Dual Boot Recovery-help please

[rbarun]

Hi Linux Gurus,
I am a newbie in linux, and this is my first post in this forum..Here are the info.

My friend installed RH 7.x + Xp in c: and d: for data in dual boot mode. I have my boot floppy disk with
vmlinuz
syslinux.cfg
initrd.img
boot
LDLINUX
It worked fine untill I reinstalled my Xp.

I did some research in net and found some info in www.littlewhite dog.com. it says ( for Mandrake )
1. copy linux.bin from floppy to C:\
2. Open boot.ini and add c:\linux.bin='Mandrake 7.1"

Can you guys able to explain me in RH way to recover my Dual Boot.

Problems are
1. I am not able to find boot.ini file in my C:\ ( Show hidden file enabled )
2. In my floppy disk there is no file called "linux.bin"

I would be thankful if some one could reply this post.


rbarun

[Seph64]

Not only must you show hidden files, but you must also make sure to uncheck 'hide protected files' since boot.ini is a protected file. Shame that tutorial didn't tell it's public that.

As for the linux.bin thing, try it again, the first time I did this, that file wasn't on a floppy neither.

Hope this is of some help.

[rbarun]

Hi Seph64
Thank you very much for the posting. Now I got boot.ini file in C:\. But I can't find linux.bin file in floppy disk.

It has..
vmlinuz
syslinux.cfg
initrd.img
boot.msg
LDLINUX.sys.

Does any one of these files = linux.bin

Thanks

[Seph64]

Originally posted by rbarun
Hi Seph64
Thank you very much for the posting. Now I got boot.ini file in C:\. But I can't find linux.bin file in floppy disk.

It has..
vmlinuz
syslinux.cfg
initrd.img
boot.msg
LDLINUX.sys.

Does any one of these files = linux.bin

Thanks

I think you got a Linux boot disk there, boot into linux, and follow littlewhitedog.com's tut to create the linux.bin file. and be sure to put it on a blank floppy.

[rbarun]

Yes Seph64
I am watching both the threads...I am waitng for the answers and want to see Linux and go to bed. now my time is 2:45 Am USA Cental Time..

ohhhhhhhhh....Want to see linux booting...

I am really sorry, if I made you guys mad...

[Seph64]

Originally posted by rbarun
Yes Seph64
I am watching both the threads...I am waitng for the answers and want to see Linux and go to bed. now my time is 2:45 Am USA Cental Time..

ohhhhhhhhh....Want to see linux booting...

I am really sorry, if I made you guys mad...

Nah, I ain't mad. It's just the forums where I come from (not here, elsewhere) people usually look down on the people who post the samething twice, unless it was a double post. (old habits die hard for me) But I am not mad.

[rbarun]

Hi Buddy Seph64
The command "dd if=/dev/hda5 bs=512 count=1 of=/mnt/floppy/linux.bin" is not working....

To be honest I did't understand what this command means..

I put dos formated floppy in to floppy drive and issued this command ...it says something like .....0 in and 0 out...


I doubt =/dev/hda5

Is there any way I can search the file in linux system...

Thanks

[mdwatts]

In order to dd the 512 bytes of the boot record in /dev/hda5, you had to have installed the Linux bootloader into /dev/hda5.

Where did you install the Linux bootloader?

[Seph64]

Yes listen to mdwatts. For that command to work, you must subsitute hda5 for the HD you installed Bootloader to. If you have 2 HD and you installed the bootloader and linux on the second HD it'll be HDB1. Unless you installed the bootloader on the swap partition HDB2, etc. Hope this sheds some light.

[rbarun]

Hi Mdwatts / Seph64
Thanks for the posting. Actually my friend took my laptop and he installed it. so I don't know where he installed..Let me explain the configuration, probably you guys can fig it out..

Sony Viao 20 gb..
5 GB for linux
10 gb for C:\ for XP
05 gb for d:\ data

when I run mount -l, it gives
/dev/hda4 on type ext3 (rw) [/]
none....bla bla..
us...
/dev/hda1 on /mnt/DriveC type vfat
/dev/hda2 on /mnt/DriveD type vfat

Whe I login as root..
ls -l gives
anacoda.cfg
Desktop
mail
nsmail

I have CD drive and a floppy drive

while booting it gives /dev/hda4 ...BOOT.


Does this things make any sense...

Once again Thank you very much for your kind postings..

[Seph64]

Go into your /etc/ folder and open lilo.conf in advanced editor, on the top it should read:

boot=/dev/hd(letterandnumber)

Mine is

boot=/dev/hdb1 for an example.

What does yours read?

[rbarun]

Hi Mdwatts and Seph64

Thankyou for your kind help..I finally got back my Dual Boot. Now I am going through the Linux stuff...

My lilo.config.anaconda file has /dev/hda4...So I ran dd and got linux.bin File...Thank you very much..


Next step to run my Winmodem in Linux...I know..It is going to be tough....I trust in this forum and you guys can help me.....Thanks to you guys for helping me to explore Linux..(Ocean)

[Seph64]

Glad to be of service.