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View Full Version : [wubi] Lucid Broke W2K



djailer
May 22nd, 2010, 06:21 PM
I installed WUBI (8.04)to try out Ubuntu. Installed OK- eventually - and liked using it. It requested to update to 10.4 (Lucid?) That went fine until I got to a menu that asked where I wanted GRUB installed...it said if in doubt put it on all drives. Not knowing any better - I did. Not good. Screwed the MS mbr I suspect. W2K wouldn't get to boot menu at all...couldn't boot to HD, CD, USB, command prompt, nothin'. I was stuck at a grub-rescue prompt which didn't do much of what I read it might. It actually saw (hd0), (hd1), (hd2) but wouldn't do anything with them.

Into the shop it goes. $60 later I got W2K back. I would like to make the Ubuntu OS work again...it is still there. I know...glutton for punishment!!

Details:
W2K Pro SP4
1 GB AMD Athlon 64 processor
2 GB Ram
C: (IDE 1 master)Old W2k install - broken and not used - 20 GB HD
D: (IDE 1 slave)Working W2K on one 20GB partition, another 20GB partition with photos & stuff
G:/H: IDE 2 master/slave - CDR/CD
Z: SATA connection - misc files + original Ubuntu WUBI install(10GB) -320GB HD - not partitioned at all

Question...can I save my original Ubuntu install? I would like to recover my KMoney datafile at least. I wonder if I should just install Ubunto to a new partition on Z: and go with that. I've read through several threads describing the process and assume I can work it out.

My current boot.ini reads thusly (I don't have it from when Ubuntu was working to compare to):

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
C:\wubildr.mbr = "Ubuntu"

wubildr.mbr looks like gobbledegook, with a lot of 'No WUBILDR',' Invalid previous MBR', 'error while reading MBR of of drive (hd0)', 'invalid, invalid', etc. etc messages in it. I assume this means it is fubarred. Is it possible all I would need was a working copy of this file?

I still have Ubuntu as a boot menu option but when I try it my computer just reboots.

I really don't want to mess up W2K again though. My wife uses it and isn't amenable to learning a new OS. Besides...I can't afford to send it out for a $60 Fixboot/Fixmbr session every time I muck it up!! :eek: What say the experts?

Doug