Dual boot issues with windows & Ubuntu

[Doshi1]

I am suffering from some trouble when booting windows after installing ubuntu on one of my disks. I had two windows installations on this box, one on each of the two hard disks. The "first" was the OEM that came bundled with the box. After all, I have difficulties with the windows, so I installed another on the second disk. Both are windows XP. My installed the ubuntu that replaces the first windows installation, and now I can only boot ubuntu where as unable to boot windows. In fact, the ubuntu installed stated that there was "no operating system" on the second hard disk.

The result that fdisk -l says:

Disk /dev/sda: 163.9 GB, 163928604672 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19929 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xccd3ccd3

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1       19178   154047253+  83  Linux
/dev/sda2           19179       19929     6032407+   5  Extended
/dev/sda5           19179       19929     6032376   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 200.0 GB, 200049647616 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24321 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x21cd21cc

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1               1       24321   195358401    7  HPFS/NTFS

I configured that the problem is the missing "boot" flag for sdb, but I need to be sure before I mess things up. So, How should I activate the sdb? I would use the Supergrub Disk for this purpose, right?

[SalVatore]

Hi everyone,

You have done everything well but I have some suggestion for you if you are agree on that. You need not to use SuperGRUB disk because you have not installed Linux Boot Loader within your hard drive having Windows and Ubuntu is booting up good. It's not a GRUB issue. Did you configured dual boot in both Windows OSs previously?

Thanks......

[Doshi1]

Hello sal,

Yeah, when I will run with two installation of two windows , those were dual boot. I think, there was a windows boot manager on the first hard disk (the disk that now occupied by ubuntu on it). I am not getting what do you mean when you are saying "setup dual boot in both Windows OSs". I don't know , how it would be done?

Primarily, ubuntu came without grub (Since the ubuntu installer thought there was no any other OS). At the time of creating a dual boot system, I perform the installation of the grub package, and I made the call "update-grub" or something closer. So the first hard disk, now has grub installed. I also tried on the super grub menu component "boot windows from second hard disk" but to no available.

[Devasis]

Yeah, when I will run with two installation of two windows , those were dual boot. I think, there was a windows boot manager on the first hard disk.

It dedicates that Windows Boot Loader was configured to boot up with both of the OS, For example : XP1 and XP2. Here is the issue now. You have cleared XP1 and Windows Boot Loader was configured via XP1 only. It's not possible to boot up any else XP2 now.

From first XP OS, means XP1 : Windows Boot Loader used it's boot.ini file to boot it up.
From the Installation of Second XP OS, means XP2 : Windows Boot Loader of XP1 took control, merged its boot.ini file with XP1.

As, You already said that you have destroyed XP1. There is not any Windows Boot Loader now. XP2 do not have any boot.ini file. Its impossible to boot up now then Try need to create a fresh boot.ini file in its C:\ Drive. It might work.

[Solomon]

I am going to show you the file that is a boot.ini of Windows NT and I would suggest that you need to try this file :

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer

It is the default boot.ini file. windows XP is already installed in first partition of Hard disk. You need to boot up using LiveCD of any Linux distro, mount Windows partition.