[SOLVED] grub error even after re-installing XP

[mgh24]

Man I can't beleive this. I have deleted all my partitions, formated them, and reinstalled XP (twice) and still get a grub error. If I leave my XP install disc in a drive, windows boots fine. With the disc missing I get the grub error.

Where the heck is this grub file, how can I possibly be getting this error when I have no Linux distro installed, and have reformated all my partitions?

More importantly, how can I get rid of ths error. Right now I have no desire to put a distro back on this PC, as that what created the issue to begin with.

Thanks for any help.

[Jonathan183]

Welcome to the forums mgh24

It sounds like you are getting a grub error because you still have grub code installed in the MBR of the hard drive ... give Supergub a try ... boot from Supergrub and select restore Windows boot code to MBR.

Ed: and double check you don't have virus protection set in BIOS preventing write to MBR.

[mgh24]

I ran SUper Grub Disk again (have tried it in the past), now I get NTLDR is missing when I try to boot.

Still boots if I have my XP disc in.

I will check BIOS now.

Thanks for the help.

[Jonathan183]

Once you have grub remove ... which it sounds like you have now, and have BIOS virus protection set off (if it has that setting) I think you then need to re-install Windows. You may get away with just trying to fix the boot process but since its a fresh install my approach would be to re-install Windows.

[elija]

Try booting your Windows XP CD to the recovery console and then using the command fixmbr. This will re-write the Master Boot Record

[mgh24]

I have tried the fixmbr to no avail.

What I can't figure out is how/why this continues to happen even after a fresh install of XP. I am thinking it may be a BIOS thing, but I do not have much experience with those settings. The boot order is correct, and the hard drive with the OS shows there, but the drive does not show elsewhere in the BIOS.

I can still boot to XP as long as I have the installation disk in a drive.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Jonathan183]

What's the machine BIOS ... maybe someone else knows their way round the version you are using and can point you to the relevant entries to check.

[mgh24]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I went back into the BIOS to look around some more. I had to change the hard drive boot order, and that fixed the problem.

The weird thing is, I had the OS installed on the same hard drive before I reinstalled this time, and it was working. The fresh install created the issue somehow.

At any rate, I appreciate the patience and all the help here.

[Jonathan183]

Glad your sorted ... could you mark the thread as solved.