Hi guys,

Few days ago my friend ask me to reinstall Windows on his computer. The problem is he has dual OS, ubuntu linux(Dapper Drake) and Windows XP. If I reinstall the Windows the Grub loader on MBR will overwritten by Windows XP. i know after reinstalling Windows we cannot boot to Ubuntu.

I'm newbie, So my question is, How we restore the Grub Loader back? I've try to boot from ubuntu using Live CD mode. But I still confuse the step-by-step how to restore the grub.

Please help



Thanks!

I'm not familiar with Ubuntu. I do this kind of things with Mandrake of Mandriva.
It should be the same kind of problem and the same solution on all distros, just try my way, it's not harmful as long as you do not clik "format the hard disk".
With Mandrake or Mandriva, and probably with Ubuntu, you boot on the first install CD (or on the install DVD), choose "install or update", then choose "update", it verifies a lot of things and you see "installing the bootloader". Choose to put the boot loader on your first disk, and everything should go fine.
Hope this helped.
Yordan

You Have Two Options............

1) The Usual Way....
After Installing WindowsXP, Boot a Linux Rescue Disk and Re-Install Grub with the command. "grub-install"

read man grub for more info.

typically....




2) The Easy, 733T haX0r Linux GuRu Way....

The Boot Sector is Stored on the first 512 Bytes of the physical Disk.

so... Backup your boot sector to a file like so...



Copy the backup file to a floppy disk / whatever.

Install Windows XP.

Boot a Linux Rescue Disk.

then Copy your Origonal Boot Sector Over whatever Garbage WindowsXP put there with the command





If at all in Doubt... Use Method 1..
If you Make a Mistake With Method 2, you can waye boodbye to your Partiton Table... File System, and look forward to a full re-partiton and re-format.

Good Luck.

Hi qwijibow,

I have tried the first method but it seems the parameter is wrong because when I run

$ grub-install --root-directory /boot /dev/hda

the grub-install just return same as we only typed $ grub-install. When run the grub shell, I saw a few command (I think) that can be used to fix grub. Like "setup" or "install",


I'm still confuse about INSTALL_DEVICE.



For method 2, I'll not do it because it's to danger and can make my partition table corrupt!. So, there is another way?

Thanks

GRUB handles each partition as a number... so if I want to install it into the the MBR, usually it would be:

grub-install hd(0,0)


xboxrulz

If you can boot from CD, simplest method is to mount linux partitions, then chroot to it, then run grub-install.
TIP: fdisk -l will display all partitions at all drives.

In general, for any distro, even you havn't live CD, restoring can be done in such steps:
1) Find any working linux sustem
2) Create GRUB boot floppy:
# cd /usr/share/grub/i386-pc
# dd if=stage1 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 count=1
1+0 records in
1+0 records out
# dd if=stage2 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 seek=1
153+1 records in
153+1 records out
3) Boot from that floppy, then (quote from GRUB info page):

Once started, GRUB will show the command-line interface (*note
Command-line interface:. First, set the GRUB's "root device"(1)
(*note Installing GRUB natively-Footnote-1: to the partition
containing the boot directory, like this:

grub> root (hd0,0)

If you are not sure which partition actually holds this directory,
use the command `find' (*note find:, like this:

grub> find /boot/grub/stage1

This will search for the file name `/boot/grub/stage1' and show the
devices which contain the file.

Once you've set the root device correctly, run the command `setup'
(*note setup::

grub> setup (hd0)


For more information type info grub

The RHEL installer provides the GRUB boot loader, GRUB (the GRand Unified Boot-loader).

/boot/grub/grub/grub.conf has a format of global options followed by boot stanzas. Here is a sample grub.conf:


timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,0) /grub/splash.xpm.gz
password --md5 $1$/iX9y$Bkskfdsd4443gnff
default=0
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS (2.6.9-648_EL)
root(hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9.EL ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00

initrd /initrd-2.6.9-648.EL.img
title Windows XP Pro
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1


IF ggrub-install fails for some reason try the following:

1. type the command grub and press enter

2. type root (hd0,0)

3. type setup (hd0)

4. type quit



IF still problem occures, then reinstall the grub by

/sbin/grub-install /dev/hda or use these three commands:

Have a nice day

root(hd0,0) means partition where kernel is stored w.m. where /boot/ directory is stored
hd0 = first IDE disk, 0 means first partition on this disk - you can use tab key to show alternatives

setup(hd0) means where to install grub to MBR, on which disk - so in this case in the MBR on the first IDE disk

Restoring Red Hat Enterprise Linux Boot Loader
Restoring Grub Boot Loader

Hi

I had dual boot system of windows xp and RHEL 3.0.After some days I have reinstalled XP.But now I want to get back RHEL 3.0 again.

How Can I restore Grub boot loader again?if I can restore the grub boot loader again,will it give me the option of selecting the operating system?

Please help me out...

-question by ruhul

Dual Boot - Solaris 10 and Windows XP
Restoring Grub Boot Loader

Hi,
I installed solaris 10 first.Then I install windows xp in another partition.When I boot my system,there is no options for os choices.It directly goes to the windows xp ,how to get os choices menu.

Thanks in Advance.

By,
Ruban demel.

-reply by Ruban

how to get my ubuntu back after windows xp installation?Restoring Grub Boot Loaderhi everyone!

this is rocky.

I am new to ubuntu. At first, I had ubuntu and swap files installed in the last two partitions. The next, I installed win xp in the first partition. And now, my ubuntu is gone! who is out there to help me?

-question by wraaquee

dual booting: Fixing Grub Boot Loader after installing windowsRestoring Grub Boot Loader

If you already have linux installed and you install windows afterwards, I found this was the cleanest and easiest way to fix my grub boot loader if I had to reinstall windows and my boot loader disappeared.

TO FIX THE GRUB BOOT LOADER:1. Load a live CD2. Find where the linux partition is installed (/dev/sda4) $ fdisk -l3. Make a directory to mount the real root partition on $ sudo mkdir realroot4. Mount the linux partition in the real root folder so you can access the boot loader $ sudo mount /dev/sda4 realroot5. Use grub-install to redirect the real boot loader to the windows boot partition (the first part of the disk sector) $ grub-install --root-directory=realroot /dev/sda

-reply by KnogleMopwater

 

It seems IRestoring Grub Boot Loader

Ok ,heres the long and short of it:

 I have this stupid anal obession of cleaning up things. I managed to make my windows xp go away from my boot loader. I have Mandriva 2009 spring editon. Of course loaded on the first past of my primary drive. I have a second drive on a seperate  IDE. It of course is  Windows XP.  So lately I have been going in to BIOS and just flipping the drives and it works fine. But I really want my windows back on the boot loader line of. 

dev/sdb1 isn't working I tried that on the add feature on the second page  of the boot loader in the boot loaders "menu" for lack of better word  and then tried loading it as a  "other os windos os" of course. I tried all the ones there and it still wouldn't boot. I tried it in root too  but I think I need more info for milling around in there.

I actually didn't blow out the linux, liunx safe boot or windows. I blew out the two files that came up after a few time booting up linux  i586 , I removed them from the loaders  menu.  Then added  "clean /tmp at boot" checked on the loaders  advanced section  on the first page of the menu.

I don't think I hurt or damaged any files in doing what I've done. Could someone help me figure this out? I just want my Boot laoder to recognized Windows and boot it according to my key stroke at time of boot. 

-question by an_ok_joe

doesnt workRestoring Grub Boot Loader

all this is good I'm sure but when I boot instead of the command line being just grub> and waiting for me to enter a command its actually displaying grup rescue> and NONE of the commands listed above work... Any ideas for the grub rescue> command line?

Thank youRestoring Grub Boot Loader

I'd like to thank KnogleMopwater very much for his informative and very simple how-to. Without that how-to, I would be utterly ****ed. Thank you very much. :D

 

<3

 

- Anonymous

Dunno if u got this fixed yet or not but I had a similar issue and that should work, first boot to live cd then in terminalUse root account, on live cd no pass should be neededSu

then run grubGrub

In grub run the following

find /boot/grub/stage1

root (hd0,5)   note the space between 'root' and '(hd0...'

Setup (hd0)   use whatever number was given to you from the fist find command

Quit

Fixing Grub missing

While other distributions install or run the fixmbr command to me - recover
mbr Windows XP, probably installed grub on the mbr will be lost. To
deal with this, use the following steps:

1. Prepare to enter the LiveCD distro keterminal, for example: using distributions
Kanotix.
2. Booting - it was the LiveCD, so that it can enter the distribution system
it. Open a terminal and then type grub command to enter the
grub console.

$ Grub
grub>

3. After entry into the main grub menu, type the following command, for
stage1 file information contained on your computer. Grub
stage1 file needs to - setup grub.

grub> find / boot / grub / stage1
(hd0, 4)
(hd0, 5)
(hd0, 6)

4. In the example above, detected three stage1 files contained in the system
tesebut. Grub is in the back is hidupakan contained Linux distribution
on the partition / dev / hda4 or (hd0, 4).

5. Next, well-located to grub stage1 files that have been detected and
want to use.
grub> root (hd0, 4)

6. Continue with installing grub to the mbr, and then exit the grub menu.

grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit

note: command setup (hd0), can you replace with the command
setup (hdX, Y), where X is the disk, and Y is a disk partition
want to use grub.


Hopefully useful.

Finally A Simple SolutionRestoring Grub Boot Loader

iGuest thanks for that post and method to restore the grub. I've crawled all over the internet looking for the simple solution. Your instructions are succinct and to the point and it actually worked!!

Kudos to you for sharing that simple fix. I've wondered why I was having such a hard time trying to restore the grub in linux mint. A couple of times I've bitten the bullet and reinstalled in order to have my dual boot option restored.

Again...THANKS!

 

-reply by Spud

access EISA configuration partition using grub if only xp OS is installedRestoring Grub Boot Loader

I want to run rescue and recovery partition in IBM thinkpad R52 which is having one partition in harddisk and which is accessible only by access ibm key. But now it is not working. Partition is existing. I want to take backup of data of that partition. How to get it . 

-question by geeta

grub loaderRestoring Grub Boot Loader

HiI had dual boot system of windows xp and fedora.After someDays I have uninstalled fedora.But now I want to get back windows xp again.How Can I restore Grub boot loader again?Please help me out...

-question by sriharsha

 

Stage1 not existRestoring Grub Boot Loader

I don't know why but wen I tryey the folowing commane

find / boot / grub / stage1

UBUNTU say:

ERROR 15 : File not found

and there is not Stage1 in grub directory so I can not recover that

how can I recover my UBUNTU grub now?

 

-reply by hassan=

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