(Attempt 4)
Greetings new family. I need a safety net!
Bottom line 1: I can't boot either Windows or Ubuntu (8.04). I do get the menu for which OS I want to boot but it goes nowhere from there.
Bottom line 2: What is the best emergency boot software I can buy/download so I can repair the Windows partition? (I am smarter about Ubuntu and will install differently next time.)
The details:
My primary hard drive is 200GB and I had used Partition Magic to set up my Windows-XP partition at ~ 100GB (ok, 97GB & change), leaving 92GB unused. (That was years ago.) When I installed Ubuntu last night, I chose "Guided, using largest unused partition" and it seems to have done so. And when I boot from the main drive, I do get the dual boot menu. And then the fun begins:
- If I choose Windows, I get the banner page with the slider flashing left & right but I never thee the login screen.
- If I choose Ubuntu, I get an error (can't recall it at the moment) and a menu of alternate "boot devices". All but one give me an error and a repeat of that menu. One gives me a command line but I don't know what to do next.
Booting to Windows Safe Mode yields a godzillion error messages but no Windows.
I have booted from the Ubuntu installation CD to get out this far. The partition editor tells me the ntfs partition is still there but the information page on said partition, it displays errors when "Checking filesystem consistency". (Interestingly, I cannot select text from that page to copy here.)
Cluster accounting failed at 492 (0x1ec); extra cluster in $Bitmap
...
Cluster accounting failed at 498 (0x1f2); extra cluster in $Bitmap
...
A few more such messages.
The summary:
Filesystem check failed! Totally 23109 cluster accounting mismatches.
ERROR: NTFS is inconsistent. Run chkdsk /f on Windows, then reboot it TWICE!
There you have it, folks. The obstacle: Booting into Windows. Hence, my request for advice on an emergency boot CD.
- I am looking for the Partition Magic disk but I don't recall if it is bootable.
- My very talented son suggests I boot from the original Windows CD, that this will give me the chance to run chkdsk.
- I am about to ride to J & R or another sotware retailer to purchase a product that purports to do this.
Any better ideas?
Thanks.
-- Rasputin Paskudniak (Silly nom de guerre, I know, but it's *mine*!)
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