unable to boot Vista after installing linux

[fatook]

I just installed the Fedora12 on my laptop, on which originally there was only one partition with Vista before. I resized the Vista partition and made a free space and installed Linux on it.
Fedora works fine, but when I try to boot Vista, it opens the system recovery options menu, without being able to do anything. After the end of each option it boots again, giving the two options between Linux and "other" and if I choose "other" it goes back to the recovery menu. Do you have any suggestions?

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !

Boot up Fedora and execute this in Terminal/Konsole :

su -
/sbin/fdisk -l

Post output here.
*** Its small L in fdisk -l.

Post the contents of /boot/grub/grub.conf file too.

[FAF_Mh]

Just a thought, until the more experienced users give you an answer:
It's my understanding that, absent unusual and special tools, you can't 'resize' a partition without _deleting_ the contents.

[devils casper]

It is possible and really easy to resize partitions without deleting those. There are a very few setups where one has to delete other partition(s) to resize one particular partition.

[FAF_Mh]

It is possible and really easy to resize partitions without deleting those. There are a very few setups where one has to delete other partition(s) to resize one particular partition.

Thanks -- I knew there was likely a reason you didn't give that answer first.
I don't understand though, how a partition can be resized unless either the OS has kept all the data collected to one end and not fragmented, or the patition is imaged to another drive and restored?

[devils casper]

Most of partition managers defrag partition(s) before applying resize instructions.
I would suggest you to check documentation of parted tool. GParted and PartedMagic LiveCDs are just front ends of parted and it is most widely used Linux based Partition Manager.

[kscott121]

Did you resize the Vista partition using Windows or did you use a Linux tool? I had a similar issue lately (after resizing with gparted) and read someplace that the NTFS details are somehow slightly different in Vista &Windows 7 from previous XP etc. so that you have to use the Windows software to resize it's own partitions. I wasn't able to get the usual Linux tools to repair the partition to the point of being able to coax Windows 7 (in my case) to boot. Good luck.

[VirtualLinuxUser]

Did you resize the Vista partition using Windows or did you use a Linux tool? I had a similar issue lately (after resizing with gparted) and read someplace that the NTFS details are somehow slightly different in Vista &Windows 7 from previous XP etc. so that you have to use the Windows software to resize it's own partitions. I wasn't able to get the usual Linux tools to repair the partition to the point of being able to coax Windows 7 (in my case) to boot. Good luck.

Apparently, the GNU-Linux partition tools mentioned above have issues with Vista and Win 7 partitions. In my experience, Fedora 10+ also seems to have issues with Windows partitions, although I'm not sure why. Either use the Windows tools or (in a worst-case scenario) reinstall windows on a smaller partition and try installing GNU-Linux on a separate disk/ partition, but with /bin mounted on the disk that holds the Windows MBR).

Failing that, do what I've done : download VirtualBox and create a new VM for GNU-Linux in the free space of your Windows Partition. BTW, you'll probably have to run VirtualBox in XP compatability mode.

[glennzo]

Likely all the OP needs to do is change (hd0,0) to (hd0,1) in the boot menu under the Windows stanza.

[Ikai]

I've been using Linux partitioning tools such as Gparted and Parted Magic and I have to say that since now I've never had problems and I use them very often.
But however as we see according to various related experiences, Windows Vista "doesn't like" its partition to be resized and Windows 7 as well, specially when is to share the HD with a Linux OS. I think that what Fatook has to do is:

1- Insert the CD installation of Windows Vista and instead of select install he selects repair.
After the reparation of Windows Vista on the next boot he wont be able to select the option Fedora 12 because it wouldn't be there, windows is going to overwrite the MBR installing its own Boot-Manager. Just enter on Vista and will find that everything is OK.

2- Insert the Fedora DVD and reboot, and then select rescue an existing installation.

a)- Skip the testing of the media, skip the Start network interface and after this your Fedora will be mounted on /mnt/sysimage

b)- Tape the command in order to enter as root in /mnt/sysimage:
chroot /mnt/sysimage

c)- And now we are going to have back our GRUB with the command:
grub-install /dev/sda

d)- Reboot and now the Fedora and Windows Vista are going to be together on the start menu.