[SOLVED] Windows Partition NOT booting after installation of F10

[rinjo]

Hi All,

I have upgraded my F8 installation to F10 installation recently. After this upgrade, I am able to access the windows partition, and add remove files in the same.

Today, I tried booting into my windows partition and I was unable to boot into it. My laptop tried to boot into it, but crashed and came back to the grub selection screen!!!

I did not have this issue previously, with other Linux installations....

The details of my grub.conf is as follows:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,2)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=1
timeout=7
splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.27.5-117.fc10.i686)
        root (hd0,2)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.27.5-117.fc10.i686 ro root=UUID=ec17a1bf-6b5a-4624-b1d3-134dace90355 rhgb quiet nomodeset
        initrd /initrd-2.6.27.5-117.fc10.i686.img
title Windows XP Porfessional
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        chainloader +1

Someone please help... its urgent, as I need to run some applications that I can run only from Windows!!!

[yancek]

Did you get the windows option on your Grub menu, select it and it failed to load windows? Grub usually gives an error message, was there any?

[rinjo]

Did you get the windows option on your Grub menu, select it and it failed to load windows? Grub usually gives an error message, was there any?

Hi Yancek,

Thanks for the prompt reply.
Yes, I did get the Windows option in the grub menu and when I selected the same to boot windows, it started showing a bit of the windows progress bar and then crashed, and rebooted into the Grub menu.

No, there were no grub error messages...

[Lostfarmer]

F11 seems to be on /dev/hda2 -partiton 3.
The XP is booting to /dev/hda0- partition1.
Is partition 1 the XP install or maybe a recovery partition ?
Best is post output of 'fdisk -l' l is a small L not number 1.
check XP's boot.ini file , post if you not sure what you are looking at.

[rinjo]

Fdisk -l output is as follows:

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x282d282d

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        2677    21502971    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2            2678       10581    63488880    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda3           10582       10606      200812+  83  Linux
/dev/sda4           10607       14593    32025577+  8e  Linux LVM
/dev/sda5            2678        5227    20482843+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6            5228        7777    20482843+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7            7778       10581    22523098+   7  HPFS/NTFS

The contents of Windows boot.ini is below.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Boot.ini looks to be fine, but I am not sure.

Please help,

[Lostfarmer]

Your grub.conf,fdisk and boot.ini all agree on where XP should be booting from. Have you tried booting into safemode/last good configuration ? (start pressing F8 after selecting XP boot from grub)
Do you have a XP cd to run chkdisk (I think thats the name) from the recovery console ?

Others may have better ideas.

[devils casper]

My laptop tried to boot into it, but crashed and came back to the grub selection screen!!!

That is a strange behavior of Windows OS. If GRUB is chainloading Windows Boot Loader then in case of any error, Windows OS either displays BSOD or throw a relevant error message.
What exactly machine displays on selecting Windows OS in GRUB? Any error message?

[rinjo]

I tried running "chkdsk /f" to check for disk errors in Windows. To do this I booted using the installation disk of XP, and surprisingly it was unable to detect the hard disk at all.

This error comes when "native sata support" is enabled in system, in the BIOS. I have had this issue before, when installing windows on my laptop, and had disabled the native support then.

During F10 installation this must have been re-enabled and hence the issue, of not being able to boot into Windows partition.

Thanks guys for all ur prompt help.

[devils casper]

During F10 installation this must have been re-enabled and hence the issue, of not being able to boot into Windows partition.

Linux or Windows installers can not change anything in BIOS except a very few settings.

Anyways, I am glad you have sorted out your problem. Well Done !