[Boot-Repair] Graphical tool to repair the PC boot in one click

[oldfred]

@hms2
I still get permission denied sometimes. I still do not always know if I need sudo or not for a command. But it I get permission denied I try again with sudo.

@Bill_Rubin
If BIOS is not seeing hard drives nothing will boot. Double check that connections, both power & signal are correct.
After you install Ubuntu then it would update to add other systems with the sudo update-grub if not already in grub menu.
You have to run chkdsk from a Windows XP install disk or a newer Windows repairCD or flash drive. I have used a Windows 7 repair flash drive to run chkdsk on my now not used XP install. It worked better or fixed some things (or so it said) that the XP chkdsk did not. But it converted PBR or partition boot sector to Windows 7 type and I had to do another repair to fix that.

[Bill_Rubin]

@oldfred
I don't think I have a problem with BIOS not seeing hard drives, because Linux Live-USB can see my hard drives fine. See http://paste.ubuntu.com/6944659/. I don't really want to install Linux (or Grub) until the XP boot problem is fixed. Boot-Repair said it fixed the MBR, but the BIOS still doesn't recognize the XP partition as bootable, even though GParted shows the boot flag is on for that partition. Do you think I should try running Boot-Repair again?

[oldfred]

@Bill_Rubin
Boot-Repair can only fix minor Windows issues. You probably need to use your XP install disk to run chkdsk and make other repairs.
Of course XP expires in just a couple of months and everyone is saying do not use XP on Internet after Microsoft stops support.

[hms2]

I was able to log in to windows. I had to change boot option in bios from legacy to uefi.
Now I get windows option in the boot menu.
Although I am gerring 2 options for windows sda1 and sda2, both log in to same windows.
Also a separate primary ntfs 100mb partition seems to have been formed which might have 28mb of hidden files.
Not big problem just minor inconvenience.

One problem I am facing though. Related to time setting. Everytime I log into either ubuntu or windows, my time seemed to be off by few hours. Checked the bios and doesnt seemed to be a problem with battery.

[oldfred]

@hms2
You have a BIOS install, so I do not understand why any UEFI on setting would help Windows. It will only boot in BIOS mode. Also the standard install of Windows 7 is with the 100MB (hidden in Windows) boot partition. Normally your sda2 would not have boot files, but Boot-Repair copies them into sda2, since so many users arbitrarily delete sda1 since they do not know it has the boot files and then cannot boot at all.

[vedran_boskic]

Hi folks,

I am new here, so please have understanding if I write something fairly stupid

My daughter has a laptop with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and one day at starting it up, black screen appeared with "error:hd0.1 out of disk
grub rescue>" message

I have read instruction on this forum and mounted ISO image of Boot-Repair on USB and booted it from USB. Taken recommended repair and now when I start the laptop i get following message:

"Intel UNDI, PXE-2.0 (build 083)
Copyright (C) 1997-2000 Intel Corporation

For Atheros PCIE Ethernet Controller v2.1.0.9(08/12/11)

CLIENT MAC ADDR: 3C 97 0E 2F E1 84 GUID: F31-D7560-FDF6-11E1-A06-DE51A572EC72
DHCP...................."

The link that was returned to me from Boor-Repair is: http://paste.ubuntu.com/6962246/

Can someone please help me and advice how can I get her laptop working again?

Thank you in advance and best regards,

-vedran

[oldfred]

The PXE boot is a network boot. When other boot options fail it goes down the list in boot order in BIOS. Usually PXE is last on list, but it says it has issues booting. Duh

But Boot-Repair installed the syslinux boot loader which is more for Windows, or just a default. It could not correctly see your Linux install. And you are not showing any boot files.

I might run a full fsck to verify partition is ok. Then see if Boot-Repair can walk you thru the full purge of grub and reinstall of grub. You have to have Internet working as it needs to download grub2.

#From liveCD so everything is unmounted,swap off if necessary, change example shown with partition sda1 to your partition(s)
#e2fsck is used to check the ext2/ext3/ext4 family of file systems. -p trys fixes where response not required
sudo e2fsck -C0 -p -f -v /dev/sda1
#if errors: -y auto answers yes for fixes needing response, also see man e2fsck
sudo e2fsck -f -y -v /dev/sda1

Then run Boot-Repair.

Some older BIOS do not boot from beyond 137GB. And your install may have had all the boot files inside that and an update put them beyond that point as you have a very large / (root) partition. For large drives, I normally suggest a 20 to 23GB / and the rest as /home or data partition(s) to use full drive.
If it still does not work you can try shrinking / to make it less than 137GB. If that works (about half the time it does), then we can move /home or add data partitions.

[Nathan_Buckles]

hi all,

having trouble booting ubuntu 12.04.04 on a thinkstation D30. install goes fine, but after reboot the bios refuses to boot ubuntu. the machine came with windows 7 installed, which i erased during ubuntu installation. i have run the boot-repair utility (output is http://paste.ubuntu.com/6972174/) but i get the same results.

in my BIOS i have tried turning on/off quick boot, and changing the boot mode options (auto, legacy, uefi). doesn't seem to make a difference.

in the boot-repair utility output it said i should set the bios to boot from sda1/EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi but not sure how to go about doing that.

thanks in advance for your help!

nathan.

[oldfred]

@Nathon_Buckles

You should have an ubuntu entry if secure boot is off:
BootOrder: 0000,0004,0001,0002,0003
Boot0000* ubuntu HD(1,800,f3800,6e7b851d-ef9c-44b2-a565-ef857a3ee635)File(EFIubuntushimx64.efi)
Boot0001* Optiarc DVD RW AD-7290H BIOS(3,0,00)AMBO
Boot0002* ST500DM002-1BD142 BIOS(2,0,00)AMBO
Boot0003* IBA GE Slot 00C8 v1372 BIOS(6,0,00)AMBO
Boot0004* UEFI: Optiarc DVD RW AD-7290H ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(1f,2)03120a000000ffff0000CD-ROM(1,5a2a1,1100)AMBO

You do not have Ubuntu installed in secure boot mode, and only secure boot systems will be shown if secure boot is on in UEFI.
Your install is UEFI, so BIOS/CSM/Legacy boot will not work.

You have only one iinstall, so it may actually boot (at least thru grub) and then have video issues.
Hold shift key from UEFI/BIOS boot, with some UEFI it may be escape to get a grub menu. With one system it will not show by default.
With nVidia you will have to have nomodeset, until you install the nVidia proprietary drivers from System Settings or pop-up saying drivers available. Use e on grub menu, sroll down to linux line and replace quiet splash with nomodeset.


How to set NOMODESET and other kernel boot options in grub2 - both BIOS liveCD & grub first boot ( also UEFI with grub)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1613132
BIOS screens shown
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootOptions
Possible boot options suggested by ubfan1
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...0#post12871710
Info on other boot parameters
http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentat...parameters.txt

[richrout]

Hi friends,

this is my 1st post so please bear with me
I just installed Ubuntu 12.10 successfully on my Lenovo G580, intending to make it dual-boot Windows 8 (already installed). Unfortunately I did something rather stupid (I now realise) - I put the swap area on a small partition (about 2gb I think) that I assumed was not used for anything. Wrong! Windows will not boot, I suspect the MBR (is that the right term? I am ignorant in boot related themes...) was residing there and is no longer accessable (or overwritten). I have recorded the current hard disk profile at the following:
http://paste.ubuntu.com/6970665/
Any help gratefully received

Richrout