Linux installation went bad.... help

[FrustratedUser]

Hi all,
Yesterday I tried to install RedHat 7.1 and to start with everything went on fine. DiskDruid partitioned my Hd and installation began. I have a primary FAT32 HD running W2K (shown as hdb1) and a secondary 3.2Gb HD with was partitioned and formatted to Linux native (ext2) shown as hdc1, hdc5, hdc6.
After installation it was inpossible to boot up. RedHat installer said something went wrong and It reccomended me to do a boot disk. It was impossible to boot from this also.
No sweat I thought, just boot up old W2K and reformat the secondary HD. But no. It was impossible to oboot W2K also. Computer stopped with a black screen and the letters 'LI' at top left.

How to fix this? Is it possible to make W2K start discs?

 

[n0cmonkey]

Do a search on this subject here or maybe on a linux site. This has been gone over several times. But basically the second stage loader is not running for some strange reason.

 

[NiPeng]

Use the w2k startdisk or boot from the cdrom.
Choose repair -> recovery console.
Use the fixmbr command to get rid of lilo.

It is strange that your first diskdrive gets listed as hdb, this means it is a slave of your first controller.
Maybe that is the reason why lilo is acting strange.

 

[FrustratedUser]

It did not work to boot from the W2K CD.
Yes the primary HD is actually a slave. The original CD-ROM seems to be master.
This is the way it was from factory. It's a Compaq.
I have made a emergency rescue disc from another W2K machine and will try that tonight. It might work but I don't know.
Other tips has been to boot to DOS and do a fdisk /mbr. But I don't have DOS. Would it help to make a W98 boot disk and start from there?

 

[FrustratedUser]

Problem solved.
Booted with W98 start disk and then 'fdisk /mbr'

 

[mcveigh]

weird, I had a similar prob the other day and fdisk /mbr wouldn't fix it so win2k would boot.

screwy windows:disgust:

 

[FrustratedUser]

I got some useful help from a LINUX user on another forum. He sent me some files for a floppy that would W2K boot from it.
I didn't have to use it but if you like I can mail them to you.
Another fummy thing was that the original HD prepared to be used with was originally 3.2Gb but after reformatting in W2k it is now only 1.94Gb!!! Strange!