*Screwed up the boot sector possibly...*

[Gamingphreek]

Last time i formatted i created 2 partitions; one with Fedora Core 3 Linux, and the other with Windows XP. Well its going to take a while to get used to linux so i just stayed in Windows XP simply because i dont know enough about Linux yet. Well last time i tried to boot into Linux it simply would just sit there, stuck at one step. So i had had enough and decided to just stick with windows.
In Windows i deleted the Linux partition, recreated it, and formatted it. Now this is my first time restarting since then (so about 1.5 weeks). I no longer get the GRUB Bootloader, and XP simply does not boot anymore. All it does is dump me in a Linux/GRUB command prompt. Seeing as i have no idea how to work the Linux command prompt i could not work this one. I tried the "boot" command but evidently i have to load the Kernel first. Well i dont know how to do that, so im stuck.
So i figured since my fathers computer is the "server" (simply the computer that has direct access to the router, and the modem) we could back up my C: and D: and i would just reinstall. We cant even get access to my computer, doesn't give a password prompt or anything. I am fresh out of ideas, and would rather not lose all my data and information.
Is there anything i can do besides going into the SATA Bios and doing a low level format, (or booting to a CD and formatting that way). Is there a command that i can use in this GRUB prompt to force it to load Windows XP.

-Kevin

 

[Nothinman]

Boot the XP install CD to the recovery console and run fixmbr, that'll put the default MS MBR back.

 

[Gamingphreek]

How do i run fixmbr. I typed in "fixmbr" and it didn't do anything. Is there something else that goes with this?

I am sitting in the recovery console now (I hit R when prompted to hit that or hit enter and install windows).

-Kevin

 

[Gamingphreek]

When i ran Chkdsk it says there is unrecovorable problems. I cannot use the dir command as it says there is a probnlem. It also cannot find any records of windows, and i cannot add a bootup.

Its like i fried everything on myt HDD except my boot sector.

Im at a loss of what to do now.

-Kevin

 

[Nothinman]

Sounds like you did more than just delete the Linux partition on your system. Are you sure you tried running chkdsk on the Windows partition? I can't remember if fixmbr prints anything or not when it's successful, on unix no output means no error but lord knows Windows cli tools have no such standards.

 

[Gamingphreek]

OH i think i know what i did. SInce iam booting from the CD, do i still have to supply the 3rd party RAID drivers? I think it might have been booting to my 256mb USB flash drive.

-Kevin

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
OH i think i know what i did. SInce iam booting from the CD, do i still have to supply the 3rd party RAID drivers? I think it might have been booting to my 256mb USB flash drive.

-Kevin

Yes, you always have to supply drivers via 'F6' when booting from the CD if they aren't included in Windows.

 

[RandomFool]

that's convenient I just did the same thing. Is there a way to reload grub so that Mandrake will work too?

 

[Gamingphreek]

Well i fixed it. It turns out that it was booting to my USB drive. SHould have known to supply the drivers.

Well at any rate it is fixed. THANKS!

-Kevin

 

[nweaver]

use the command line grub to boot (i.e. boot kernel=hd(0,0) kernelblahblahblah


0r, easier would be to boot a livecd, chroot and reinstall grub.