Problem Dual Boot Arch and Windows 7

What are your intentions? From your first post, you apparently have the windows 7 installation CD to repair the windows bootloader, correct? If that's the case you should be set. If it was a new OEM computer and you installed a non-windows bootloader to the mbr and had to send it in for repairs under warranty, they would probably refuse to help. If there is no warranty, I would suggested installing the Arch Grub2 to the master boot record.

If you look at the bootinfoscript output, the first line indicates windows code in the master boot record. If you go down to the grub.cfg file for Arch (which would show the menu you see on screen when booting) you see the entry is: set root='hd0,msdos7'; that is the correct entry as your Arch boot files are on sda7. If you install Grub2 to the mbr, you should be set with windows also becasue the grub.cfg file menuentry for windows point to sda1 where the windows boot files are.

Since you already have windows in the mbr, you should be able to configure an EasyBCD entry for Arch on sda7. I've only used it once so can't help with that. The link below explains installing Grub to from the (Arch) Live CD. It is on the Ubuntu forums but the process is the same. I don't think Arch uses sudo so just open a terminal and login as root by typing (su -). There should not be a password needed on the Live CD. You might go to the Arch forums to see if they have a more detailed process specific to Arch. Read the link below carefully before proceeding:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Gr...rom_the_LiveCD

Hi Yancek, I followed the instructions given in that link and successfully install the grub on MBR. Now, i am just greeted with the grub prompt as
grub>
now dont know what to do... kindly help.

EDIT: Also the grub version returns GNU GRUB [0.98]

It is always best to save the output from a terminal to a text file to post. There are several different methods in the link I posted and I don't know which you used. You don't seem to have a separate boot partition, if you do there are no boot files on it. Only sda7 has boot files. You need to boot the Arch CD, open a terminal, log in as root and run the following:

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mount -t ext4 /dev/sda7 /mnt/

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After that again as root:

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grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda

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Your Grub version doesn't seem right, it should be 1.97 or higher? Are you using the Arch Live CD?

I think i have confused you a lot. let me sort out this:
I used a kinda above method told by you to install grub in MBR (That is what given in the link).
I am using Arch Live CD only.
When I boot into the live cd and run this:

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grub-install --version

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I get the output as:

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grub (GNU GRUB 0.97)

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But when I mount the root and /boot partitions and chroot to /mnt and type the same command:

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grub-install --version

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I get the output as:

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grub-install (GRUB) 2.00

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I am a little confused here... what this means? is it that, the grub on live cd is version 0.97 and grub installed in my system is version 2.00?

And I do have a separate /boot partition (I donno what happened to it). it is /dev/sda5 and root is at /dev/sda7

Now, I installed the GRUB to MBR. using the following commands you gave.

Also,then, when I boot into the computer, I do not get any option to boot into linux or windows, instead I get a screen similar to this:

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                              GNU GRUB version 2.00
Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists possible device or file completions.

grub>

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It seems I have to run some code at grub>
Now you must have understood I hope.
What must i do now?

Hi, i got past the grub prompt using the following commands and now able to get into my arch installation.

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grub>set root=(hd0,7)
grub>linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda7
grub>initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
grub>boot

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Now, in the arch interface, how do i again reinstall grub into my /boot partition (/dev/sda5) and again setup my system? i.e., when i run

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grub-install /dev/sda5

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i get the error as,

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/usr/sbin/grub-bios-setup: warning: File system 'ext2' doesn't support embedding.
/usr/sbin/grub-bios-setup: warning: Embedding is not possble. GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists. However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and their use is discouraged..
/usr/sbin/grub-bios-setup: error: will not proceed with blocklists

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Kindly help to fix this...
I wanna install the GRUB in my /boot partition, and set it up to boot windows and arch...

The output you posted earlier from the bootinfoscript does not show any boot files in sda5. There is no reason you would need a separate boot partition to boot windows and Arch. In the link I posted above, go to section 6 and include the line as root: grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sd5

Before doing this you would need to create a mount point for sda5: mkdir /mnt/boot
Then: mount -t ext4 /dev/sda5 /mnt/boot

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Originally Posted by yancek

The output you posted earlier from the bootinfoscript does not show any boot files in sda5. There is no reason you would need a separate boot partition to boot windows and Arch. In the link I posted above, go to section 6 and include the line as root: grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sd5

Before doing this you would need to create a mount point for sda5: mkdir /mnt/boot
Then: mount -t ext4 /dev/sda5 /mnt/boot

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Hi, yancek, thankyou for your effort,
But unfortunately, i did what you told, and i didnt see any change... again when i reboot, i get the grub prompt and have to manually enter in to arch using the set root command at grub. and when i enter into arch and type the command "grub-install /dev/sda5" I get the same error as my previous post.

And here is the content of my boot partition (/dev/sda5)

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boot  grub

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the grub directory contains files such as default, stage1, stage2,default.map etc....

the boot directory contains another sub directory named grub and it also contains the same files as above.

What am i to do now? :confused:

I was under the impression that you had Grub2 on your Arch installation but the files you show for your /boot partition are for Grub Legacy only. The commands you list from your post yesterday in which you say you were able to boot Arch are Grub2 commands! It's easier to boot with Grub2 if you have it? I don't know where you are getting the Grub2 files. Do you have the newest Arch CD? or what are you using? You should always use the CD for the distribution you are installing or working with although it usually works anyhow. If you want to boot with a /boot partition and use Grub2, you will need to copy the Grub files from /usr/lib/grub or possible /lib/grub directory to the /boot/grub sub-directory on sda5. You currently have Grub Legacy files there?

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Originally Posted by yancek

I was under the impression that you had Grub2 on your Arch installation but the files you show for your /boot partition are for Grub Legacy only. The commands you list from your post yesterday in which you say you were able to boot Arch are Grub2 commands! It's easier to boot with Grub2 if you have it? I don't know where you are getting the Grub2 files. Do you have the newest Arch CD? or what are you using? You should always use the CD for the distribution you are installing or working with although it usually works anyhow. If you want to boot with a /boot partition and use Grub2, you will need to copy the Grub files from /usr/lib/grub or possible /lib/grub directory to the /boot/grub sub-directory on sda5. You currently have Grub Legacy files there?

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Dude, I am very much sorry.
I just confused you and also confused myself.
Actually, I downloaded the latest release of arch. and it contained grub legacy only. But in arch wiki, they instructed me to do a net-install. So did I. This installed grub2 into my system. I messed up with the grub and then now, i installed grub from my cd!

Now, i have grub2 in my root and boot partition but have grub legacy on MBR. Hope you understand. Thats why all problems arised!

Now, how am i gonna get out of this>?

The first set of commands you posted in your post 15 indicate you have Grub2 installed on the mbr which is why you were able to boot Arch.
The commands in my post #13 should install Grub2 to the mbr pointing to your root partition (sda7).
The commands in my post # 16 should install Grub2 to the mbr pointing to your boot partition (sda5)
You can have the boot files in both partitions but you can only have the mbr code pointing to one.
Your bootinfoscript did not show any boot files on sda5, so if you want to use that you need to copy those files there.
It might be best if you were to run the bootinfoscript again and post the output.
If you did install Grub Legacy in the mbr, it should be pointing to one of your partitions, sda7 or sda5.