[Debian-eeepc-devel] eeepc booting troubles

[Hans-J. Ullrich]

Am Donnerstag, 28. Januar 2010 schrieb Daniel Dalton:
> Hello everyone,
> 

Hi Daniel,

> I've got myself into quite a bit of trouble.
> 
> Problem: My system no longer can boot windows and if I try booting
> debian it gives errors regarding the root file system.
> 
> Here is what I did:
> 
> I booted windows for the first time with no problems, so then booted a
> livecd off my usb drive and did resizing with gparted.
> 
> I resized the sda1 partition, the one in which windows resides on. I
> think it may have said resize and move, this may be where the problem
> lies. I'm totally blind so going off what a sighted person tells
> me. Apparently it said something like resize and move.
> 
> This appeared to go fine, until I rebooted (changes were reflected in
> gparted).
> I got the error:
> "No operating system"
> 
> I decided to install linux hoping grub would correct the problem. The
> machine is running windows 7 and I told the installer to use largest
> continuous free space. Then when I wrote the changes to the mbr, it said
> windows vista was found. I assumed this must just be because grub hadn't
> been updated for win 7 so I said yes.
> 
Check out, if it is /dev/sda3 or /dev/sda1. It must be /dev/sda1, as /dev/sda3 
is the rescue system for windows7. Be careful, when you use this rescue 
system: It will completely repartition and restore the system as it was 
shipped!!! 

> Now when I boot I can choose from a grub menu:
> Debian linux or debian recovery
> And windows vista
> 

Add the line for windows 7 as follows manually into the grub menu.lst for 
windows (I assume you are running grub-legacy):

title 		Windows7
root  	(hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader	+1


Then do in linux an update-grub, and you should be able,
to start windows from the first partition - if windows is still bootable.
If only the bootsector is defective, you can copy the necessary files from 
/dev/sda3 to /dev/sda1 (mount both under linux by using either ntfs-3g for 
/dev/sda1 (it is an ntfs-filesystem!), and normal mount for /dev/sda3 (which is 
vfat) 


> I try the two debian ones and get errors regarding the root file system
> and it doesn't boot more than a recovery console.
> 

If you get errors in linux, try to change variables in grub, as long as grub 
is still working. Most wrong setings are at the variables "hd(0,3)" or similar 
and at the pointer to the root-filesystesm, which isu set by root=/dev/sda4" or 
similar.  
> I tried the windows one, this starts a recovery program however, after
> trying to recover a few times nothing changes.
> 
> So if someone could help me out I would be extremely grateful. Will it
> be possible for me to get a bootable windows again or should I just
> install linux to the whole disk. I kind of need windows every now and
> then, so hoping I can get it booting again. Or will I have to purchase
> some sort of windows cd.
> 
> Finally is there any sort of full system recovery I could do that would
> help me?

No, I suppose there is not, exept the one I described above, which restores 
only windows and kills debian.


> 
> I'm using the asus eeepc 1008ha.
> 
> Sorry about the very long post, I thought it was important I describe
> exactly what I did.
> 
> Any help is greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you very much,
> 

I am using eeepc 1005HGO, which should be identically to 1008 
> Daniel
> 
> 
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> 
Good luck!

Hans