Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

Zoranthus · 2006-11-23 14:26:25

Hi,

I have a single HDD with 3 Partitions:
hda1: Boot,Windows, NTFS
hda2: NTFS
hda3: Linux
(and swap)

after installing GRUB (from the install cd setup program: /arch/setup) I had GRUB correctly running from hda1 on boot - but the partition itself is no longer usable.

I cannot boot Windows anymore and much more important: I cannot even mount it anymore: mount -t ntfs /dev/hda /mnt/ce gives the following error:
"Wrong FS type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/hda1 missing codepage or other error..."

I can't access the partition from the windows repair console either so I guess it's really fucked up. fdisk -l still lists it as HPFS/NTFS tho.

So I thought: Ok, let's re-format hda1 from the windows cd, isntall win and then write grub into the boot sector again.. what I did.. with just the same result: after installing grup on hda1 it was there booting into GRUB alright.. but the rest of the partition was fucked up again.

Please help.

noriko · 2006-11-23 15:03:55

that's prolly because grub cannot run from an ntfs part~ so it's reformatted it or something ... what you should have done was either create a new partition for grub, ext2,etc..
or install it to the mbr with it's root on the linux partition.

Zoranthus · 2006-11-23 15:27:08

D'oh.. I knew I forgot something.

*edit*
Yup you were right, thanks.

Zoranthus · 2006-11-23 17:25:52

Hm..I didn't manage to create two primary and one extended partition (additionally to my two primary I already have).. I always ended up with only two of those and rest unusable space, so I made two,m one primary, one extended and put grub on my linux partition and made that one bootable.

That worked and made me wonder why one should create a boot partition anyway. Is there any special advantage to that?

noriko · 2006-11-23 18:19:36

i create a specific boot partition,
simply because if i have an accident on the main linux partition, then i still have a theortically bootable system.
i also have a mini-distro on the grub partition as well.. which illiminates teh need for a livecd

Zoranthus · 2006-11-23 19:35:44

Ok that makes sense.. I guess I just gotta be careful then.
If all goes well I'll get rid of Windows anyways and can partition the disk completely anew.

(Yay posting under ARCH - with horrible font, no sound and no 3df gfx so far, but getting there. )

noriko · 2006-11-23 19:54:56

this is just from my pov, prolly cos i am required to use windows, due to schoool./uni...
but unless space is a issue, i'd keep windows around just in case..

Mr.Elendig · 2006-11-24 21:10:08

Grub shoud be installed to /dev/hda, not /dev/hda1
Also, in most cases there are no real need for a seperate boot partion anymore.

Arch Linux

#1 2006-11-23 14:26:25

Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

#2 2006-11-23 15:03:55

Re: Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

#3 2006-11-23 15:27:08

Re: Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

#4 2006-11-23 17:25:52

Re: Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

#5 2006-11-23 18:19:36

Re: Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

#6 2006-11-23 19:35:44

Re: Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

#7 2006-11-23 19:54:56

Re: Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

#8 2006-11-24 21:10:08

Re: Dual Boot: Installing Grub on hda1 destroys Partition

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