Ubuntu, Kubuntu, debian based systems can't detect Windows Vista

[firekage]

As they say, if something is going to gone wrong, it would'vegone even worst. After running boot-repair i can't boot to Vista ), can't boot to Slackware 14 and Slackware 13.37 (even when i choose them from the bios by hitting F9), and the same thing happens with Kubuntu - boot-repair destroyed all their bootloader, and new installed bootloader to a Ubuntu system can't detect Vista and Slackware 14. On system list there is only Ubuntu and Slackware 13.37.

Great God...

[sudodus]

As long as you can boot Ubuntu and run

sudo update-grub

it should work again after reboot, at least what worked before the attempt to repair.

Please explain again

1. What happens on the screen when you run sudo update-grub

2. Are there menuentries in /boot/grub/grub.cfg corresponding to what was found according to the screen? Particularly, is there any menuentry for 'Vista' or for 'Windows recovery'?

3. Are there corresponding menu items (lines) in the grub menu when you have booted? What happens when you select 'Windows recovery' and try to boot from it?

[firekage]

Please explain again

1. What happens on the screen when you run sudo update-grub

Here is what happens

firekage@deusex:~$ sudo update-grub
[sudo] password for firekage:
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-24-generic-pae
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-24-generic-pae
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-24-virtual
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-24-virtual
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-24-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-24-generic
Found Slackware Linux (Slackware 13.37.0) on /dev/sda2
Found Windows Vista (loader) on /dev/sdc1
Found Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS (12.04) on /dev/sdd1
Found Slackware Linux (Slackware 14.0) on /dev/sdg1
done
firekage@deusex:~$

2. Are there menuentries in /boot/grub/grub.cfg corresponding to what was found according to the screen? Particularly, is there any menuentry for 'Vista' or for 'Windows recovery'?

Yes.

3. Are there corresponding menu items (lines) in the grub menu when you have booted? What happens when you select 'Windows recovery' and try to boot from it?

[/quote]
Yes, exept Vista. It is not being shown on grub during boot and list of detected systems to choose.

BTW - after grub-repair i can't even boot Vista from bios. I think that grub deleted bootloader, i tried to fix it in windows way (bootrec /fixmbr /fixboot /rebuildbcd) but it doesen't work.

[oldfred]

One of the options in Boot-Repair is to reinstall grub of your Ubuntu install into ALL mbr. I do not like that choice as I have different boot loaders in every MBR and it looks like you did also.

You want to reinstall lilo into the MBR's of Windows and your Slackware & Windows installs or sda, sdc & sdd.
The lilo boot loader works just like Windows in finding the boot flag and jumping to the PBR. PBR then has more boot code for Windows or Lilo.

Restore basic windows boot loader - universe enabled if error on lilo not found
Simply open Synaptic and Settings > Repositories and tick the box against the Universe repo in the Ubuntu Software tab. Close that window and click on reload before installing lilo with Synaptic or command line.
sudo apt-get install lilo
sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr
May show error messages about the rest of lilo missing, ignore, we just want MBR with bootloader. Rerun for sdc & sdd

[firekage]

One of the options in Boot-Repair is to reinstall grub of your Ubuntu install into ALL mbr. I do not like that choice as I have different boot loaders in every MBR and it looks like you did also.

Didn't know that...

sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr

I should place it in Slackware and Vista? So i should, for an example, choos /dev/sd(Vista), right?

Rerun for sdc & sdd

Could you exmplain it again? Rerun? You mean lilo rerun it nerminal?

[oldfred]

You install from Ubuntu. But all computers boot from MBR and find more boot code.

After you download lilo into Ubuntu.
sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr
sudo lilo -M /dev/sdc mbr
sudo lilo -M /dev/sdd mbr

While this is Vista it is how BIOS/MBR computers boot. Grub does not use PBR or partition boot sector but Windows & Lilo do.
Pictures here worth 1000+ words
http://www.multibooters.co.uk/multiboot.html

[firekage]

Ok, and what about "rerun" of lilo?

[oldfred]

Not sure what you mean.

If you install lilo's boot loader into a MBR, it should then find the bootable install of Windows or other systems using existing boot flag and existing code in PBR which was not overwritten. Only MBR was overwritten with grub2's boot loader.
But you still have to go into BIOS and choose to boot that drive directly.

But grub2 should give you the option to boot every system from your grub menu. Some systems may need a littile help or a manual setting in 40_custom to chain boot other systems from grub. Chainbooting to lilo in a PBR is just like chainloading to Windows.

[firekage]

I did what you suggested :

You install from Ubuntu. But all computers boot from MBR and find more boot code.

After you download lilo into Ubuntu.
sudo lilo -M /dev/sda mbr
sudo lilo -M /dev/sdc mbr
sudo lilo -M /dev/sdd mbr

While this is Vista it is how BIOS/MBR computers boot. Grub does not use PBR or partition boot sector but Windows & Lilo do.
Pictures here worth 1000+ words
http://www.multibooters.co.uk/multiboot.html

And in case of Vista it works, haven't tried other because i don't have right now enough time but i would ask about one thing - it is necessary to write

sudo lilo -M /dev/sdX mbr

instead

sudo lilo -M /dev/sdX

there must be mbr after device?

Also, it is possible to install this from another system, like Slackware, to other os, like Vista? I don't know how to do it under Slackware.

[oldfred]

X is device number, and MBR is what is being installed. I do not know Slackware so maybe installing from inside Slackware does not need that, but if not it then is a default setting. Or it may be doing the full install of Lilo which is not just MBR but also PBR and boot configuration file or menu.
But you would not want to install the full Lilo to a Windows install as that would overwrite the Windows code in the NTFS PBR or partition boot sector. Windows has to have its code in the PBR.

Many Repair Linux liveCD have lilo installed already so it often can be installed from any version. It is an old boot loader that has been around for ages. I think recently they started maintaining it again, but it was like old grub legacy and did not work with a lot of newer systems.