev/hdX. It will tell you.	Graham L (2)
168680	2003-08-22 04:11:00	Chill, have you got anything important at all on the WinXP partition?? If you've got driveImage, just make an image of it and store it somewhere on another partition. Then use say partition magic to completely delete the WinXP partition. Then attempt a full install of XP. Let it get up to the first part where it reboots your computer for the first time (after copying the setup files). Then restore your original Drive Image. Then fix up grub again so it will dual boot XP and linux.	PoWa (203)
168681	2003-08-22 05:02:00	Have too much on there to be playing with Ghosting software.. and what OS would I install it onto anyways ;-) Graham> Here you go, right from FDisk: Command (m for help): p Disk /dev/hda: 8455 MB, 8455200768 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1027 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/hda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux /dev/hda2 512 1027 4144770 f Win95 Ext'd (LBA) /dev/hda3 14 46 265072+ 82 Linux swap /dev/hda4 47 511 3735112+ 83 Linux /dev/hda5 512 1027 4144738+ b Win95 FAT32 Partition table entries are not in disk order Dunno what that last comment about the order means? Cheers Chill.	Chilling_Silently (228)
168682	2003-08-23 04:22:00	Well, I believe that MS and *nix order the partitions in opposite directions . :D I'm sure they both have perfectly good reasons for the way they do it . :D (MS copied it from CPM) . It looks as if you partitioned it all in Wxx . All the experts recommend using an OS's own partitioning software . That is, if you're installing WXX, you make a partition or partitions for it, and leave the rest of the disk unallocated . Then you can install the WXX, and then install, say, Linux, which will make its own partritions . But that's the "recommended" method . You are where you are . :_| Try making partition 5 the active one . At the moment, partition 1 is the active one (indicated by the "*") . That should get you into your Windows . You might need to try the FDISK/MBR or whatever again . The MS boot would not like the Linux partition, instead of a W one, containing NTLDR etc . The Linux rescue disk should get Linux sorted out after you have the Windows sorted . .	Graham L (2)
168683	2003-08-23 05:08:00	Yes, but sadly the JAMD Kernel is too large for a floppy :-( I'll have a llook at the Linux FDisk, I know it can set partitions bootable, thanks for the idea! I think I'm gonna be sticking with Linux on there.. Just have to find the source for my current kernel so I can rebuild it with SCSI emulation to burn CD's... K3B is useless right now, lol.. But that's later :-) Thanks for that Graham, I'll give it a shot!	Chilling_Silently (228)
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