Installed new motherboard, can't get os up

Hello again.

A couple months ago i was having a problem getting my computer running after replacing the cmos batterie, and it turned out that my motherboard went bad. So after a few months of waiting i was able to get a new motherboard, and I have installed everything and it is actually booting up now. The thing is, it won't load either operating systems that are on my hard drive. They are Red Hat Linux 8 and WindowsXP. Whenever it gets to the point where it would ask where I chose which os to start, it just says GRUB. I have no idea what to do.

The thing here though is that I can browse both partitions when I load the computer with Knoppix, but when I try to reinstall Red Hat, it says there is only one partition. I am trying to get it up and running without losing any of my data, and if anything, I can lose my Linux partition.

Anything will help and be appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.

It sound to me that you did bad instalation of Linux and you messed up everything. I heard a lot of people having the same problem. I don't know how it must be repaired: I think you must do something with the boot options, but I'm not sure. Till the moment i installed once SUSE so I'm not very experienced Linux user.
Hope you will find someone to explain you better where the problem is!

Well, no. It was working fine a couple months ago untill my motherboard gave out, and now that I replaced it, I can't get anything to load straight from my hard drive.

So was the replacement mobo.. exactly.. the same as the original?

If it is a completly new MoBo.. you may need to update the boot loader..
but you will have another problem it is with the Mobo drivers in both winXP and RH..

The problem with Knoppix is possably that it hasn't mounted the NTFS partitipon..perhaps

Cheers

It is a different motherboard. They don't make the original one anymore. I think something happened to the boot files or something. I can't get to anything that asks what os to boot from.

Quick Info : Windows OS does like when you change your motherboard. It have to re-install the System Devices and sometime, he's unable to do it.

From what I know with a Linux you've got to have everything specified upon installtion, so you may have to specify your boot function for the Linux porition so that it works correctly, but Windows- Shouldn't have a problem with the new motherboard. Try re-installing your Linux.

Alright, I have just tried to reinstall linux. The thing is, it is not finding the linux or swap partitions. Shouldn't it find something?

Can you get into your BIOS setup?

Does it "see" all of your system correctly?

How do I get to the BIOS? That is the CMOS settings right? And if it is, then yes, it sees everything correctly as I can tell. It is strange though, because when I use knoppix, it is seeing all of the partitions.

you should have been able to boot windows and possibly linux from the
grub>
prompt.

Code:

---

grub> rootnoverify (hd0,4)
grub> chainloader +1
grub> boot

---

should have booted your windows install. i know you changed motherboard, but if they were both x86 cpu's (on the old and new board) then windows should have booted and it should have then installed drivers for whatever it found. i had to do this before, and i can't remember the exact state of the OS after doing this, but it worked well enough for me to get some data off. if i remember correctly, the default default kernel install booted using a similar procedeure after the board change, probably 'cause they were similar chips and that kernel had practically everything compiled as a module.

Code:

---

grub> root (hd0,6)
grub> kernel /linuxkernel-2.6.9 ro root=LABEL=/ nopcmcia [ "more options if necessary" ]
grub> initrd /initrd-2.6.9.img
grub> boot

---

i'm sure the above would boot linux for you. obviously you need to change (hd0, 6) with the correct values for your setup.

Hmm. That might work except that it is not allowing me to type anything. All it has is "GRUB" all in caps. Any suggestions to get it to type.
By the way, it is the same processor that was in my other motherboard.

right. that's not good.

you do have Knoppix! you could boot this and reinstall grub from there, sorta like what undertaker was saying a few posts back, with something like

Code:

---

mount /dev/hda2 /mnt/hda2;
grub-install --no-floppy --root-directory=/mnt/hda2 --recheck /dev/hda;

---

then it should work, or at least give you a grub shell.


have you checked and double checked all jumper settings and cables etc.etc. ?

yeah, the jumper and cables are all working. Ill try that last thing you said right now.
Do I type that code in a console after knoppix has loaded or when? Sorry, im pretty new to this.

Alright, i just did that and it is saying the format of install_device not recognized.

apology accepted :) next time though, google maybe?

if you weren't new to this you wouldn't be talking here would you? all this has already been said, but with other people, probably many times. if you were not new to this, you would have found what you need to know already.

you should type this in the knoppix root console. and you should also have your disk mounted read/write.

Ok, my bad. I have something different now when i restart my computer. It said GRUB loading, please wait, then it says Error 17. I am googling it but I am not finding what i need, just other people having the same problem.

you've probably already found these then?

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=157293
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=120802

i haven't read them to be honest.

remember, you can use windows also. booting to the ``recovery console'' should allow you to fix the MBR, then you could edit the boot.ini to allow the NTLoader to boot Linux. just a thought.

The thing is I can't get to anything in windows. The only way to get to any of my system files is through knoppix. I will read those threads right now.

you get the recovery console by booting off the windows cd! you don't load it from windows.

http://www.win2000mag.com/Articles/I...leID=8957&pg=2

check out the fixmbr and fixboot commands. this should get you into windows, but only windows. if you want to use the NTLoader to boot windows and linux, you'll have to edit the boot.ini and do some other stuff. but atleast you'll get into windows.


anybody else know about grubs inner workings? like, why the system got like that after a motherboard install? why that error message comes up (why does grub not recognise the partition - something to do with modules or corrupt partition tables?

I know that. Its just that I dont have a windows cd. The os came preinstalled with the computer and i don't think that it came with any cds.

how's it going?

that's unlucky about the windows cd. you should always get one, but in saying that, i did not get one with my last box.

have you tried reinstalling linux? also seems a bit extreme, but it should work with the least fuss. it would be an option if all your stuff was on the windows partition.

first though, i'd definatly go about using knoppix to get your stuff off before messing around with anything else. you should be able to access the windows partition and share it out with samba.

Alright, i got to a point where i said screw it with GRUB so i made a grub boot disk. I typed in that code that you told me earlyer to boot to windows and it is still doing nothing. I had to change the (hd0,4) to something else to get the chainloader command to not give me any errors.
It is weird though, because i am putting my hard drive into another computer of the same sort as the one im working on right now, except that it has the original mother board, and it is working fine. I have tried to reinstall linux, but the thing is that it is not finding its partition. It sees the whole hard drive as one partition, not 3 which is the way it is right now. Ill probably get to a point where i say screw it and not care what im doing and just reinstall everything, but i want to see if there is any way i can do this first without getting to that point.
By the way, the loader i was using before was lilo, so should i try to install that again and use it?

You should have a "recovery CD" or a recovery partition on your HDD. If you haven't, you will possibly hit a problem with XP and the new MoBo?

Have you tried using Lilo instead of Grub?

Im going to try that right now. I am looking for instructions on how to install it presently. Hopefully it will work out better then that damned GRUB. (Sorry, this is just driving me nuts)

Ok. Here is an update to what has happened.

I have reinstalled Red Hat 8 and i am downloading the latest Red Hat now.
I can start the computer and get to linux only, but thats using a disk. It seems like the computer has reverted to its old way. Now it only goes to a blank screen where it says "GRUB" at the top and I can't type anything. I am looking to see if a cd did ever come with the computer but I dont know exactly.

The funny thing is that I was able to load everything correctly when I connected the hard drive to the same model computer with its original mother board, but now all i get is the word GRUB when I start it up here. I am completely lost now.

Oh yeah. I just remembered. I have a Window's XP Pro edition cd but it is used on another computer, and the one I am trying to fix has home edition. Could I possibly use it to fix it or not really since it is home edition?

Putting a Pro CD into a Home edition XP box, will take you to an UPGRADE option.
Either as an upgrade OR as a clean install.

So basically that option is out since i have already used its one license. Right?

Ok. Thank you everyone for your help.

I gave up and am now doing the simplest thing i can at this point, which is to back up the computer and just start out fresh. That seems like the only thing that will work at this point.
Thanks though for your guys' help. I really appreciate it.

Unfortunatly, reloading my computer didn't do anything at all. But, now when I start my computer, it says "GRUB GRUB" instead of just "GRUB". What in the world can I do just to get it to start.

try this article and maybe wou would have some uderstanding and success
good luck
http://www.theeldergeek.com/replace_motherboard.htm

Hmmm,

As I suggested earlier:

Quote:

---

you will possibly hit a problem with XP and the new MoBo?

---

I don't know where you got this computer from or what make it is, but you obviously have an OEM installation of XP. Unless you can get the supplier to do a repair/reinstall for you, you have lost that.

You could buy your own XP CD and re-install.

You could wipe the lot and just run *nix distros

Have you tried Lilo, instead of GRUB?

/Rant You have been what is known in highly technical IT terminology as "shafted".

You buy a machine with pre-loaded XP...........if you have a major hardware failure you will have to return the machine to the supplier for repairs or it (XP) will stop working. Or you can pay Micro$haft? for a "fuller" version.

This is not what I understand by a free market economy or freedom of choice :rolleyes: /Rant

Well, you have a CD?..............the morality and legality are up to you...........err why not ring MS and ask them for an XP Home CD.............or better still........write to them (Special D).........as long as you have taken "reasonable steps" you would certainly be OK over here.........

Good Luck!