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

[heepie]

How do you get the menu from the first screenshot on top of the thread? When I launch the boot-repair I only get the second screenshot without any visible option to change...

I'm trying to restore my windows loader. I made a fresh install of Ubuntu, the Windows menu option is the grub menu at startup but when selected I get a blank screen with the cursor waiting on the top left and nothing else happens.

I've tried running boot-repair but it doesn't seem to fix the problem, that's why I'm asking for the option to go to the first screenshot menu option of boot-repair.

Thank you

[YannBuntu]

Hi Heepie,

The full window below appears only if Boot-Repair detects Clean-Ubiquity MBR backups (e.g. the 1st time you installed Ubuntu was via the Ubuntu Secured Remix, not a standard Ubuntu CD) on your computer.



If Boot-Repair does not detect any Clean-Ubiquity MBR backup (e.g. the 1st time you installed Ubuntu was via a standard Ubuntu CD, so that your disk MBR has been erased by GRUB ), Boot-repair will only propose you to reinstall GRUB :



So you are in the 2nd case (no Clean-Ubiquity backup detected). You can first try to reinstall GRUB. If this does not fix your problem, try to purge GRUB (via Advanced Options). If you still get the problem, here are Recovery disks to restore Windows boot: for 7, Vista and XP. These tools repair more than the MBR, so after using them try again to reinstall GRUB. If you get access to both Windows and Ubuntu, that's perfect. If not, use the Recovery disk again, but unfortunately you will have access only to Windows, so please open a new thread in this forum explaining in detail what you did and observe, and give me the link here so that I can try help.

[YannBuntu]

@manickaselvam and all 64bits users : I just finished creating Ubuntu Secured 11.04 64 bits.
So if you need to repair a 64 bits system, just burn this CD, you will find Boot-Repair directly in it !

(I modify the post #1 and #6 of this thread).

[heepie]

Thank you for you quick reply. You send me toward the right direction.

I fixed the problem by doing:

1.- Restoring Window 7 bootloader by following this

2.- And then Reinstalling Grub 2 from LiveCD by following the "SIMPLEST - Copy LiveCD Files" option from here

Problem solved.

I also found this very useful:

• Grub 2 Basics
• How to fix Vista/Window 7 when the boot files are missing
• boot_info_script.sh

[YannBuntu]

Happy this helped

FYI, using Windows Recovery CD, then reinstalling GRUB via Boot-Repair, would have given the same result but would have been faster and easier ! (just keep in mind for next time Windows breaks )

[YannBuntu]

Just created a documentation in the Ubuntu wiki : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

Thanks Martin

[YannBuntu]

Thanks Chriske for your message. I am glad to see that Boot-repair is useful to people

[efincoop]

I am trying to set up a desktop to dual boot Unbuntu & Windows 7 premium. I have tried 3 times now without success. Windows 7 was on the desktop first, then I have tried installing Ubuntu 10.10 & 11.04. In either case once I install Ubuntu the desktop boots straight to Ubuntu and never shows the grub menu. I can download & install the startup manager tool, change the boot preference to Windows, but then I can only boot Windows, I have even trued EasyBCD with no luck.

Do you think you tool can help resolve my issue?

[YannBuntu]

Hi Efincoop,

If Startup-manager proposes Windows in the entries, that means that GRUB is correctly installed and detects Windows. So reinstalling GRUB via Boot-Repair won't be useful.
It may be just a problem of "hidden" GRUB, or else GRUB display duration is set on GRUB_TIMEOUT=0. You can try to display GRUB at your computer start by keeping "Shift" key pressed. Also, please copy-paste here the content of your /etc/default/grub file .
e.g. mine is :

GRUB_DEFAULT=0
#GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=2
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""

[ProNux]

The instruction worked for me. Here's my history.

1. I have a dual boot PC - Win7 and Ubuntu Natty.

2. I boot at Windows and "enabled" or use my last partition of hard disk to save some of my data.

3. I restart and Grub won't show up.

Why not include this Boot-Repair utility by default in the future Ubuntu releases? Just a suggestion.