[SOLVED] Dual boot Grub with xp

[blueblob11]

I recently installed Linux Mint 5:Elyssa (which I like quite a lot) and got it working on my first hard disk.

my second hard disk has windows xp on it.

When i first installed, i had xp on both the first and second hard disks. I formatted the first one, which had drive C: on it (and possibly the windows xp bootloader?). I've been editing my menu.lst file for about 2 hours while continuously rebooting and checking if it's been working, and nothing I've found has worked so I thought I'd give here a try.

Any help would be appreciated.

output of fdisk -l:
Disk /dev/sda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xed8a6ae6

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 14 268 2048287+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda3 269 7296 56452410 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xe179fcdd

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 2 14593 117210240 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 2 14593 117210208+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

I have tried the default:
title Windows
root (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

as well as
title Windows
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
root (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

all with no luck.
Thanks in advance!

[rokytnji]

A supergrub cd would possibly straighten things out for you. Wouldn't hurt to try.

Super Grub Disk Webpage

[Jonathan183]

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 2 14593 117210240 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 2 14593 117210208+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Looking at the fdisk output you have XP on partition sdb5 which is a logical partition. I think you will have problems getting XP to boot from a logical partition.

You can try the following:-
1. disconnect the Linux hard drive and see if you can get XP to boot.
2. leave Linux hard drive disconnected and see if you can use restore Windows boot code to MBR using SuperGrub and see if you can get XP to boot.
3. try

title Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd1,4)
makeactive
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1
boot

and see if that works (very unlikely to work if 1 & 2 above do not work).

If all these attempts fail then your best bet is to leave the Linux hard drive disconnected, do a fresh XP install - and check it boots. Then reconnect the Linux drive and add

title Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
chainloader +1
boot

to your grub menu file.

[devils casper]

XP in second Hard disk has been installed in Logical Partition. It looks like you had dual boot setup using Windows Boot Loader and first disk's Windows OS was main OS.

You have removed Windows OS from first disk. Its not possible to boot Windows OS installed in Second disk now. All boot files of this OS has been removed.

[Lostfarmer]

devils casper is likely correct with missing boot files for XP. You will need to have "ntldr ,ntdetect.com, and boot.ini in the root of the XP partition.

Note: you will not be able to do any type of XP install (clean/repair) on your comp. XP MUST have a primary partition to do so.

[blueblob11]

Thanks to everyone who replied, I backed everything up from mint and installed windows 7 beta instead of windows xp. I wish I would have been able to keep my settings, but at least I was able to back it all up, and I ended up with a functional linux system as well.

Again, thank you!

[devils casper]

Glad to help you !
Do start a new thread if you have any other question.