not able to boot into Vista after installing Fedora!

Seedrick · #1 21st February 2010, 01:52 PM

I just installed Fedora 12 on my Windows Vista machine.

Now when I boot my computer it shows two options
Fedora
Other

The `Other` one would be Windows Vista.

Its okay if I boot into Fedora, but if I boot into Vista, I get the following error:

Code:

    BOOTMGR is missing.
    Press CTRL + ALT + DEL to reboot.

What should I do to fix this?

stoat · #2 21st February 2010, 01:59 PM

Hello Seedrick,

It happens all the time. The GRUB config file is misconfigured. Anaconda (the Fedora installer) is a sucker to fall for utility or recovery partitions as the partition with the Windows boot loader files. You might be able to fix it yourself. Stare at the results of these two terminal commands in Fedora...

Code:

su
cat /boot/grub/grub.conf
fdisk -l

After a few minutes, it may become apparent what change you need to make to the grub.conf file to make GRUB load and execute the boot sector code of the correct partition. If so, then fix it...

Code:

su
gedit /boot/grub/grub.conf

Save the file, reboot, and try again. If it doesn't work or if you need assistance figuring it all out, then post the grub.conf and fdisk report. Someone may recognize what needs to be done.

Seedrick · #3 21st February 2010, 02:18 PM

the file includes this:

Code:

title Other
      rootnoverify (hd0,1)
      chainloader +1

What should I change it to?

---------- Post added at 07:48 PM CST ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 PM CST ----------

The two outputs

cat /boot/grub/grub.conf

Code:

#boot=/dev/sda
default=1
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,8)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686)
        root (hd0,8)
        kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686 ro root=UUID=aa0e4323-03cd-4c3b-90cf-cd91ef566489 noiswmd LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us rhgb quiet
        initrd /boot/initramfs-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.img
title Other
        rootnoverify (hd0,1)
        chainloader +1

fdisk -l

Code:

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x70000000

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1          40      321268+  de  Dell Utility
/dev/sda2              41        1999    15728640    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3            1999       15512   108549964    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4           15513       38913   187968532+   5  Extended
/dev/sda5           15513       20397    39238731    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6           20398       21181     6295552   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7           21182       30297    73224238    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda8           30298       36824    52428096    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda9   *       36825       38913    16778240   83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 1998 MB, 1998471168 bytes
32 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1936 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2016 * 512 = 1032192 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1        1936     1951456+   6  FAT16

stoat · #4 21st February 2010, 03:10 PM

Since Anaconda changed the boot flag to the Linux partition, it's not possible to tell just from the fdisk report which partition has the Windows boot loader files. So I would try every possible Windows compatible partition. It does no harm to guess at the Windows partition. If you prefer, you can even try those possibilities without actually changing the grub.conf by editing the rootnoverify line at the Fedora GRUB menu. It's a little faster, too. When you find the one that works, then make the change permanent by editing the grub.conf file. To try testing the possibilities that way...

Reboot.
Press a key at during the splash screen countdown to stop it at the GRUB menu.
Highlight the "Other" entry in the menu and press the "e'" key to edit it.
Highlight the rootnoverify line and press the "e" key to edit it.
Change the partition to one of these possiblities:
1. (hd0,0)
2. (hd0,2)
Press the enter key to return to the previous screen.
Press the "b" key to boot with your temporary change.
See what happens. If Vista doesn't boot, then do all of the above steps again and try the other possibility.

There is no use trying those three NTFS logical partitions since no Windows installer would ever agree to placing boot loader files in those. If it still doesn't work after trying (hd0,0), (hd0,1), and (hd0,2), then maybe the drive order was changed, and the boot loader files are in /dev/sdb1. If you think that's possible, then it can be tried using the map GRUB menu command. But that can wait until it becomes necessary.

Seedrick · #5 21st February 2010, 06:47 PM

Thanks a lot @stoat for the step by step instructions and the fast replies.

Changing the entry in the grub.conf file to (hd0,2) worked!!
Once again, thanks a lot!

jivalaraza · #6 15th August 2010, 09:37 AM

Hello I am a new member to Fedora .. I have installed it (Fedora 12 user version 2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE) a while back and facing the same problem that Seedrick was facing. when I enter at the "Other" option in the boot menu it shows me a black screen with a cluster and if I pres ALT+CTRL+DEL it reboots .. But still I have tried those things with all possible values (0-9) that Stoat has told here and I have got this error when I tried it with values 0 and 2 explicitly.

Code:

Error 13 : Invalid or Unsupported Executable Format

It will be a great benefit if you guys help me out . Thanks in advance ..

***glennzo*** · #7 15th August 2010, 11:12 AM

Hi jivalaraza, you'll need to post the output of the command

Code:

su
fdisk -l

from a terminal while running Fedora so we can see what partitions you have on the hard disk and what type of partitions / filesystems they are. Hopefully there are no SFS filesystems.

jivalaraza · #8 15th August 2010, 12:25 PM

Here it is

Code:

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3e283e28

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1          26      204800   83  Linux
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2            1276       19456   146038882+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda3              26        1275    10036224   8e  Linux LVM
/dev/sda5            1276        3825    20482843+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6            3826        7649    30716248+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7            7650       10836    25599546    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda8           10837       19456    69238784    7  HPFS/NTFS

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/dm-0: 6081 MB, 6081740800 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 739 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-1: 4194 MB, 4194304000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 509 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table

I think I had installed my Vista in a NTFS partition (cant remember correctly) .... But anyway ... thanks in advance

***glennzo*** · #9 15th August 2010, 12:32 PM

You need to try all of the following:

Code:

(hd0,4)
(hd0,5)
(hd0,6)
(hd0,7)

Try them one at a time until Windows boots. And yes, Windows is on one of the NTFS partitions.

jivalaraza · #10 16th August 2010, 12:04 PM

Thanks Glennzo ... But I have tried all the numbers before posting and have tested once again with all the values after your post ... But the result is same ... What can I do now ?? Please help me out ... Thanks again

stoat · #11 16th August 2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jivalaraza

Error 13 : Invalid or Unsupported Executable Format

Quote:

Originally Posted by jivalaraza

But I have tried all the numbers before posting and have tested once again with all the values after your post ... But the result is same ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by jivalaraza

What can I do now ??

You should post the entire contents of the grub.conf file. That error message is typically caused by a syntax error in a menu command of the grub.conf. The grub.conf file is very syntax sensitive. Even if you have the drive and partition numbers right, the wording of the menu commands also has to be perfect if you want it to work.

jivalaraza · #12 16th August 2010, 03:14 PM

here is my grub.conf file :

Code:

# 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 (hd0,0)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/mapper/vg_tony-lv_root
#          initrd /initrd-[generic-]version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE)
	root (hd0,0)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE ro root=/dev/mapper/vg_tony-lv_root  LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us rhgb quiet
	initrd /initramfs-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE.img
title Other
	rootnoverify (hd0,1)
	chainloader +1

stoat · #13 16th August 2010, 03:54 PM

Well, I didn't see anything wrong with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jivalaraza

I think I had installed my Vista in a NTFS partition (cant remember correctly)

All of your NTFS partitions are logical partitions. Vista can be installed in a logical partition and work just fine, but its installer would never agree to put its boot loader files there. Those files must go in a compatible primary partition that can be marked active. You don't have such a partition. So it may be possible that the partition with Vista's boot loader files was deleted (it happens all the time). Sometimes a Windows system's boot loader files are in an unexpected partition. You can confirm that by simply mounting all four of the NTFS partitions and looking in their root directories for a file named bootmgr and a directory named \Boot.

Code:

su
mkdir /mnt/temp1
mkdir /mnt/temp2
mkdir /mnt/temp3
mkidr /mnt/temp4
mount /dev/sda5 /mnt/temp1
mount /dev/sda6 /mnt/temp2
mount /dev/sda7 /mnt/temp3
mount /dev/sda8 /mnt/temp4
ls /mnt/temp1
ls /mnt/temp2
ls /mnt/temp3
ls /mnt/temp4

I predict that you will not find them listed in any of those.

jivalaraza · #14 16th August 2010, 04:51 PM

Thank you for your reply and yes you are right . I have not found any directory named /Boot or any file named BOOTMGR ... The partition that have Vista looked like this :

Code:

18271f58948c381ee0      found.001     Program Files              TC
autoexec.bat            Intel         Python31                   Temp
$AVG8.VAULT$            IO.SYS        realtek.log                TempEI4
config.sys              MSDOS.SYS     $Recycle.Bin               Users
Documents and Settings  MSOCache      RHDSetup.log               wamp
Downloads               pagefile.sys  System Volume Information  Windows
found.000               ProgramData   TASM

stoat · #15 17th August 2010, 01:12 AM

Okay. I imagine that a partition may have been deleted as part of creating space for Fedora. It could have been a partition that you no longer needed, but it was a primary partition and would have been a good place for Vista to have had its boot loader files. If this had been XP, I could have suggested something to do to re-establish the boot loader files. But I have never purchased Vista, so I don't know how to (or if it's even possible to) re-create a set of boot loader files for a Vista system. Maybe somebody else knows. Or maybe you can get some help at a Windows forum. Or if the Vista system is not particularly valuable, then you can re-install Vista. But it's going to need a compatible primary partition for its boot loader files (and one does not exist). If the Vista partition has some valuable files, then you have already mounted it and can retrieve those files via that access.