[thedude704]

root@ubuntu:~# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc9cf8deb

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1        1148     9216000   1c  Hidden W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda2            1148       20605   156284928    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3   *       20605       38914   147066880    7  HPFS/NTFS
root@ubuntu:~# cd /dev sda2
root@ubuntu:/dev# cd /dev/sda2
bash: cd: /dev/sda2: Not a directory
root@ubuntu:/dev#

[Jonathan183]

Now I am confused. If you want to install Ubuntu on the machine and you are running the live CD at the moment you should just do the install from the live CD. This will install grub and setup dual boot for you. During the install select manual partitioning and select your root, home and swap partitions. After you have fixed the Linux installation I suggest you burn a copy of the SuperGrub CD, you can put SuperGrub on a USB pen drive and instructions for doing that are on the website (this can be done from Windows or Linux). If you want further advice on the partitioning open a terminal and type

sudo -s
fdisk -l

and post the output.

Ed: just seen your post ... you don't have any Linux partitions on the disk. Have you done the Ubuntu install yet? did you do the install from Windows?

[thedude704]

no i was going to load into windows and there is an option on the new ubuntu to install from windows and if you wanted to uninstall it later you could do so from windows eliminating this grub problem so i went to load back into windows after i wiped the drive and i cant get into windows.

[thedude704]

I think at this point im just going to have to get home from work and burn this SGCD to a disk since i cant figure out the USB instructions and boot off that disk so my next post wont be for another 6.5 hours assuming all goes well though i will probably not need to post

thanks a ton for your help today

[Jonathan183]

Originally Posted by thedude704

no i was going to load into windows and there is an option on the new ubuntu to install from windows and if you wanted to uninstall it later you could do so from windows eliminating this grub problem so i went to load back into windows after i wiped the drive and i cant get into windows.

Try to get windows to boot by shutting down the live CD session. At the grub prompt type

rootnoverify (hd0,2)
chainloader (hd0,2)+1

If you can get Windows to boot use the Windows option on the SuperGrub website to create a SuperGrub USB. Then shutdown Windows and boot from SuperGrub and fix the Windows boot.

I'm assuming you have windows on /dev/sda3 if its on /dev/sda2 then replace (hd0,2) with (hd0,1) in the above.

Let us know how it goes.

[thedude704]

tried it with both commands and it only produced another grub prompt

on a whim i typed boot and when i used (hd0,1) it said kernel must be loaded first so i resterted and got the grub command again

i tried (hd0,2) and then typed boot and i got there was no bootmgr or something


***HORRAY FOR ME EDIT ****
lol im such a dork i got to thinking here staring at this blank screen lol
and i was like wait .. i didnt tell it WHAT to boot so i started throwing those commands up again that u gave me and told it to

 

grub> boot (hd0,1)

viola!

my next question is there a way to change the boot order of the items in grub? like if i wanted to put windows at the top so if i turn my computer on i dont have to sit thre and wait for grub to come up and tell it to load windows before i walk away

[Jonathan183]

If you have got Windows to boot then download SuperGrub and make either the USB or CD version and fix the Windows boot. That will get ride of Grub from the MBR which is the state Ubuntu will assume for the install process. You don't need to change the order you just set a default in the grub config file. I'm not quite sure how the Windows install version works ... I have not used it.
Glad to hear you have got things to work again.