triple-boot boot problem

[wec3]

Perhaps beyond the scope of this forum but I'm dying and desparate....

I had my system set up to triple-boot Linux, win2k and win98. I had 3 logical drives for both 98 and 2000 (c,d,e for 98 at 5gb, 2.5gb, and 1gb - f, g, and h for 2000 with the same three size logical drives), I then had a 10gb drive for storage that I added as an after thought, and then I had linux on the remaining space of the the 40gb hard drive, which I have been trying to learn over the last year. That's the set up. When I would boot up I'd get a screen that offered me to choose between linux and windows, when I chose windows I would get the screen to choose between 98 and 2000 (I usually use 98).

Last night, I went to 2000, I had not used the 2.5 and 1 gb drives for 2000 in over a year...nothing on them at all...and so I used the drive space manager and deleted them, turned them to unformatted space, then combined them into a new drive that I was going to use for more storage in 98. I waited until the logical drive said "healthy" and then I shut down.

This morning, I turned on the computer and instead of the linux choice screen I get a line that says something to the effect of "limited bash line editing supported....." and a:

grub>

Ok....NOW what have I done and how can I fix it? is there a command after the grub prompt that I can give to get me to the linux/windows choice screen? HELLLLLLLLLLLLP!

[ssadams]

by deleating 2 and then creating 1 partition, you have moved the logical partition numbers around, and hence linux is no longer on i would assume from your hd scheme /dev/hda11. depending on who win2000 handled your partitions it could be /dev/hda9 or /dev/hda10. reboot using your linux boot floppy, it will say what partiton it was ment for, then enter your own boot line at the prompt subsituting different partitions untill it boots, then fix grub

[wec3]

Thanks. That may be a little beyond me at this point but I will try it....if I don't need to save the Linux system, only the windows partitions, is there an easier (read: simplier for a newbie like myself....). I haven't done anything much but explore and test on my Linux system so there's nothing really to save there....I can just reinstall it later. However, my windows partitions and systems has all my work on it.....for which I fear the most.

(cue scary music)

[ssjf]

Well, from what it sounds like is that you don't need to kep your linux partition. So, you decide which is easier - fixing your GRUB and having everything stay the same, or reformatting your linux and starting over. It will be worth editing the GRUB file (it isn't really that hard, as long as you know what you are doing, and help is easy to find around here if it isn't) instead of redoing your entire Linux. Hey, there may even be a GUI available for editing your GRUB settings provided with your distro.

The choice is yours.

[wec3]

actually, I was considering removing Linux totally and putting JUST linux on my extra computer someone just gave me....that way I wouldn't have to deal with the booting process at all. If it would be quicker and easier for a newbie like me (who knows nothing about grub by the way) to remove the linux and save my data on my windows partitions, I'm all for it.....what do I do?


Please help.