Gaming Linux update messed up my bootloader

[MarioBrotha]

So I had a nice setup in my netbook, triple boot with Windows XP, 7, and Ubuntu. I could get into each easily since I had setup everything with EasyBCD, some I used simething I think is was called NCR, not GRUB. So today I was on Ubuntu, and it installed some updates. The problem is that apparently these updates have overwritten over the bootloader, and now I can only boot to Ubuntu. So is there a way that I can boot back onto Windows, where I can fix everything using EasyBCD?

GRUB doesn't appear to be installed, it just inmediately boots into UBUNTU.

 

[Fishaman P]

1. Go to GRUB's site and get an installer. I would recommend legacy GRUB instead of GRUB2 because it is much more easily customized.

2. Get a fresh SliTaz Linux (or smaller linux with GRUB installation) disc and install it to a new tiny partition. Delete everything unnecessary from the new installation, but keep it there. GRUB should be installed, and you will have lost... maybe 120MB of space.

 

[MarioBrotha]

1. Go to GRUB's site and get an installer. I would recommend legacy GRUB instead of GRUB2 because it is much more easily customized.

2. Get a fresh SliTaz Linux (or smaller linux with GRUB installation) disc and install it to a new tiny partition. Delete everything unnecessary from the new installation, but keep it there. GRUB should be installed, and you will have lost... maybe 120MB of space.

I'm sorry, but I just don't get step 2. What would be the point of doing that? Wouldn't just installing GRUB be enough, since I already have Ubuntu?

And where can I download legacy GRUB, and how would I install it?

 

[FAST6191]

No copies of bartpe or http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd ?

 

[MarioBrotha]

No copies of bartpe or http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd ?

Nope, but I can make them if I need to, I got a perfectly good copy of Ubuntu

 

[Jiggah]

I would actually recommend staying with the current bootloader. GRUB2 is hell to configure, but it's robust.

You can do an OS scan using "os prober" with GRUB2 (once you're in Ubuntu, of course) and it'll add the Windows partitions. I can't remember if it is installed by default, but in the case it isn't you can use the command:

sudo apt-get install os-prober

To run the command, open a terminal and run:

sudo os-prober

then run:

sudo update-grub

 

[MarioBrotha]

I would actually recommend staying with the current bootloader. GRUB2 is hell to configure, but it's robust.

You can do an OS scan using "os prober" with GRUB2 (once you're in Ubuntu, of course) and it'll add the Windows partitions. I can't remember if it is installed by default, but in the case it isn't you can use the command:

sudo apt-get install os-prober

To run the command, open a terminal and run:

sudo os-prober

then run:

sudo update-grub

I just tried all of those commands, nothing seemed to happen, even after I rebooted. Is there a certain order that I'm supposed to enter them by?

And by nothing seemed to happen, I mean that GRUB still wasn't installed after I rebooted. It seemed to download stuff when I would type the commands in

 

[Jiggah]

Well you definitely have a bootloader installed or else you wouldn't be able to get into Ubuntu at all.

If those commands aren't working then you probably have GRUB Legacy installed.

You can get what version is installed by using the command:

grub-install -v

If it show a version below 1 then it's running GRUB Legacy and if it's greater than 1 it's running GRUB2.

If it's GRUB Legacy then you'll have to manually add in the partition to boot the Windows OSes.

 

[MarioBrotha]

I got "(GNU GRUB 1.98-1unbuntu9)"
So I have GRUB2?

 

[murkurie]

If you have a Windows 7 install disc, copy the contents to a USB drive, boot off that, when it loads and see the prompt press r or click some text, to repair your computer, It will run a test saying it found a windows install and will attempt to fix it and reboot, if that works, you will have windows 7 booting, and then use easybcd to your return your bootloader to the way you want it. No need to mess with grub. something to do is make a back up with easybcd of your bootloader when you get it running right, so if this happens again you fix windows 7, then just easybcd to restore your backup.

 

[Quanno]

Try this:
http://www.sysint.no/nedlasting/mbrfix.htm

Worked for me.

 

[MarioBrotha]

If you have a Windows 7 install disc, copy the contents to a USB drive, boot off that, when it loads and see the prompt press r or click some text, to repair your computer, It will run a test saying it found a windows install and will attempt to fix it and reboot, if that works, you will have windows 7 booting, and then use easybcd to your return your bootloader to the way you want it. No need to mess with grub. something to do is make a back up with easybcd of your bootloader when you get it running right, so if this happens again you fix windows 7, then just easybcd to restore your backup.
I have a USB dvd reader, but the only windows 7 install disc that I have is in spanish. Is there any risk in me trying to fix it with that disc?

QUOTE(Quanno @ Feb 5 2011, 07:42 PM) Try this:
http://www.sysint.no/nedlasting/mbrfix.htm

Worked for me.

Is there a Linux version?

 

[murkurie]

If you have a Windows 7 install disc, copy the contents to a USB drive, boot off that, when it loads and see the prompt press r or click some text, to repair your computer, It will run a test saying it found a windows install and will attempt to fix it and reboot, if that works, you will have windows 7 booting, and then use easybcd to your return your bootloader to the way you want it. No need to mess with grub. something to do is make a back up with easybcd of your bootloader when you get it running right, so if this happens again you fix windows 7, then just easybcd to restore your backup.

I have a USB dvd reader, but the only windows 7 install disc that I have is in spanish. Is there any risk in me trying to fix it with that disc?

I don't see how there could be any risk, so no. your only reinstalling the original windows 7 bootloader.

 

[MarioBrotha]

Apparently my windows 7 isn't working, so I burned myself a repair disk. I got all the way to System Recovery Options, but when I choose Startup Repair, it says that there is nothing wrong, and nothing happens. there is a command propmt that I can acess, are there any commands that can fix this?

EDIT: Disregard that, I accidentaly downloaded the Vista repair. back in a sec
Edit 2: just tried the W7, same thing happened

 

[murkurie]

Apparently my windows 7 isn't working, so I burned myself a repair disk. I got all the way to System Recovery Options, but when I choose Startup Repair, it says that there is nothing wrong, and nothing happens. there is a command propmt that I can acess, are there any commands that can fix this?

EDIT: Disregard that, I accidentaly downloaded the Vista repair. back in a sec
Edit 2: just tried the W7, same thing happened

A command that may work is

bootrec.exe /FixMbr

or bootrec.exe /FixBoot

 

[Quanno]

At the repair menu, I believe there is an option for the command prompt window. There you can use the bootrex.exe mentioned above.

 

[MarioBrotha]

Sweet! that worked, everything's back to normal. Thanks!