Yes another issue :mad:

Michael

Michael

Active Member
I've removed the partitions that Ubuntu was using, ext3 and swap, and created a new partition, ntfs, to install Windows Vista Ultimate on.. and now when I boot the computer I get 'LOADING GRUB - ERROR 17'.

Can someone please walk me through how to setup this computer to boot directly to Windows XP, but keep both partitions?
 
makmillion said:
I've removed the partitions that Ubuntu was using, ext3 and swap, and created a new partition, ntfs, to install Windows Vista Ultimate on.. and now when I boot the computer I get 'LOADING GRUB - ERROR 17'.

Can someone please walk me through how to setup this computer to boot directly to Windows XP, but keep both partitions?
Click to expand...

you need to clear out your MBR

boot off your windows xp cd, and go into recovery console

type fixboot

or boot off a DOS boot disk and type

fdisk /mbr

that should fix your issue.
 
The first step after removing the Linux distro would be to see the XP mbr rewritten. You boot with the XP install cd to the recovery console to use the "Fixboot" and "Fixmbr" commands there. Answer yes to the confirmation to see that done. The XP installer can't be used to remove Linux partitions. For that the "Platform Independent" note the emphasis on platform independent of GParted live for cd is one free tool just for that. The last of those and latest is the 0.3.3.0 release found at http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=115843&package_id=173828



The fun part will be trying to get Vista to install to the second primary once you create that. When tried here on a drive with XP Pro the installer refused to copy files to a second partition prepared for it. Instead XP Pro had to reinstalled on another drive since Vista wanted to take over completely. XP however can be installed to a second primary later without an entry in the new Vista boot loader. Free tools like the EasyBCD and VistaBootPRO tools for editing the new boot loader don't seem to be able to add OSs in for some reason. One article for manual use of the BCD editor to add XP in also got nowhere fast. But this is on a multiple drive system here.
 
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I have a recovery disc for XP Home, that's all... will it work? If so, is this going to re-install XP or overwrite my current install in any way?
 
I actually just went there through google, but I'm not sure which file to download? Could you explain which DOS file I need? ..and once I have it, do I just burn it to a CD and throw it in that PC ?
 
makmillion said:
I actually just went there through google, but I'm not sure which file to download? Could you explain which DOS file I need? ..and once I have it, do I just burn it to a CD and throw it in that PC ?
Click to expand...

windows 98se dos disk would do fine. it is an exe file and wants to write to a floppy disk so it looks like you'll have to do it on floppy.
 
I don't have a floppy drive in this computer, my only option is to buy a floppy drive? Isn't there some way to put it on a CD?
 
Those run $4, I suppose I'm stuck ripping apart another PC for it's floppy drive.

EDIT: or keeping an OS I won't use (Ubuntu) in order to accesss XP and Vista :\
 
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OK, I've got this solved for now.. since I like GRUB, I've partitioned my drive into 4 primary sections;

1 Windows XP Home (13GB)
2 Ubuntu 6.06LTS (3GB)
3 Windows Vista Ultimate (22GB)
4 Linux/Swap (600MB)

.. so far, Vista is installing as it should, and I like that GRUB will always ask me what OS to boot, to avoid Vista setting itself to autoboot as stated above.

I'll be ordering another drive, at which time I'll be back to figure out how I'll go about using XP Home on one, and the other OS's on the other :)

Thanks for the help so far
 
FDisk won't help for removing the Linux root and swap partitions or correct the XP mbr since that is an older Fat32 based drive tool there. Vista itself can easily be reinstalled but will automatically add XP into it's own "previous versions of Windows" boot option. You can use the boot.ni section in the msconfig utility or EasyBCD a freeware to set XP as the default OS to load however.

GParted can be used to remove the Linux root and swap and even resize the XP and Vista partitions to fill in the gaps of unallocated drive space that will be seen. But if you are contempt to preserve the current Grub loader even with ubuntu removed all that is left is the resizing pf the two primaries there.
 
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