NationStates Jolt Archive

So, easrlier on (well, about 3 hours ago now), I decided to install Ubuntu. To be more accurate, Kubuntu, because I prefer the KDE interface, but it's the same thing underneath that.

I backed up the files I wanted to keep from Windows onto a DVD, and restarted.

Installing was fine, or so it seemed. I picked the partition I wanted to install onto, created a swap drive, hit install, and it did its business.

It was all going so well, until I restarted.

Instead of giving me the choice of OS's to run, and then me booting into my shiny new Linux installation, I got a message I didn't expect: "Grub error 18".

The cursor blinked at me. I blinked at it. Nothing happened.

After a search (thank god for my brother's laptop) it turns out that Linux installed the boot information on an area of the hard drive that's unreadable by my BIOS. "How?", I hear you cry, "that's never happened with Windows."

Yeah, exactly.

So now I'm stuck with that screen. And all my files are gone if I need to wipe the lot (yeah, the disc I burnt them to was a dud. Fantastic.)

Google tells me that what I need to do is move my Linux "/boot" partition to the start of the drive, where the cylinder it is written to is accessible to the BIOS. This is why I come to NSG.

Do any of you know of any free (or reasonably cheap) reliable partition managers that can be booted to that I can use to shift my partitions about?

If you have the money, just buy a new hard drive and save yourself the stress...

Yeah, I don't have the money.

http://www.soft32.com/download_151.html

Try this, I've had no problems with Partition Magic... but I don't know how 8 is.

Hate yourself for messing with programs you know nothing about.

Computers are tools. You´re a fool.

Hate yourself for messing with programs you know nothing about.

Computers are tools. You´re a fool.

Oh, I know how to use them. I know how to use computers generally very well.

What I was unaware of, however, is that most BIOS's that are older than a few years will be unable to read a boot sector if it's in a cylinder beyond number 1024, and that Linux exposes this problem by not automatically shifting the partition tables around to put the boot sector at the start of the drive, whereas WIndows does exactly that and you never have the problem.

And I bet you didn't know that either.

http://www.soft32.com/download_151.html

Try this, I've had no problems with Partition Magic... but I don't know how 8 is.

Hmm...£30.

Although I suppose if it rescues my computer, including what I've done on my dissertation and many other things I really need to keep, it's worth it.

Thanks :)

Hmm...£30.

Although I suppose if it rescues my computer, including what I've done on my dissertation and many other things I really need to keep, it's worth it.

Thanks :)
:confused:

it should be a free Trial Download. Dunno if it's enough to repair your computer...

:confused:

it should be a free Trial Download. Dunno if it's enough to repair your computer...

Well, they've got this right at the bottom of the info, so I'm guessing at some point you have to pay for it:
"Notice: This is only small and unfunctional demo version"

Well, they've got this right at the bottom of the info, so I'm guessing at some point you have to pay for it:
"Notice: This is only small and unfunctional demo version"

yeah.. it's a TRIAL version... you try it out. so of course all the features won't be active.

there might be some free ones. but I trust Partition magic. and maybe the trial is enough to fix your problem. :cool:

yeah.. it's a TRIAL version... you try it out. so of course all the features won't be active.

there might be some free ones. but I trust Partition magic. and maybe the trial is enough to fix your problem. :cool:

After installing it looks just like what I need. It can shift partitions about, and it can create a boot disk. Only problem is that you have to pay to get the version that can make a boot disk.

Thanks anyway, it seems like a pretty handy tool to have in any case :)

I think I may have come up with a solution myself; format the Linux partition and install a fresh XP.

That would bring back the Windows boot manager, which would allow me to access my previous XP installation on the other partition. A quick format of the new XP installation, and a fixbmbr command later (to remove the now removed XP installation from the boot record), and it should work as if nothing ever changed.

Now to get an XP disk from somewhere...

Your experience mirrors the one time I tried to dual-boot RedHat Linux with Windows - I had to back the truck up on that one due to partition issues as well.

Your experience mirrors the one time I tried to dual-boot RedHat Linux with Windows - I had to back the truck up on that one due to partition issues as well.

Yeah...never again...

Yeah...never again...

Could you possibly make it boot from CD and put in a linux CD distro so you can try backing up your files again?

So, easrlier on (well, about 3 hours ago now), I decided to install Ubuntu. To be more accurate, Kubuntu, because I prefer the KDE interface, but it's the same thing underneath that.

I backed up the files I wanted to keep from Windows onto a DVD, and restarted.

Installing was fine, or so it seemed. I picked the partition I wanted to install onto, created a swap drive, hit install, and it did its business.

It was all going so well, until I restarted.

Instead of giving me the choice of OS's to run, and then me booting into my shiny new Linux installation, I got a message I didn't expect: "Grub error 18".

The cursor blinked at me. I blinked at it. Nothing happened.

After a search (thank god for my brother's laptop) it turns out that Linux installed the boot information on an area of the hard drive that's unreadable by my BIOS. "How?", I hear you cry, "that's never happened with Windows."

Yeah, exactly.

So now I'm stuck with that screen. And all my files are gone if I need to wipe the lot (yeah, the disc I burnt them to was a dud. Fantastic.)

Google tells me that what I need to do is move my Linux "/boot" partition to the start of the drive, where the cylinder it is written to is accessible to the BIOS. This is why I come to NSG.

Do any of you know of any free (or reasonably cheap) reliable partition managers that can be booted to that I can use to shift my partitions about?
What version of *buntu?

What did you select at the partitioning screen?

Do you still have the disk to try a reinstall?

EDIT: The Ubuntu disk has GParted on it, which is an excellent partition manager. But, what is odd is, GRUB defaults to installing on the master boot record, and BIOS should always have access to the MBR. Why isn't GRUB on your MBR?

What version of *buntu?

Latest, 7.whatever

What did you select at the partitioning screen?

Deleted a partition that was empty and set all except for 1024mb to be the root, had the rest as swap.

That's all. The problem, apparently, is that partition is at the end of the drive, and the boot info is beyond the reach of the BIOS.

Do you still have the disk to try a reinstall?

Yeah, tried a few times. Doesn't allow partition moving, so it won't make any difference.

If I'd install Linux, I'd put my Window on one hard drive - and put Linux on the other one (Windows drive disconnected during Linux install). So you don't trash your working Window install, if your linux does not work for some reason.

If I'd install Linux, I'd put my Window on one hard drive - and put Linux on the other one (Windows drive disconnected during Linux install). So you don't trash your working Window install, if your linux does not work for some reason.

Yes, well, not all of us have two hard drives to play with.

Could you possibly make it boot from CD and put in a linux CD distro so you can try backing up your files again?

I'll give it a go and see.

Yes, well, not all of us have two hard drives to play with.

Haven't seen my hard drive grave yard ...

Latest, 7.whatever
Feisty, eh?
Deleted a partition that was empty and set all except for 1024mb to be the root, had the rest as swap.
You can install on a 1GB root?:confused: That'd be too small to be useful. You won't have room to install anything.
That's all. The problem, apparently, is that partition is at the end of the drive, and the boot info is beyond the reach of the BIOS.
But it shouldn't have to look there to find GRUB. It should look for GRUB in your Master Boot Record, load it, then GRUB should have control of your computer, and it can access the entire drive.
Yeah, tried a few times. Doesn't allow partition moving, so it won't make any difference.
Yeah, for some reason, they decided to take GParted out of the installer and use their own home-brewed partitioner, which is made of suck. GParted is still on the disk, and can do anything. What file system did you use? Ext3 (the default)? Some of the others have issues being moved around.

Feisty, eh?

It's certainly living up to its name...

You can install on a 1GB root?:confused: That'd be too small to be useful. You won't have room to install anything.

All except for 1GB to be the root. The 1GB was the swap.

But it shouldn't have to look there to find GRUB. It should look for GRUB in your Master Boot Record, load it, then GRUB should have control of your computer, and it can access the entire drive.

Sorry, I probably haven't explained it very well. GRUB goes into the MRB, but the located in a partition towards the end of the drive. So when booting it gets told by GRUB where the kernel is stored, but it can't access the kernel because it's beyond its reach. To fix that, you can do a small "/boot" partition at the start of the drive, and the kernel is installed there. Once it's found the kernel, there are no problems accessing the rest of the drive through it.

I can't put a "/boot" partition at the start of the drive, however, because the original Windows one is there.

Yeah, for some reason, they decided to take GParted out of the installer and use their own home-brewed partitioner, which is made of suck. GParted is still on the disk, and can do anything. What file system did you use? Ext3 (the default)? Some of the others have issues being moved around.

Kubuntu comes with QTParted instead, and it doesn't seem to work from the Live CD, which is a problem.

OK, I am no officially completely baffled.

For no reason at all, it just booted.

I guess I'll never know why.

If I'd install Linux, I'd put my Window on one hard drive - and put Linux on the other one (Windows drive disconnected during Linux install). So you don't trash your working Window install, if your linux does not work for some reason.

That's what I did when I installed Ubuntu (6.06 Dapper Drake). I happened to have a 120 GB PATA drive that had no useful data on it (it was my old drive, before I cloned it onto my 200gb SATA drive), got rid of the partition that was on there already, and installed Linux. I would have rather installed it onto my laptop, but apparently the DVD drive on my laptop doesn't like the CD that Ubuntu came on.

OK, I am no officially completely baffled.

For no reason at all, it just booted.

I guess I'll never know why.
What was the last thing you did?

What was the last thing you did?

Didn't change a thing. Left it for 10 minutes while I got a cup of coffee (now after 6am here), came back, restarted, and it loaded fine.

Very, very weird.

Loaded fine every time since, now, and I've now got what I wanted 7 hours ago; a choice of Linux and Windows for booting.

Didn't change a thing. Left it for 10 minutes while I got a cup of coffee (now after 6am here), came back, restarted, and it loaded fine.

Very, very weird.

Loaded fine every time since, now, and I've now got what I wanted 7 hours ago; a choice of Linux and Windows for booting.
That's the problem. You started much too early. You should do all your computer re-jigoring between the hours of 3 and 8 am. That way, it is tired and easily tricked.;)

OK, I am no officially completely baffled.

For no reason at all, it just booted.

I guess I'll never know why.


Been there, done that, had the confused expression.


Just be thankful, and fix the problem quick before it starts to act up again. :)

Didn't change a thing. Left it for 10 minutes while I got a cup of coffee (now after 6am here), came back, restarted, and it loaded fine.

Very, very weird.

Loaded fine every time since, now, and I've now got what I wanted 7 hours ago; a choice of Linux and Windows for booting.

You're welcome :D

try KNOPPIX. has GParted too and a bunch of other utils and apps

http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

http://www.soft32.com/download_151.html

Try this, I've had no problems with Partition Magic... but I don't know how 8 is.

Partition Magic is a good program, plus it's easy to find a pirate copy. It's a great program, and if I had to use it more than once or twice I'd cheerfully pay for it.

Thanks to everyone who helped out last night. Glad to have it going now.

Oh, I know how to use them. I know how to use computers generally very well.

What I was unaware of, however, is that most BIOS's that are older than a few years will be unable to read a boot sector if it's in a cylinder beyond number 1024, and that Linux exposes this problem by not automatically shifting the partition tables around to put the boot sector at the start of the drive, whereas WIndows does exactly that and you never have the problem.

And I bet you didn't know that either.

beg, borrow, or steal an extra HDD, reinstall your OS, slave your old dive, copy data, start again!