cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

Linuxmodel · 2011-08-16 02:02:35

now the situation is:

I install xp 32bit firstly in the computer, it works fine and can be booted normally. XP installed on C: disk.
then I install arch with GRUB with dual boot, install is fine.
and reboot, GRUB has 3 entries, the first 2 entries are Archlinux related, they both can be booted correctly, the 3rd one is the entry for xp, and it cannot work.
the hard disk is:
sda1 boot NTFS
sda5 NTFS
sda6 Linux
sda7 Linux Swap

/boot/grub/menu.lst
entry for windows xp is :

root (hd0, 0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

the strange problem is : when I choose the 3rd boot entry for windows xp, it again pop up the same GRUB interface all the time instead of booting into Windows XP.

the first time I installed Arch with GRUB is OK, everything can be booted normally.
Then I installed Arch again after deleting(formatting) sda6 partition. After this 2nd installation, I cannot boot windows xp anymore.

I think this is caused by what I did with re-install Arch/Grub twice, maybe GRUB is not installed in the same position? I don't remember...
And I don't know how to solve this issue.

Need help from everyone.Thanks.

Last edited by Linuxmodel (2011-08-17 08:46:52)

karol · 2011-08-16 02:06:15

Try https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gp … tion_Order

Linuxmodel · 2011-08-16 02:09:31

By the way , If I install GRUB in the wrong place, I guess 2 times I installed GRUB in the different position, maybe the first time is sda, then the 2nd time is sda1.
How can I figure out whether is this case, and if that's the case, how can I solve this ?

Thanks.

Linuxmodel · 2011-08-16 03:54:20

karol wrote:

Try https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gp … tion_Order

I have just followed the steps listed there:

Once you're in fdisk, choose option x (extra functionality (experts only)) and enter.
Then select f (fix partition order) and enter.
Then select option w (write table to disk and exit), and enter.

But I think the order is correct already, fix order is not needed.
And indeed that gives me the same message when I did those steps.

So what else can I do to solve this ?

PSW · 2011-08-17 06:30:51

Linuxmodel wrote:

the hard disk is:
sda1 boot NTFS
sda5 NTFS
sda6 Linux
sda7 Linux Swap

Your partitions are a bit messed up. Windows XP should be on sda1(NTFS) while your boot partition should be on sda2(EXT2), Arch Linux on sda4(EXT4) and swap on sda3(SWAP). The only partition marked as bootable should be sda2, GRUB is not installed on a partition, but rather the MBR(The first 512 bytes of the HDD), so simply select sda when the installer asks you about GRUB.

As well, sda2, sda3, and sda4 should all be Logical partition types, while sda1 should be a primary one.

Last edited by PSW (2011-08-17 06:32:47)

steabert · 2011-08-17 07:47:02

An alternative is to use a Windows XP CD, boot from it and then in rescue mode use the command 'fixmbr'.

Linuxmodel · 2011-08-17 08:24:31

PSW wrote:

Your partitions are a bit messed up. Windows XP should be on sda1(NTFS) while your boot partition should be on sda2(EXT2), Arch Linux on sda4(EXT4) and swap on sda3(SWAP). The only partition marked as bootable should be sda2, GRUB is not installed on a partition, but rather the MBR(The first 512 bytes of the HDD), so simply select sda when the installer asks you about GRUB.
As well, sda2, sda3, and sda4 should all be Logical partition types, while sda1 should be a primary one.

My fs table actually is what I showed before. I don't think partitions are confused in this order, sda1 locates NTFS boot system(Windows XP), and it has counterpart C:\ of Windows. and sda2 is All Extented (which takes possession of all other logical partitions, like sda5, sda6, sda7). and indeed there are no sda3 and sda4 in my HD. sda5 is also NTFS of counterpart D:\ in Windows.

sda6 and sda7 is for Linux, sda6 is ext4, and sda7 is Swap. so that's it:

sda1 boot 7 HPFS/NTFS ------------> C:\ (where windows xp is installed)
sda2 f W95 Extended(LBA)
sda5 7 HPFS/NTFS -------------> D:\ (work partition in windows xp)
sda6 83 Linux
sda7 83 Linux

So I think table is fine. But I use another approach to assess where the problem is.

I use ntfs-3g try mounting NTFS partitions in my Arch.
the result is sda1 cannot be mounted, whereas sda5 can be mounted correctly.

Last edited by Linuxmodel (2011-08-17 08:43:57)

Linuxmodel · 2011-08-17 08:42:44

steabert wrote:

An alternative is to use a Windows XP CD, boot from it and then in rescue mode use the command 'fixmbr'.

I indeed had a go at your option earlier. But it didn't work either.
Is that the only option I have to install Windows XP from scratch? Weird....

I installed Arch many times, this is the first time I met this strange issue that cannot boot XP...
especially when I click Windows entry in GRUB list, it gives me no error message instead of popping up the same GRUB list again and again......

PSW · 2011-08-22 12:09:45

Can you please post your Grub configuration file? (/boot/grub/menu.lst)

Arch Linux

#1 2011-08-16 02:02:35

cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#2 2011-08-16 02:06:15

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#3 2011-08-16 02:09:31

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#4 2011-08-16 03:54:20

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#5 2011-08-17 06:30:51

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#6 2011-08-17 07:47:02

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#7 2011-08-17 08:24:31

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#8 2011-08-17 08:42:44

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

#9 2011-08-22 12:09:45

Re: cannot boot windows xp after install arch with GRUB

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