# Can't Get Back to Windows XP after Redhat 9 install



## JohnnyBoy (Jul 15, 2003)

Ok, I installed Redhat 9 on its own HD, so I could play with it. It automatically setup its Dual boot using Grub (??) I have 3 HDs, hd 1 now contains redhat, hd 2 is partitioned with XP installed on each partition, hd 3 is storage. at the boot menu i have the option of choosing redhat, dos, or windows, thats just what it called them but both are xp. when i choose either of them i get a mssg...

something like 


hd2, 1,0

something+1 (cant remember exactly since i am at work)

... then it hangs here


I need to get back to XP!! What do i do??? If i go into the bios and disable the HD that contains redhat, it wont boot either, gets msg " missing ntldr (something like that)

sorry this is so vague, but I am not at home, and at home I cant figure out how to setup PPPoE in linux to get online, I am hoping there is a simple answer here.

Thanks guys..

john


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## codejockey (Feb 11, 2002)

On the chance that you are using LILO and not grub, you might have a look at this article: http://kb.redhat.com/view.php?eid=156 (although the principles are the same with grub). If you are using grub, you might check out a recent thread: http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=141354

Hope this helps.


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## JohnnyBoy (Jul 15, 2003)

I have been searching the net and finding alot of people with this issue. I am using GRUB. I have read that if i boot to a Dos floppy and use fisk /mbr it will fix this. 

what exactly does this do?? what i want is to lose the dual boot manager completely, i would like to choose my boot drive in the bios whenever i want to change but just changing the first boot drive..

will fdisk /mbr do this for me? i dont wanna lose anything on my Windows side, i can lose redhat for now if i need to, since theres nothing there yet.


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## codejockey (Feb 11, 2002)

> what i want is to lose the dual boot manager completely, i would like to choose my boot drive in the bios whenever i want to change but just changing the first boot drive..


It would be nice if it were this simple, but it isn't (additional/technical details on request -- no sense boring you with details that may not be important to you ...).

Suggestion: before you do anything else, try making a boot floppy for your RedHat installation, and verify that it works (i.e, you can shutdown, put the floppy in the floppy drive, power up, and boot Linux). If this works, make two or three copies, just to have them in reserve. This will allow you to boot your Linux installation simply by inserting a floppy -- useful on the dark day you can't boot Linux from your hard drive, as well as everyday from now forward -- because you can always boot Linux just by inserting a floppy.

Now you are ready to re-write the master boot record (which is what fdisk /MBR does). However, the fdisk /MBR method is usually used with Windoze 98 and similar; Windoze 2000 (aka Windoze NT 5.0) uses the fixmbr command, and Windoze XP (aka Windoze NT 5.1) may use it as well (I don't run XP, so can't comment). Once you re-write the MBR, you should be able to boot into XP and Linux will be invisible -- unless you use one of your boot floppies (and you've set your BIOS to boot from floppy before hard drive).

Hope this helps.


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## JohnnyBoy (Jul 15, 2003)

I think I figured this out. But I want to understand something. From what Ive been reading it sounds like windows installed the MBR to the 1st master drive, even tho windows was installed on the 1st slave drive. I read it always puts that on the 1st drive, so when I installed RedHat on the 1st drive it over wrote that. So I switched the drives around, if I put Redhat on Drive 2, and windows on Drive 1, I wont need a dual boot system right? Because each HD will have its own MBR on the drive. I can just switch them in the Bios when i want to change startup disk. 

Am I thinking about this correct?


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## Dodge (Oct 27, 2001)

Sorry, but no you are incorrect on this.

XP does write the MBR to the first sector of the First hard drive. Doesn't matter if you install XP on Drive one or two. You cannot just change the drives around and make it work. You will need to use your Windows XP CD and choose to install, when you get to the page, choose R. You can then type fix /mbr This is supposed to rewrite the MBR and put NT's bootloader back in.

One major problem though. None of this worked for me when I tried installing Redhat 9.0... I have yet been able to get it to install using Lilo or Grub and make both OS's work properly.

What you can do is this. Run a repair install of XP, this will get XP working. Then install Bootmagic. You can bootmagic as your boot manager. It works much better with Redhat and XP. It should detect your RH installation.


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## JohnnyBoy (Jul 15, 2003)

well, i think i made things worse!! I posted this in windows, but you guys seem to know alot.

i tried the fdisk /mbr and the fixmbr, well, windows xp on my 2nd partition now works just fine!!!


but my 1st partition of windows xp has vanished!!! all my data was on that drive..

what can i do?


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## codejockey (Feb 11, 2002)

Are you saying that if you boot into your (second) XP installation, you cannot see your other XP installation? It may not be bootable, but it should still be there. Have you checked your partition table to see if your first XP installation is still included in the partition table? My guess is that your files are still there, and can be accessed from your second XP installation. 

Hope this helps -- additional info appreciated.


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

Did you switch your drives back to the original configuration before fixing the MBR?Paths in boot.ini may be wrong now.
lynch


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## JohnnyBoy (Jul 15, 2003)

no, its gone. when i boot to the 2nd partition, its shows that drive as a 10GB drive, should be a 30 GB drive, if I get properties on that drive it shows the other partition, when I get more info on that partition it shows no format, as if there is nothing there.

So I found some data recovery software which seems to be finding most of the files in that partition, I started the search before I left work so hopefully it will find all the important stuff. 

I think I rushed into all this a little too fast, Ill have to tackle Red Hat another day.

Thanks for all your input tho guys! Much appreciated.

Johnny


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## codejockey (Feb 11, 2002)

Hey, you're welcome -- check back when you're ready to try things again.


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