[Gregory@Feanor]

I've been trying to install xubuntu using uNetBootin because my laptop has no optical drive and producing a bootable usb pen drive seems too difficult. Unfortunately I had a few problems with uNetBootin (which I think I have solved), but the result is I have a partitioned harddrive but I still haven't installed xubuntu and the laptop won't bootup independantly, it won't even go to the bootup screen, all I get is a flashing underscore.

I can use SuperGrub on a USB pen drive to boot into the Windows partition. I've been trying to use SuperGrub to fix the bootloader so I can bootup independantly into Windows, and also can get to the Windows bootup screen in order to use uNetBootin to install xubuntu.

The problem is when I try to fix the Windows bootloader using SuperGrub it doesn't work. On top of that when I do try the USB pen drive with SuperGrub on no longer works.

What I think is happening is SuperGrub tries to fix the bootloader using hd0, which is actually the USB pen drive, and not use hd1, which is the laptops harddrive.

How to I persuade SuperGrub to choose hd1 and not hd0 when trying to fix the windows bootloader?

Thanks

[MikeTbob]

Hiya Gregory, Welcome to the forums.
First of all, how did the master boot record get messed up? Was it a failed install, and grub overwrote the MBR?
I'm not familiar with Supergrub, but I do believe there is an option to restore "Windows Bootloader", have you tried using that instead of repairing grub?

[Gregory@Feanor]

>First of all, how did the master boot record get messed up? Was it a failed install, and grub overwrote the MBR?

The windows bootloader was installed and I was using uNetBootin to install xubuntu. I'd selected uNetBootin on the Windows boot list and finished partitioning the harddrive and had got onto installing the xubuntu desktop when it froze. I don't think it had installed Grub onto the system yet. I waited for ages then restarted. All I got was a flashing underscore.

>I'm not familiar with Supergrub, but I do believe there is an option to restore "Windows Bootloader", have you tried using that instead of repairing grub?

Yeah, I have tried to repair the Windows bootloader, but that is the problem. When SuperGrub tries to repair the bootloader it has a go at the usb pen drive (containing SuperGrub) not at my harddrive containing my windows partition. Not only does this obviously not work but it also means the usb pen drive doesn't work anymore, so I then have to reinstall SuperGrub on it.

Should I try to install Grub maybe? I still need the windows bootloader to use uNetBootin.

Cheers

[MikeTbob]

Do you have a floppy drive? You might be able to use a Windows boot floppy to overwrite the MRB and Windows will restore it next time you boot up Windows.
EDIT: I don't think you can install grub, without having it somewhere on the hard drive. I could be wrong though.