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Hi all, hope i'm the right place,

My problem in short is i can't boot windows.

The long is i've been playing around with Ubuntu, i got annoyed with the innability to get my graphics card going so i decided to have a look at Suse 10.1 but in the middle of install i got cold feet:eek: so before supposedly any thing permanent took place i hit abort. Now i can't get into windows.

Error Message: Grub Loading stage 1.5, Grub Loading, please wait (indefinatly):rolleyes: Error 22.

If i choose to install Suse which i figure is my only option now i get concerned about the partioning choice (and i don't have enough knowledge to blow my nose out as far Linux goes):o

What happens if i (set the mount point of/dev/hda1to/windows/c )
will i lose windows?

Everything else is set to go on hdb which is where i wan't it.

!Please note i have 2 hardrives the second one is what i need to use!

And i am suffering from a recent hardrive wipe which i'm kinda happy about because i don't have all those crappy windows updates stuffing the way my system works (Yay my laser mouse works properly)

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Two quick context notes: found a working fix by using the Windows recovery media to put the Windows bootloader back, and correctly pointed out that overwriting or wiping the MBR will stop Linux from booting until GRUB/LILO is reinstalled. Below is a concise, practical explanation and safe options so the problem does not repeat.

What GRUB “Error 22” usually means: GRUB can start but cannot find the partition or files it expects (the partition numbers or table have changed, or the stage2 file is no longer where GRUB thinks it is). An aborted installer can change the partition table or write a different boot block, producing exactly this symptom.

Recovery and prevention (practical, non-technical summary)

  • Fast way to get Windows back: use the Windows install/recovery media to restore Windows' MBR; that will boot Windows but remove GRUB as the boot manager. After that you can decide whether to keep Windows-only or reinstate GRUB for dual-boot.
  • Keep both OSes: repair or reinstall GRUB so it points to the correct partition. Use a Linux live/rescue CD to inspect the partition table, identify the Windows partition and the Linux root, then reinstall GRUB to the drive you want the BIOS to boot. Make sure GRUB’s config contains a correct chainload entry for Windows.
  • Install-time safety: the mount point is only a place where an existing filesystem is attached. If you tell the installer to mount /dev/hda1 without formatting, you will not lose the data. If you choose to format that partition (ext3, etc.) you WILL erase Windows. The safest option when installing to the second drive is to physically unplug the Windows drive or use manual partitioning and explicitly “do not format” the Windows partition.

Extra tips: always back up important data before touching partitions. If unsure, use rescue tools (Super Grub Disk/SystemRescue) or set BIOS to boot the other drive while you sort things out.

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The answer is boot up with your XP install disk and choose recovery.

Choose the drive which you origionally installed Xp on.

Type admin password (not your Login Pass) in my case i left it blank.

This will bring up your C:/ directory.

Keep on hitting enter till you get to the C:/promt again and
type fixmbr hit enter.

This will warn you of lots of Dreaded things but it did fix my boot manager, without loosing all my precious work.

By no means am i experienced at this, it was a friend who guided me through the steps.

I just hope it will help someone else one day.

IF we all contribute what a wonderfull world it would be :mrgreen:

Member Avatar for John A

Usually a damaged Master Boot Record (which is where GRUB is installed) will cause an inability to boot Linux or Windows. Windows does not need the Master Boot Record, however, so wiping the MBR will quite often solve people's problems switching from Linux back to Windows. But remember, wiping the MBR means you can no longer boot back into Linux, or at least not until you reinstall GRUB/LILO.

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