Re: XP won't boot after knoppix 3.4 hdinstall

Bill Eastman wrote:

> Klaus Knopper wrote:
>
>> On Wed, May 19, 2004 at 09:47:59AM -0400, Joris Huizer wrote:
>>  
>>
>>> I don't know why -- it didn't work.
>>> I gave that command and when I now boot the computer it does the 
>>> usual hardware startup stuff, and then says,
>>>
>>> CDROM:
>>> MBR
>>>
>>> (as if it first "thinks" it should read a cdrom, maybe that's 
>>> standard anyway) but then it just says MBR, and nothing happens.
>>>   
>>
>>
>> The obvious explanation would be that there is no more bootable
>> partition on your harddisk, therefore the MBR bootloader stops and waits
>> for instructions. Could it be that, when using Fabian's installer, you
>> DELETED your Windows partition instead of just RESIZING it and adding a
>> swap and Linux data partition on the empty space?
>>
>>  
>>
>>> Can you tell me how to solve this?
>>>   
>>
>>
>> If the above is true, your Windows partition is gone for good.
>>
>> Do you still see the content of the (ex-)Windows partition when booting
>> Knoppix from CD?
>>
>> Regards
>> -Klaus Knopper
>>  
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> debian-knoppix mailing list
>> [email protected]
>> http://mailman.linuxtag.org/mailman/listinfo/debian-knoppix
>>  
>>
> If he has a Windows 98 boot floppy, he could fdisk /mbr.  Before doing 
> that, I suggest making a linux boot floppy. Then when he wants linux, 
> just boot from the floppy.
>

It really looks like I'll have to backup everything on the XP partition 
& reinstall -- there is NO XP boot floppy (I even tried using the old 
one from ME.. no luck) - it still just hangs/waits after doing the 
-hardware booting part it does independently of any OS -
my dad did the XP install and it seems the installer *never asked* to 
create a boot floppy (and he didn't make one afterwards either)
All the data on XP are still there so I guess we'll go for the large & 
slow backing up method - now it's too bad my parents wouldn't listen and 
used outlook on this computer...

I try to recreate the knoppix boot floppy (the one made by the script 
seems to be corrupted somehow ?? - it won't boot only writing a number 
on the screen each time)

Doh this really is a mess is this a bug/problem with the knoppix 
installer or a XP-specific problem ? I don't know

If you see an option I could try, please tell me! I'm not really looking 
forward to that endless backing up method but I see no other way