Arch Linux

ganja_guru

Member

Registered: 2005-02-14

Posts: 464

windows wiped my MBR

whats the best(and the most painless) way to get back on track?

thanks in advance!

jerem

Member

From: France

Registered: 2005-01-15

Posts: 310

Re: windows wiped my MBR

Best way is to boot a livecd, chroot your box, and then run :

# grub
grub>setup (hdX)
grub>quit
#reboot

X= the disk you want it to install to.(hda=hd0,hdb=hd1)

Usually, install Windows first and Linux after.

If you have lilo, just chroot and run 'lilo'

ganja_guru

Member

Registered: 2005-02-14

Posts: 464

Re: windows wiped my MBR

hi thanks for the help..im using lilo..

i think this line in lilo is my problem, cause i get a failure when i run lilo..

boot=/dev/discs/disc0/disc

is this what the line should read for /dev/hda ?

jerem

Member

From: France

Registered: 2005-01-15

Posts: 310

Re: windows wiped my MBR

boot=/dev/discs/disc0/disc

I think boot=/dev/discs/disc0 is sufficient.
Next subdivisions are partitions, noted /dev/discs/disc0/part1

Anyway, you can also use the old naming scheme (boot=/dev/hda).

And still, do not forget to run 'lilo' after. That's something people tend to forge very often.

iphitus

Forum Fellow

From: Melbourne, Australia

Registered: 2004-10-09

Posts: 4,927

Re: windows wiped my MBR

just a quick question, wouldnt you have to mount /dev, into your system before you chroot with somethng like mount /dev/ /mnt/arch/dev --bind
then chroot to your /mnt/arch

iphitus

IceRAM

Member

From: Bucharest, Romania

Registered: 2004-03-04

Posts: 772

Website

Re: windows wiped my MBR

Hmm.. why don't people read the documents?...
Especially when I personally contributed to this FAQ entry...

ArchLinux Installation & Fist Steps /  How do I reconfigure LILO from the rescue system?.

I remember looking over it just before I installed ArchLinux... at least I read the titles. I should reread them again. You never know what new FAQs may appear over time. I got saved  the first time I got into trouble with my MBR just because I remembered there's a way to get it back... mentioned in the ArchLinux Documentation.

As a personal recommendation: find some time and scan a bit the docs. You never know when they might come useful. And they're a nice way of learning new things about the distro you're using.

---

:: / my web presence

ganja_guru

Member

Registered: 2005-02-14

Posts: 464

Re: windows wiped my MBR

thanks very much people...and sorry for  not RTFM...

anyway i use reiser4 as root, but lucklily i still hadnt deleted my old partition which has reiserfs as root..so i first booted into reiserfs, then edited  lilo again...what if i had wiped my old reiserfs root partition? how would have i got into my reiser4 system(cause the arch cd does not recognize reiser4)? im thinking of switching back to reiserfs for this very reason...

IceRAM

Member

From: Bucharest, Romania

Registered: 2004-03-04

Posts: 772

Website

Re: windows wiped my MBR

Well, maybe you could create yourself an ArchLinux installation CD (there's a thread around here with a script for that) with a reiser4 supporting kernel. Or use Archie to create your own ArchLinux Live CD

The procedure still remains the same though...

---

:: / my web presence

jerem

Member

From: France

Registered: 2005-01-15

Posts: 310

Re: windows wiped my MBR

@ iphitus

Perhaps with lilo you will need that.

Grub surely does not, because it uses its own stuff to recognize the discs.

ganja_guru

Member

Registered: 2005-02-14

Posts: 464

Re: windows wiped my MBR

just found an easier way...i have the yoper linux cd  which supports reiser4 in the default kernel...thanks again.

vipernicus

Member

From: IT Dept

Registered: 2005-05-10

Posts: 54

Website

Re: windows wiped my MBR

just found an easier way...i have the yoper linux cd  which supports reiser4 in the default kernel...thanks again.

I've been testing lately, and can testify that ext3 with full journaling is a better performer than reiser4.  I recommend you trying it out, Reiser4 is a (explitative deleted) in almost all situations.