[thepiper]

Help me!!
I installed mandrake 10.1 to get the feel of linux but now I cant get back to windows. There is no such option in the boot loader. Moreover, how do I access my other partitions? Linux just shows me a 29.9 GB partition. I hv a 40 GB HDD, and I installed linux on a partition with some programs. I dont mind if i lose data on that one but I just CANT affford to lose anything else.....
PLS HELP . THIS IS REALLY SERIOUS.

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Start the control center, from the star start menu, select:
system, configure, configure your computer

Enter the system password, then select boot, then click on next. You can then click on add, to add another option to the boot loaded.

If you used grub, you can also edit /boot/grub/menu.lst and add the lines:

title Windoze
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

This assumes that hda1 is your windoze partition. Hopefully you did not overwrite that. You can look at the partitions using fdisk, such as "fdisk /dev/hda", then enter "p", to display the partitions.

[Kemasa]

Start the control center, from the star start menu, select:
system, configure, configure your computer

Enter the system password, then select boot, then click on next. You can then click on add, to add another option to the boot loaded.

If you used grub, you can also edit /boot/grub/menu.lst and add the lines:

title Windoze
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

This assumes that hda1 is your windoze partition. Hopefully you did not overwrite that. You can look at the partitions using fdisk, such as "fdisk /dev/hda", then enter "p", to display the partitions.

[thepiper]

Hi,
Some how I've managed to delete my main account , I don't know how...
Now I just come to a login screen with no username and a password field. Anything I enter has no effect , the screen just shakes.
What do I do? I can't even login.

Moreover I had later (before ur reply) added a "windows" in the config tool to LILO from the options available.
I think I may have messed up the boot record somewhere but I don't know how / what.
Thus now there is an option in the boot loader as "windows" but nothing happens when i select that. The screen just goes blank and I return to the boot loader.

How do I know which harddisk is which? I had C D E F G, with C containig windows..
I installed Lin on E. I hope the other parts are untouched... I JUST cannot lose DATA.

Please help me. I have to go to the other side of town to access the internet from a friends computer. U can understand.

[Kemasa]

Have you tried using the account "root"? Also make sure that you don't have the caps lock on, since then you won't be able to login (been there, done that). You can also use the install disk to enter rescue mode and correct things (answers in this direction have to be a bit limited due to security issues and this being public).

My entry for grub for Windoze is:

title Windoze
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

The boot options for other partitions depend on your settings. Since I have a /boot partition as the second partition, most entries have (hd0,1), but reference the actual boot device, such as /dev/hda3. I am not sure of how Lilo references things since it has been a long time since I have used it. The second number is the partition, starting at 0 (zero), instead of 1.

I would strongly suggest that you get a Live CD, such as Knoppix or Ubuntu, so that you can do things from the CD.

[thepiper]

I'm ruined kemasa.. now my computer wont even start...... i gotta goto the hardware forum now.......
I must've loosened a wire somewhere in an attempt to open my harddisk to bring it here. So i cannot do anything until that is solved. Talk about having a bad month

[thepiper]

Ok now my computer is starting.

Please help me Kemasa..
I used the rescue function to restore the windows bootloader. I'm still not getting acces to windows.

Linux shows the following partitions:

hda 1 : 5992 MB (type0x83)
hda5 : 1098MB (0x82) Linux Swap
hda6 31110 MB (0x83) Ext 2

Originally in windows I had CDEFG partitions , with C: having windows (6GB)

I installed Linux in E: (9GB) I hope it hasn't messed the other partitions up, then I'm ruined.

Is there anyway I can uninstall Linux and get rid of this headache?

And as I told u, I cant even log into Linux as I deleted my main account. I just get a login screen and anything I enter the screen shakes.

How do I log in as root?
I have very little Linux knowledge. All I wanted to is have a feel, but i'm not having a good experience.
Please help me, I want to go back to windows and end this macabre.

[Kemasa]

The filetype for hda1 is not correct for Windoze. If it was just changed and nothing else, you should be able to change the partition type and be able to access the filesystem.

Do you have a Live CD, such as Knoppix or Ubuntu? If so, boot that and try using fdisk to change the partition type "fdisk /dev/hda", then change the partition type for hda1 to "7" for NTFS by using the command "t", select 1 for the partition and enter 7.

You can also try doing this by booting the install disk and going to a shell.

What you responded with does not show a 9Gb partition, just a 31Gb partition.

[thepiper]

Dear Kemasa,

I hae managed to log on. I am using KDE.
Please give me step by step instructions on how to view my windows partitions. I have no i dea where to type the commands you are giving me. Give me the instructions in EXPLICIT DETAILS.

I want to know if my data is safe. Where are my partitions? During installation of Linux I remeber "linux will resize your partitions" was said. If so then how will I get them back with my data intact?

Also tell me how I will get access to windows again.
I have added windows to the boot loader (both LILO and GRUB appear) but windows does not load.

In my original windows installation I had FAT32 and not NTFS. It is XP without any Service Pack

Also what is the word "windoze" you use? Is it a command?

Edited by thepiper, 25 June 2006 - 10:22 AM.

[Kemasa]

You need to be root and open a terminal window, any one will be ok. You can get a terminal window from the menu, select system, then terminals, then a terminal program, such as "xterm". If you did not login as "root", then you need to become root by typing "su" in the terminal window. Then you need to type "fdisk /dev/hda", it will come back with:

# fdisk /dev/hda
Command (m for help):

With perhaps some addition informational messages. Type "l" to list the partition types. One problem is that you said that you had the partition type of FAT32, but there are two types, LBA (partition type c) or non-LBA (partition type b). If the disk is 40Gb and the partition was the complete disk, I would guess it you would want "c", but that is just a guess and you might want to ask others to see what it might have been. To change the partition, you need to select "t", then it will ask which partition, which would be 1, then it will ask for the partition type and that, based on what you said, would be "b" or "c".

If you resized the partition, then it will stay smaller and that should not be a problem.

In order to access the Windoze partition, you need to change the partition type back. It is strange why it changed though and it is possible that something was done so that the data might not be easily accessible. The first step is to change the partition type to what it was and then you should be able to boot. You might need to also toggle the boot active flag ("a" command in fdisk).

Windoze is just a term for the operating system you are using so as to not use any trademarked names and also for humor reasons :-).

One note, before you make any major changes to your machine you should always back it up. It is a little late this time, but for the future and for anyone else reading this, you should do that.

[thepiper]

 types.html   12.88KB   25 downloadsDear Kemasa.... I have folowed ur instructions but not yet converted the type of HDD. Before I chose "b" type or "c" type I'd like to say that it was a normal "windoze" installation with 5 partitions., CDEFG.
C: was my windows installation. (around 6 GB) .

D: (around 1.3GB), E: F: G: around 10 GB each.

(like i said before. E: is my linux installation , around 9 - 9.5GB)

What may have happened here? Do u think (refer above) the 5992 MB (hda1) partition is my C: drive?
Or is it that 31GB partition (hda 6) contains my C, D, F, G drives and hda 1 and hda 5 are actually the E: drive resized ?

In that case.... we should be care ful about what we do. Could you ascertain which could be my windows drive C:? And then which drive should I convert? And should the type be LBA or non LBA? I think the most general would be it... so LBA , isn't it?

I have attached a table of the choices when I typed fdisk /dev/hda > l. I have tried to copy as accurately as possible.

Edited by thepiper, 26 June 2006 - 09:13 AM.

[Kemasa]

I don't know what happened as I don't know what you selected when you did the install.

I would assume that the other partitions were removed when you did the install. It is only a guess that the first partition has the wrong partition type and that changing it might allow you to access the data. The other option is that the data is gone, which I know you don't want to hear.

If the C partition is unchanged and the filesystem was not written, then you might be able to get the data.

If you change the partition and then try to check the partition with fsck (which uses a filesystem specific program), there should be little risk, but there is still some. You would use the command "fsck -n /dev/hda1". The "-n" is to not write anything.

LBA is normally for large filesystems and I think 6Gb might indicate that it is of that size, but I don't do enough with Windoze to say, which is why I suggested that you get another to give an idea in that respect. I don't know what the difference is between the two and whether it would be an issue or not. As long as you don't write anything, you should be able to try it.

[thepiper]

ok done that. changed partition types of hda1 and hda6 to "c". But dont seem to be making any headway.....
Its just the same

Now I gotta make a last ditch attempt to save my data atleast..
Is there any 3rd party software that'll leech the files out of the HDD?
I could transfer them to another hdd and format my HDD totally and start back from scratch.

Oh did u know I didn't need to format for THREE AND A HALF YEARS? Its my 1st installation and it was running fine....

Please think about anything that you think may help me...

[Kemasa]

Did you try using "fdsk" to check the filesystem? You can also try using "chkdsk" from Windoze, but it is harder to control.

I think there are some programs which can extract the data, but I am not sure of any names. There are also services, but most are quite expensive.

I suspect that when you installed the partition had the new filesystem created on it.