Lost GRUB After WIN 7 Install

[terdog1]

Am taking a new job and needed to get familiar with Windows 7, so I installed an evaluation copy on my system which already had XP dual booting with PCLinuxOS, (most recent version).  After the install, a Win 7 bootloader appeared and "Earlier Version of Windows" was the only other choice.  I have a Knoppix CD and would like to know how/if I can boot from it to restore my Grub bootloader so I can again boot to PCLinuxOS, XP and Win 7.  I would like to boot into XP by default until I become more familiar with PCLinuxOS.  Appreciate your help!!  Thanks!  Terri

edit: title changed to mixed case to conform with 'no shouting' rule.

[menotu]

Yup Microsoft are terrible for seeing/using other boot loaders - It's always suggested to install PCLinuxOS last and Grub will usually pick everything up.

You could try using a PCLinuxOS LiveCD and run the Redo MBR app

Its in Main KMenu >> More Applications > Configuration >

[genomega]

Indeed; Redo MBR  is your friend.

[terdog1]

Thanks for the suggestions!!  I loaded PCLinuxOS live CD and ran thru the options to redo mbr.  The Windows 7 bootloader bcdedit still controls the boot process. 

I was able to edit the menu via Easy BCD in Windows7 to allow XP to boot as default, which it wasn't doing previously.  When I attempted to add PCLinuxOS to the boot menu in this program I was not sure about the correct syntax path and it failed to boot, altho it did show in the menu.

My hard drive is divided into 5 partitions as follows:C: with XP, D:Data  E:PC LinuxOS  F:Linux Swap  H:Win 7   C:, E: and H: are primary partitions.

It appears bcdedit is changing a sector that GRUB can't/didn't access.  Will attempt to point GRUB to the Win 7 partition (not sure what sda it is) and rerun redo mbr.

Any other thoughts???

Thanks!
Terri

[pow2k10]

Depending on how confident you are at messing with partion you should be able to mark the PCLOS partition as the active partion through DISKPART on your win 7 machine.

from memory, you can select the partition that has the PCLOS and should boot into there.  Under the control centre you can then create a bootloader.

This should then install GRUB on the MBR and you should have a dual boot system.

Cheers,

Jai

[macemm]

@terdog1

My hard drive is divided into 5 partitions as follows:C: with XP, D:Data  E:PC LinuxOS  F:Linux Swap  H:Win 7   C:, E: and H: are primary partitions.

It appears bcdedit is changing a sector that GRUB can't/didn't access.  Will attempt to point GRUB to the Win 7 partition (not sure what sda it is) and rerun redo mbr.

At the moment I am just guessing - since you didn't describe what you did with the options presented to you from redo mbr application - that you ought to have installed grub to /dev/sda

Even if grub didn't pick up either of the windows installations that can easily be rectified once you are back in PCLinuxOS.

It would be helpful though before commencing any more operations to post the contents of these command from your live-cd session.

Please post the command you used as well as the output. Copy and paste from the terminal into your post.

Do as root from terminal. if you are in the live-cd you already know the password is root

fdisk -l [that is a lowercase l and not the figure 1]

example

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x18000000

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1          10       80293+   6  FAT16
/dev/sda2   *          11        1504    11999232    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3            1504       62441   489476096    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4           62441       84698   178779447    5  Extended
/dev/sda5           62441       62705     2117632   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6           62705       74433    94206976   83  Linux
/dev/sda7           74434       84698    82453581   83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa7d43d72

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1      121602   976761824+   7  HPFS/NTFS

next command

blkid

example

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# blkid
/dev/sda1: SEC_TYPE="msdos" LABEL="DellUtility" UUID="07DA-091B" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda5: LABEL="swap2000" UUID="82cf8c0e-bd15-4c00-8fa4-e8e24112483d" TYPE="swap"
/dev/sda6: LABEL="pclos2010" UUID="d374aa3e-6da1-436a-ba54-045f0ee5850c" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/sda2: UUID="92DC677ADC67578D" LABEL="RECOVERY" TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda3: UUID="28206A162069EAF0" LABEL="OS" TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda7: LABEL="minime2010" UUID="ef338c13-e42f-4d9f-832f-eaa86577ab21" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/sdb1: UUID="10991830680120AB" LABEL="usb-primus" TYPE="ntfs"

That will give a better idea of how things look through *nix eyes.

It'll give you something to do that will be non-destructive (but no fun!) in the meantime,

Hugh

[marian]

Thanks for the suggestions!!  I loaded PCLinuxOS live CD and ran thru the options to redo mbr.  The Windows 7 bootloader bcdedit still controls the boot process.  

I was able to edit the menu via Easy BCD in Windows7 to allow XP to boot as default, which it wasn't doing previously.  When I attempted to add PCLinuxOS to the boot menu in this program I was not sure about the correct syntax path and it failed to boot, altho it did show in the menu.

My hard drive is divided into 5 partitions as follows:C: with XP, D:Data  E:PC LinuxOS  F:Linux Swap  H:Win 7   C:, E: and H: are primary partitions.

It appears bcdedit is changing a sector that GRUB can't/didn't access.  Will attempt to point GRUB to the Win 7 partition (not sure what sda it is) and rerun redo mbr.

Any other thoughts???

Thanks!
Terri

I don't think so. The question is where did you install GRUB, on first sector of disk (MBR) or first sector of boot partition.