where to ask for bootloader help

[oldfred]

I use Ubuntu not so I do not know what screens you may see.
But with terminal the commands are the same for all flavors of Ubuntu and many others based on Ubuntu.
Usually copy & paste into a terminal is not an issue as long as you copy & paste one line at a time.

If you have two Windows installs grub will only normally boot one of them. Windows only boots from the one NTFS active partition or as we see it the one with the boot flag. Then Windows adds additional Windows entries to boot.ini for XP or BCD for all versions since XP. Second installs of Windows do not have any boot files.

Pictures here worth 1000+ words - Vista but all Windows with BIOS/MBR
http://www.multibooters.co.uk/multiboot.html

[shady2]

I read this

http://www.multibooters.co.uk/multiboot.htm

Not a lot or enough there to answer my questions. Mostly deals with windows. How can I migrate boot mgr to its own little partition ? Looking for links . ! thinking that maybe boot mgr is in wrong place for editing from my ubuntu OS.

[oldfred]

That should explain why you only get one Windows in grub as only one Windows partition has boot files. Unless you install boot files into your second install of Windows and it is a primary partition can you boot both copies of Windows from grub.

But if Windows does not load that is a Windows issue. Grub only boots working Windows and you may need Windows repairCd or flash drive to fix Windows.

Post this, but it can only fix minor issues with Windows. Then we may be able to suggest something.
Post the link to the Create BootInfo report. Is part of Boot-Repair:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info
Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems.

[shady2]

[CODE][Post this, but it can only fix minor issues with Windows. Then we may be able to suggest something.
Post the link to the Create BootInfo report. Is part of Boot-Repair:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info
Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems./CODE]

URL is- http://paste.Ubuntu.com/7003285/

about ready to abandon win xp. seems like it's broken. Will wait for reply. Hopefully we can fix where it won't mess things up if/when I go to reinstall it.

[shady2]

So now I see where I have made at least 2 mistakes. On installing Lubuntu, made it logical instead of a primary. Secondly did not make separate partition for boot (also a primary- I think). Found a pretty good video on you tube that shows how to pretty well.
Suppose I could offer URL if yu like for anybody reading this looking for same answers. Thoughts ??? previous post includes the link yu requested.

[oldfred]

Your XP looks normal, maybe it only needs chkdsk from your XP disk?

Linux in logical partitions is fine. It is Windows that only boots from primary partitions. And actually only the first install of Windows has to be primary as all additional installs but their boot files into that first partition which Windows calls active partition, but we see boot flag.

Only some old BIOS that have a limit of where on drive boot files can be may need a boot partition or a smaller / (root) fully within the first 137GB of a drive.

Try using Boot-Repair to reinstall grub2 to MBR and use a Windows repair console to run chkdsk on your XP install.

Not sure how you got an old grub legacy menu.lst into your Linux boot partition? Perhaps that is also part of issue. If so then run the total purge of grub & grub2 and reinstall grub2 from scratch using Boot-Repair. May sure Internet is working as you have to download new copy of grub2.