[SOLVED] cannot load xp on ubuntu

**countryrev** · 09-22-2006, 10:29 AM

I am asking for some help here. I just installed ubuntu on my laptop last night. Linux is runnign smoothly, but I am unable to load WinXP. I get a message that the hall.dll is missing or corrupt. I would not care, but I need XP to access some of my church files. I am really a linux newbie and would appreciate any help I could get.

Rev. Johnson

Here is rhe entry in the menu.lst file. In case it helps, my XP installation and linux are on the same drive. The partitions within windows were for e:, c:, and d: (e is the "windows drive").

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/hda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

**ph34r** · 09-22-2006, 10:41 AM

If you moved things around, your boot.ini entry for XP may be messed up...

**klackenfus** · 09-22-2006, 10:45 AM

Look here. Also, I would have installed Windows first and then installed Linux in the unpartitioned space. Windows has the nasty habit of overwriting the MBR when it gets installed second.

**countryrev** · 09-22-2006, 10:52 AM

I just wanted to let you both know that I am thankful for you trying to help. Just to clarify, I did install XP first. Can you give me any advice on how to get XP to boot up without having to reinstall, etc.

**klackenfus** · 09-22-2006, 01:54 PM

Can you give me any advice on how to get XP to boot up without having to reinstall, etc.

Check out the link I sent you in my first response.

**Parcival** · 09-22-2006, 02:15 PM

In case you need to read your XP files until you have it fixed, this is possible from within Linux, too. Linux can read NTFS partitions, but not write to them. You can copy files to your Linx partition and continue to work with them there.

**saikee** · 09-22-2006, 04:43 PM

Parcival's suggestion is you can use Linux to acces the files inside XP partition and so there is no need to use XP if you are only interested in accessing the data.

I have a different theory for your problem. As your PC is a laptop and it is common for laptop suppliers to use the first partition, probably a Fat partition, to store the system drivers or data to restore the original operating system. If this is the case then it is possible Linux has mistaken it for the XP partition. Your menu.lst entry is perfect if your XP has been installed in the first partition of the first disk, known to Grub as (hd0,0) as the bugger counts from 0.

Therefore to overcome your problem all you need is boot up the Linux, choose root terminal and type

Code:

fdisk -l

so that you can see all the partitions in the hard disk.

XP uses NTFS partition and is identifiable by its type number 0x7. If you find such partition in location other than (hd0,0) then it is just a matter amending the the partition reference in menu.lst.

If your XP does occupy the first partition of first disk then ignore me as I am just giving out gas here.

**soulestream** · 09-23-2006, 12:55 AM

Windows really doesnt not like being on the first partition of the first drive.

Edit: Boy, that some bad engrish. Windows wants to be on the first partition of the first drive.

You need to tell grub to make windows think its there.

link that might help

the map command lets grup tell windows its somewhere else, that way when windows boots even though it isn't on the first partition it thinks it is.

Soule

**countryrev** · 09-24-2006, 09:00 PM

I just wanted to thank each of you tonight. I was able to get it up and running last night. EAch of you provided some valuable info for a linux newbie

. Once again thanks for the help.

**crow2icedearth** · 09-24-2006, 10:20 PM

have no clue , i dont use windows.

Thread: [SOLVED] cannot load xp on ubuntu

Thread Tools

Display

[SOLVED] cannot load xp on ubuntu

followup

Posting Permissions