ok to overwrite MBR? - Linux Setup, Configuration & Administration

[Andre]

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[Lenard]

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[Jim]

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[Andre]

Removed by Administrator

[Andre]

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[Jim]

Andre wrote:
 
If I remember my NT correctly, its default install refers to two
partitions--"system" and "boot." They can be the same partition but if they
are not, as in your case, it puts its boot files (ntldr, etc) in one
partition and the system in the other. The "system" partition, where it puts
its boot files, would normally be the first one it finds. Your C: drive.
Then it puts its system files in the "boot" partition. D: in your case.

As to your boot.ini, you need to find a reference to its syntax. My memory
fades but I think the multi refers to IDE type drives and you want SCSI for
your \WINNT directory. Also, make sure it points to the correct device.

hth

[Lenard]

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 19:53:18 +0000, Andre typed:
 

Check your system's BIOS settings does it allow you to specify the boot
order of the drives. If so, is booting from the SCSI drive an option, if
yes then set the system to boot from the SCSI drive.

See the fixmbr and fixboot commands in the Windows 2000 recovery console
also.

--
SCO + RICO Act = Justice

Hi! I'm a .sig virus! Copy me to your .sig!

[Andre]

(snip) 
they 
puts 
memory 
for 

for some reason, the only boot.ini that is seen is the one on the ide
drive - if I disconnect the ide drive, system won't boot off the scsi drive
even though I placed boot.ini, ntdetect and ntldr on the scsi drive

[Andre]

I enabled booting from scsi and it seems to work to a point where bios
reports:
boot from scsi..OK
boot failure on previous device
....
I already tried fixmbr to no avail, and I'm a little scared to use fixboot
as I don't want to lose the files on my scsi drive.


"Lenard" <0.0.1> wrote in message
news:0.0.1... 
>
> Check your system's BIOS settings does it allow you to specify the boot
> order of the drives. If so, is booting from the SCSI drive an option, if
> yes then set the system to boot from the SCSI drive.
>
> See the fixmbr and fixboot commands in the Windows 2000 recovery console
> also.
>
> --
> SCO + RICO Act = Justice
>
> Hi! I'm a .sig virus! Copy me to your .sig!
>[/ref]

[mjt]

Jim Bowering wrote:
 

.... that IS NOT a boot loader - it's the config file
..
--
/// Michael J. Tobler: motorcyclist, surfer, skydiver, \\\
\\\ and author: "Inside Linux", "C++ HowTo", "C++ Unleashed" ///
James Joyce -- an essentially private man who wished his total
indifference to public notice to be universally recognized.
-- Tom Stoppard

[Jules]

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 20:01:29 GMT, in article
<tQenb.198515$pl3.162079pd7tw3no>, Andre wrote:
 

If Win2k discovers a Win95/Win98/WinME (and maybe DOS/WinNT/Win2k/etc.)
"C:" partition during installation, it treats the partition as a "System"
partition -- what the rest of the known universe might call a boot
partition. It writes its startup files (the files you named) to this
partition, with a boot.ini file suitable for dual-booting. It then
installs the operating system proper to the "Boot" partition: in your case,
"D:".

I don't know what it does to the MBR, all versions of Windows treat it as
private property belonging to Microsoft.

As you've discovered, Win2k doesn't ask your permission or inform you of
its perfidy after the fact.
 

Changing the system drive, if it's possible, is likely to be hazardous to
Windows' bootability.

Do you need to boot Windows or just access data on the partitions? Reading
-- but NOT writing -- NTFS partitions in Linux is easy and safe.