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#46
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PS How to clone Windows XP back to your HD?
Here, for anyone coming upon this thread and following it to the end,
is a summary of the above exchanges. This might help someone step by step to resolve their GRUB issues. Carl H. If anyone sees any errors in this sequence, please note them and i will correct this. ************** I have a Samsung NC10 Netbook running Windows XP Home, SP3. I set it up to dual boot with Ubuntu, so I could give Ubuntu a try. After deciding that I did not want to keep Ubuntu, I did a search for how to remove the Ubuntu partition and found "How to use Disk Management to configure basic disks in Windows XP" on the Microsoft site and followed the instructions there. When I then tried to boot my Netbook, I got this: GRUB loading. error: no such partition grub rescue I Googled the GRUB problem, found lots of hits, but none seemed particularly promising so I posted a request for help on microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers. The answer I received noted that the problem sounded simple enough: it was caused by Ubuntu having re-written the Master Boot Record (MBR), and that Windows most likely still existed as it was on its own partition on my Netbook. I was advised to download XP_Recovery_Console_on_USB.zip, here http://www.4shared.com/file/t3MX2P8z...le_on_USB.html I did so and followed these instructions for how to set up a bootable USB thumb drive with the XP Recovery Console on it. The following instructions will create a fast booting Windows XP Recovery Console on a USB Flash Drive (UFD). It will boot straight to the RC (no setup screen). Everything needed is included in this package. The files are Service Pack 3, this is the final version of the XP RC. 1. Insert your USB Flash Drive (UFD). 2. Run "hpusbfw.exe" - HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.0.6.0 * *(The newer version of the HP Tool, 2.1.8.0, will NOT work) * *- Choose your UFD under "Device" * *- For "File system" choose "FAT" * *- Enter a name under "Volume label" (Maximum 11 characters) * *- Leave un-checked "Quick Format" and "Create a DOS startup disk" * *- Click "Start" 3. Run "TinyHexer.exe". From the top menu, click on * *'File--Disk--Open drive" and select your UFD. Make sure you * *select the correct device! 4. From the top menu, click on 'Edit--Find/Replace'. Tick the boxes * *"Find text" and "Ignore case". Enter "NTLDR" then click "Find" * *then "Replace". Enter "CMLDR" and tick the box "Is text" then * *click "Replace all". Click "Close". 5. From the top menu, click on 'File--Save as' then browse to your * *UFD. Enter "USBLDR" then "Save". Close "Tiny Hexer". 6. Open the folder "UFD" and copy everything in it to your UFD. * *Your UFD should look like this: * *cmdcons * *boot.ini * *cmldr * *ntdetect.com * *ntldr * *usbldr 7. Defrag the UFD. That's it! Now reboot and test it. (Press F12 at boot time to get a menu to select your UFD) Next step; After booting the Netbook with this USB drive, you will be see this text: Which Windows installation would you like to log onto To cancel, press ENTER? Enter the numeral 1 and hit the Enter key. Next comes the prompt for your admin password. Ignore it and simply press Enter once again. Now, at the prompt, type DISKPART and hit Enter This will produce a list of the partitions on your hard drive AND it will allow you to delete the partition with Ubuntu on it and thus solve your GRUB problem. On my Netbook, DISKPART returned: -: Partition1 EISA Utilities 6150 MB = RECOVERY PARTITION C: Partition2 NTFS 68653 MB = WINDOWS PARTITION E: Partition3 NTFS 39622 MB = UBUNTU PARTITION D: Partition1 KINGSTON [FAT] = YOUR USB DRIVE ESC=Cancel D=Delete Partition ALSO, in addition to the DISKPART command you might also run the MAP command. On my Netbook, that returned: ? NTFS 6150MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition1 C: NTFS 68653MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition2 E: NTFS 39621MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition3 D: FAT16 963MB \Device\Harddisk1\Partition1 Now the dicey part: You don’t want to delete the wrong partition. It was suggested that I remove the E: partition. I did so, then I ran MAP again and it returned: ? NTFS 6150MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition1 C: NTFS 653MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition2 F: NTFS 39621MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition3 D: FAT16 963MB \Device\Harddisk1\Partition1 The E partition had been successfully removed. When I shut down, removed the USB flash drive then restarted, my Netbook successfully booted into Windows. Problem solved. *************** Hope this helps someone else someday. |
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#47
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How to clone Windows XP back to your HD?
Good work, Tim. HTH, Twayne` n , Tim Meddick typed: I am so pleased! (told you that you'd get there in the end!) Concerning the bogus menu entry on startup..... When you ran the FIXBOOT C: command, on your merry travels, Windows re-wrote your BOOT.INI file that deals with the start(up) menu (which lives in the root of your [C:] system drive) adding any valid operating systems it could detect at the time. When you did this, the UBUNTU partition STILL EXISTED, but now does not, so if you did selected this option at boot now, I very much doubt you'd get anything but an system error. To get rid of it, either : 1). Goto "Control Panel" - "System Properties" - "Advanced" tab - "Startup and Recovery" (Settings button). ...and in the "System Startup" [top] section, press on the "Edit" button. Highlight and delete the ONE line containing the word "Ubuntu" and save / close. - you won't see the "Ubuntu" menu item on startup any more. 2). Type MSCONFIG into the "Run" box on the start menu and click on the BOOT.INI "tab". Press the button marked "Check all boot paths" This should result in all invalid entries in the menu to be removed. Press [ok] to save and exit. 3). Open a command prompt, and type the following command[s] : attrib -r -h -s c:\boot.ini notepad c:\boot.ini ...then edit the file (as in 1), removing the line that contains the word "Ubuntu" and then "save" and exit. Again, the offending menu entry will be gone.... == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) "Carl" wrote in message ... On Apr 29, 10:23 am, John John - MVP wrote: Tim Meddick wrote: I rarely use either the MAP or the DISPART command and if I have a major problem, similar to yours, I always use an M$-DOS boot disk. The difference being that the DOS command FDISK - does return volume labels (where they exist) on partitions. The thing is, without knowing which partition is which - you might be deleting the netbook's recovery partition - should it have one. My best guess would be : -: Partition1 EISA Utilities 6150 MB = RECOVERY PARTITION C: Partition2 NTFS 68653 MB = WINDOWS PARTITION E: Partition3 NTFS 39622 MB = UBUNTU PARTITION Begs the question of why would Ubuntu be installed on a proprietary NTFS partition? D: Partition1 KINGSTON [FAT] = YOUR USB DRIVE .....so, you could try deleting E: Partition3 NTFS 39622 MB ....(unless you know different - that this is NOT the UBUNTU partition!) My evidence for this is that as you are actually logged in to C:\Windows while you are running Recovery Console, the partition before it must have been there before or at the installation of the C: partition - it has no drive-letter associated with it, so it's probably a hidden partition - usually this means the recovery partition. That just leaves Partition3 (E I think that at this stage finding the Active status of the partitions might help. Carl (or Bob) would need to create a Windows 98 Startup disk on USB and use Fdisk to see what is going on with the active partition flag. I haven't ever made a W98 bootable USB stick but a quick search on the net leads to sites like this with all the information and downloads for the necessary files: http://www.bay-wolf.com/usbmemstick.htm How to Create a bootable USB Memory Key You should be able to toggle the active partition with Fdisk but I would also stick PowerQuest's (Symantec} 16-bit PtEdit utility on the stick:http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/tools.htm John Gentlemen - I DO NOT BELIEVE IT!!!! It worked! I cannot thank you enough. Here's what I did: I deleted the E partition. I ran MAP again Returned: ? NTFS 6150MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition1 C: NTFS 68653MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition2 F: NTFS 39621MB \Device\Harddisk0\Partition3 D: FAT16 963MB \Device\Harddisk1\Partition1 I removed the USB flash drive and restarted, and it booted normally, into Windows and all appears fine. If you two would bear with me, I will summarize all of the guidance, step by step, that you give me and post it at the end of this thread plus post it on the Samsung Netbook site for others having this problem. I know there are many others with the problem because when I Googled the GRUB problem, I got multiple hits but none of them worked for me and most relied on an external HD and booting from a Windows CD. Tim said it could be done w/o an external HD and he was right. I'll try to write my summary this weekend and post it back here. BTW, just to be sure, shut down my computer and started again and again, all is well. My deepest thanks, Carl BTW, when I start up , I am offered the choice of booting up in either M/S Windows XP Home Edition or Ubuntu, so there must be something on the HD that I need to get rid of in order to weed Ubuntu entirely from my HD, no? |
#48
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How to clone Windows XP back to your HD?
Thankyou for that, Twayne,
however, I feel that in one or two steps in the OP's procedures, a lot of luck came into it as well. Not to detract from the OP's obvious gift for lateral thinking in overcoming a load of obstacles with the minimum of guidance from me. But I will say that it made me smile somewhat, on hearing that his Windows installation had been brought back to life, as I'm sure he did... == Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-) "Twayne" wrote in message ... Good work, Tim. HTH, Twayne` msg body clipped |
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