Cannot find operating system

[utopoo]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section. 

I've been running PCLOS for the last while and decided I need to have dual boot as an option.  I had a section of my drive already partitioned from when I first set up PCLOS and thought I would just be able to install Windows 7 onto that partition.  Well that's what I tried but Windows wouldn't install on the partition and now I can't boot back into PCLOS, I get cannot find operating system and have to restart.

I've been trying to figure this out myself using the LiveCD.  It seems trying to install Windows has messed up my partitions, they are still there but no longer say /, /root and /home on them, I'm guessing this is the issue as to why it can't find the OS?

Is there anyway to fix this or do I need to re-install everything (installing Windows first this time...) and lose all my files?  I don't have much on the HDD but there are a few files I would like to recover.

[BJF]

First thing I reckon would be to use the LiveCD to copy those files you want kept out onto media. Before it all gets any worse.

[uncleV]

First thing I reckon would be to use the LiveCD to copy those files you want kept out onto media. Before it all gets any worse.

+1

Further: When you are running LiveCD you don't see /, /home, /root on the HD because those are assigned now by LiveCD and sit in the RAM. They are different

If you didn't succeed to overwrite your HD PCLOS partitions with the Windows installing attempt then I suppose you've lost your MBR only.
Try to fix that from LiveCD session running Menu-->More Applications-->Configuration-->Redo MBR (Restore MBR)

Add: Please also run in Terminal command fdisk -l as root in order to see your HD partitions and post the output here.

[utopoo]

Okay went ahead and restored MBR it gave me this:

timeout 3
color black/cyan yellow/cyan
gfxmenu (hd0,0)/boot/gfxmenu
default 0

title linux
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUID=d994d370-d656-438f-b935-5492627beec6 resume=UUID=769d7fb4-794c-456b-970d-a6ac0c7cb21c splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title linux-nonfb
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux-nonfb root=UUID=d994d370-d656-438f-b935-5492627beec6 resume=UUID=769d7fb4-794c-456b-970d-a6ac0c7cb21c
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title failsafe
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=failsafe root=UUID=d994d370-d656-438f-b935-5492627beec6 failsafe
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title windows
root (hd0,6)
chainloader +1

Then I ran fdisk -l and got this:

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x88688d43

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *          63    43054199    21527068+  83  Linux
/dev/sda2        43054200   976768064   466856932+   5  Extended
/dev/sda5        43054263    61063064     9004401   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6        61063128   943963334   441450103+  83  Linux

According to above it doesn't look like windows killed anything...  Will do a reboot now and see what happens. 

[uncleV]

No joy?

[utopoo]

Thanks for the help everyone.  I got everything back up, running dual boot now.

Cheers!

[horusfalcon]

Thanks for the help everyone.  I got everything back up, running dual boot now.

Cheers!

Now would be a good time to modify the first post's subject line to add {SOLVED}?