Install GRUB after Vista

[Jimenesp]

Guys i really need help,
i was trying to dual-boot linux(mandriva) and windows vista, when the installation of vista finish i new that i would not be able to boot linux again, so i booted a live cd PHLAK and tryed to install grub
but i can't.

so please help me what should i do, i have important files on madriva that i really need so how can i make the both os boot or just boot again linux , i really need your help,

thankx

[007quick]

I don't know exactly how to solve the problem as I only have windows xp but I have a program called partition magic which allows me to set other partitions as active, and can put a boot menu at the start showing all the available systems. This will allow you to boot into Linux and then change some settings in order to get it to boot properly, then you can get rid of the partition magic boot menu and start up with grub. Hope this helps.

[valemon]

Try booting from the Mandriva cd. There must be a rescue mode or repair option or something like that. Anyway in mandrake in rescue mode there was an option to reinstall the boot loader. Give it a try

[wolfton]

I am having a similar problem. Did you get this fixed? Could you at least boot into Vista?
Did you try to reinstall GRUB before Vista rebooted and completed the entire installation process?

If anyone is still having this issue, please continue the discussion so that we may all benefit.

Simply reinstalling GRUB should do the trick, but I am having a terrible time with that myself.

I am trying to dual boot Vista with PCLinuxOS, but now I can't get into EITHER! I boot from the PCLinuxOS Live CD (Same disc I installed from) and I don't even see the correct files in /mnt/hda7/boot/grub. I don't have a menu.lst to edit. I used the control center to reinstall GRUB, but it still doesn't work.

I set up Vista first, then PCLinuxOS. I know from previous installations of PCLinuxOS that the GRUB install usually works, but this time it won't.

I am currently re-reading issue 78 of Linux Pro Magazine, as it explains how to repair this both from in Windows, and in Linux, including the use of SystemRescueCD (Main Page - SystemRescueCd) and I will post a tutorial once I figure it out.

I won't give up hope, so no one else should either!

[wolfton]

...this isn't necessarily a Mandriva issue anymore, could this thread be moved to a more appropriate location?

[devils casper]

First of all, re-install Vista Boot Loader. Check this post.

Are you sure that you are mounting correct root partition of PCLinuxOS?

[wolfton]

First of all, re-install Vista Boot Loader...Are you sure that you are mounting correct root partition of PCLinuxOS?

I am already in Vista now, because the magazine article I mentioned showed me how to do that.

PCLinuxOS identified the partition as /dev/hda7, although I suspect that if I had gone into fdisk and renumbered the partitions, it may have worked. It should have been /dev/hda4 and then it would have been (hd0,3). As I said before, my menu.lst was missing. It wasn't until now that I realized that I was still in the /boot directory of the live environment. Perhaps if I changed to /mnt/hda7/boot/grub and edited menu.lst to say (hd0,3) instead of what I suspect it would have said (hd0,6) I may not have posted here at all!

I am checking that linked post now!

[wolfton]

Okay, I'm already back into Windows. Now would you recommend EasyBCD, GAG, or using a different distribution to reinstall GRUB? I want to keep PCLinuxOS, it seems to be the best OS for my hardware.

[devils casper]

Download SuperGRUB CD .iso image, burn it to CD, Boot from it and Select 'Re-install GRUB' from list.
OR
Boot up from PCLinuxOS CD, open terminal and execute this

grub
find /boot/grub/stage1
root(hdx,y)
setup(hdx,y)
quit
exit

Replace x, y with output of find command.

[wolfton]

1st, You have almost 10,500 posts. Do you get paid to do this?

2nd, This is another TINY .iso. It is a personal pet pieve of mine to waste so much space on recordable media. I would like to know if there is a good way to beef up such small ISOs without having to alter the way they boot. For instance, I would like to create something like the disc that came with Linux Pro Magazine Issue 76. The Best of Small Distros allows me to boot several different, wonderful distributions, but I would like to modify it and create a DVD with my favorites.

I don't know much about extracting boot images and I don't know anything about making custom boot menus.