urgent! - Cannot boot

[theguy0000]

Ok, here is the story.

I downloaded, burned, and installed Debian Linux. There were no errors during installation. I noticed that I couldn't get into GUI.

-bash: startx unrecognized command

(not sure if those were the exact words)

Someone recomended that I reinstall Debian. I used Norton PartitionMagic 8.0 to delete the debian partition. My HD looked like this:

---"DELLUTILITY" FAT32 (i think, not sure if its FAT32) partition: size unknown---
---"Windows" NTFS partition: size 480GB---
---UNALLOCATED SPACE: size 20GB (this is where Debian used to be)---

I start up my computer and get this:

GRUB Loading stage1.5.
GRUB loading, please wait...
Error 22

I cannot access windows at all. I can still acces the Boot Menu and Setup.

Is there any possible way to fix this without reformatting?

If not, how do I get into DOS?

[Fraggle]

startx doesn't work because X isn't installed when you install debian. You have to do it yourself.

The easiest thing to do, is to reinstall debian I think (you will get the same result as before, so still no X). Once you've done that you can configure grub to access windows.

If you have a knoppix cd or something similar, you can also install grub from there.

If you're desperate to get into windows, boot up your windows cd in recovery-mode and execute the command 'fixmbr'
If this doesn't work, this program might help you: http://tinyempire.com/notes/files/fixntldr.exe

[vidd]

when you removed Debian, you also removed grub, which told your system where to find windows and how to boot it

You have 2 options:
1) use your windows installation disk, choose recovery mode, and pray
2) install any version of linux, which will detect your windows partition, rewrite grub, and allow you to access your windows system as if nothing every happened


If you decide to re-install debian, make sure when you get to the point of adding applications after the base system, you place the cursor in the [ ] Desktop and hit the <SPACE> bar to get it to say[*] Desktop.
if the[*] is not there, the desktop environments will NOT be installed

[squirrelplayingtag]

If you go the windows cd route, simply go in to the recovery console and execute "fixmbr". Then restart and you should have full access to your windows partition again. Then you can go about installing debian.

Edit: Meh I should have read all of Fraggle's post instead of just vidd's. My bad.

[vidd]

sorry...fraggle types faster then me....his reply was not there when i started to type

[theguy0000]

well, after staying on hold for a dell rep, talking to some guy who couldnt understand what i was saying, three times being connected to the wrong person, and reformatting, I finally got it fixed. thanks anyway tho