Dual boot Karmic + Windows 7 Grub2 problem

[leejkennedy]

I have spent a couple of days trying to resolve this, and I'm no further forward so I hope someone can help. I have installed Ubuntu 9.10 on to a 2nd partition on the same disk as Windows 7. Grub 2 has overwritten the windows boot loader and I cannot now boot Windows.

Ideally i'd like to be able to use Grub2 as the boot loader for both the Ubuntu and Windows OS's

I have tried the following:

1. Windows 7 is an entry in the grub boot loader list, however when i select it, my PC just reboots and eventually takes me back to the same grub menu list. (FYI I had selected to install Grub to /dev/sda)
2. I have tried re-installing Ubuntu, formatting the partition, to try and get Grub installed to a floppy or a USB stick. However, neither device is recognised during install and I get a 'fatal error' message (both devices are available from the ubuntu desktop once it's installed).
3. I have forcibly restored the windows boot loader in the hope of using EasyBCD, however there is no support (or limited beta support) for the Grub2 loader and I haven't been able to get that working either.

below are the mappings of the drives and output from the parameter files which I hope will help to pin down the issue:

results of 'sudo blkid'

/dev/sda1: UUID="1EB0F35FB0F33C39" TYPE="ntfs" 
/dev/sda5: LABEL="ubuntu" UUID="04709c71-7d70-4872-9ea0-1944c0ea5cb6" TYPE="ext4" 
/dev/sda6: TYPE="swap" 
/dev/sdb5: UUID="CE68E8CD68E8B4FD" LABEL="Data + Media" TYPE="ntfs" 

results of 'e' on GRUB boot menu:

recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ] ; then save_env recordfail; fi
setquiet=1
insmod=ext2
set root = (hd0,5)
search --nofloppy --fs --uuid --set 04709c71-7d70-4872-9ea0-1944c0ea5\cb6
linux /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31.14 generic root=uuid=04709c71-7d70-48847-9\ea0-1944c0ea5cb6 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img.2.6.31.16-generic 

results of grub.cfg

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-14-generic" {
        recordfail=1
        if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi
    set quiet=1
    insmod ext2
    set root=(hd0,5)
    search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 04709c71-7d70-4872-9ea0-1944c0ea5cb6
    linux    /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic root=UUID=04709c71-7d70-4872-9ea0-1944c0ea5cb6 ro   quiet splash
    initrd    /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic
}
menuentry "Ubuntu, Linux 2.6.31-14-generic (recovery mode)" {
        recordfail=1
        if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi
    insmod ext2
    set root=(hd0,5)
    search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 04709c71-7d70-4872-9ea0-1944c0ea5cb6
    linux    /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31-14-generic root=UUID=04709c71-7d70-4872-9ea0-1944c0ea5cb6 ro single 
    initrd    /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
    linux16    /boot/memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
    linux16    /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry "Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)" {
    insmod ntfs
    set root=(hd0,1)
    search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 1eb0f35fb0f33c39
    chainloader +1
}
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ### 

Thanks

Lee

[perchrh]

I've had similar problems (not resolved) with Windows 7 64-bit. It seems that not everyone has this problem. Is your Windows-install 64-bit as well?

[leejkennedy]

Yes, it is the 64 bit install. I've tried both the desktop and alternate install discs but the same symptoms remain.

[halj32]

Have you tried using the windows boot loader, the easiest way is edit with EasyBCD, just point EasyBCD to your linux partition & save

[leejkennedy]

Yep tried easybcd but ver 1.7 doesn't support grub2 and I couldn't get the v2 beta working as it started to get very technical talking about chainloading. To be honest I'd rather use grub2. Just got to get it working!

I'with going to try wiping ubuntu and installing the 32bit desktop install to see if that works (and confirms a possible bug in the 64 bit versions)

[halj32]

EasyBCD will use the windows 7 bootloader not Grub, then you dont have to do anything.

[leejkennedy]

Ok... have now tried 32bit Desktop Ubuntu and the same problem: Selecting Windows 7 from the grub menu simply reboots my PC. And to confirm, as i don't think i was clear in my earlier posts, i'm using 64 bit Windows 7.

I have now also tried installing a separate boot partition but that has made no difference. partition layout is:

• Windows on SDA1
• Boot on SDA5
• Swap on SDA6
• Ubuntu on SDA7

Does anyone have any other feedback other than installing easybcd?
Thanks...

[bfoster]

Not meaning to highjack this thread but the last poster "halj32" advised to use the Windows 7 bootloader. This is exactly what I would prefer.

Currently I have 1 HDD divided into two partitions. The 1st partition has XP and the 2nd has Windows 7. The 2nd HDD has a 50GB partition that I used to install Unbuntu 9.10 to and the rest is NTFS for data storage.

After I installed Ubuntu GRUB2 installed of course and I was able to boot into Ubuntu or Windows 7. It did not see the XP partition for some reason.

At any rate I would prefer to use the Windows 7 boot loader and be able to choose XP, Win 7 or Ubuntu from there. I used EasyBCD 2.0 BETA to reinstall the Win 7 bootloader to the MBR and then I tried to add an enttry for Ubuntu. I am doing something wrong at this stage because if I choose Ubuntu from the boot menu I get the error "BOOTMGR is missing".

Can someone tell me how I need to set this up with EasyCBD?

Thanks

[leejkennedy]

Sorry, can't help... i tried installing easybcd 2 beta and couldn't get it to work, that's why i've tried to use this post to get some feedback about how to get grub working

... would suggest that if you're trying to exactly the opposite of me that you set up a new thread ......

[JimmieC]

I'm running Windows 7, 64 bit and Ubuntu 9.10 64 bit on a Asus laptop and I'm having no problems. One hard drive, two partitions. Ubuntu installed first on first partition, then installed Windows 7 on second partition, then re-install grub to MBR. There are many posts on this forum on how to re-install grub.

Good luck,

Jim