Re: Dual boot Linux/WinXP problem

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

Gus, I will only speculate here so please take this with a 'grain of
salt' as they say!

Because you use GRUB as the boot-loader IT is in the MBR and the drive
wants to boot according to GRUB instructions (not XP). That may be
causing problem with XP reinstalls.

According to what you said, MY sequence would be to load XP CD, go to
repair console and repair MBR (at prompt run FIXMBR if I remember). exit
and reboot, if still no joy load XP, repair, and try FIXBOOT. If STILL
no joy I'd have to wonder if enough partition information was corrupted
that XP is throwing a fit!

Make SURE you have essential data backed up BEFORE attempting all this
and lastly, if GRUB is destroyed in the MBR, use a Linux live CD and
reinstall GRUB ... no big deal! (I've been there)
__
"gus" <gus_zernial@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:42a02201-5917-4da5-817f-8da7b4d33418@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have an AMD Phenom system set up to dual boot Linux and WinXP. Linux
is on software RAID on two SATA disks /dev/sda and /dev/sdb and WinXP
is on a partition on one of those disks - /dev/sad3. Boot choice is
controlled thru GRUB, and this all worked fine for a while.

Linux is fine, but suddenly WinXP stopped booting. Attempt at normal
boot goes to WinXP boot screen, slider bar operates for a couple
seconds, and the machine then reboots with no error message. Attempt
at safe boot reaches MUP.sys, then reboots with no error message. When
I attempt to recover using the WinXP install CD, the startup sequence
is loading drivers when a BSOD occurs with error 0x0000007B, which is
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE .

Immediately before the problem occurred, I had copied some files in
Linux to the WinXP partition, and I suspect that the WinXP partition
has somehow become corrupted. The WinXP still looks fine from Linux -
ie. it seems to have the needed directories and files - but that's
based on a quick look not an exhaustive check. Unfortunately I can't
figure out
how to boot into "anything" to repair the partition, NTFS, the boot
sector, or whatever's wrong.

Ideas to recover this appreciated - at this point I'm stumped


.

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