windows wont load after installing linux

[problemchild]

rootnoverify (hd0,4)

Can you post your complete partitioning information? At a Linux command prompt, type 'fdisk /dev/hda' and then use the 'p' command to get the current disk info.

I think your partitioning scheme may be your problem. (hd0,4) refers to the first logical partition on your hard disk. Windows 2000 must control the first primary partition of the first hard disk for boot.ini and other boot files, and they can't live on a disk without a primary partition. The proper partition to boot Windows from would be the one containing boot.ini and ntldr, which would be (hd0,0). As it stands, you are trying to boot Windows from a logical partition, and that's why it is failing.

[pinkpanther]

I ended up just reinstalling both. Now, i have yet another problem. Lilo wont load, Its stops at "L" which usually spell lilo. how do i fix this?

[problemchild]

Its stops at "L" which usually spell lilo

http://www.numenor.demon.co.uk/ccfaq...leshooting.htm

# L - The first step has been loaded and started but the second step (/boot/boot.b) could not be loaded. This normally points to a physical error on the boot device or a faulty disk geometry.

I still think your partitioning is messed up. Maybe a corrupted partition table or some such. My advice is to delete all partitions and start over with a good partitioning tool like Partition Magic or Mandrake's DiskDrake. Be sure to put Windows on a primary partition and make the rest extended for your Linux partitions.

[IKnowNot]

ok, I'll confess, I'm confused.

You are using IDE hard drives on a multi-processor box.
( Grub and lilo will load more then one kernel by default when multiple processors are on the board, in case the "smp" kernel has a problem you can load the single processor kernel), thus the multiple kernels installed.
You are also using more then 4 gig of memory ( thus the "bigmem" kernel )

Ok, now the confusion: the naming nomenclature in the grub conf: the root is (hd0,5) which is the second extended partition??
and Win2K is loaded on (hd0,4), which is the first extended partition
but the linux kernels are loaded on (hdb1), which is the primary/slave drive.

Notice first the difference in the naming convention. Second, notice there are two different drives, where Linux is loaded on one, Win2K on the other.

Is this the case?? Are you using two drives, one for Win2K and one for Linux?
If it is, why not just install Win2K on the ONLY drive; ( a single, primary/master ). Once this is the way you like it, remove the drive, then install the other drive ( as a single, master/primary ) and install RH linux using lilo as the boot loader ( or grub, but I'll use lilo here ). Once that is working the way you want, go into your lilo.conf, and add something like this:

other=/dev/hdb1
label=Win2K
table=/dev/hdb
map-drive=0x80
to=0x81
map-drive=0x81
to=0x80

use the command "lilo -v"
shut down, install the Win2K drive you created as a primary/slave.

Now you should be able to load either, the default will be what ever you named in lilo.conf in the default=
AND, Win2K will think it is the only operating system and be very happy!!
( note you can still mount the Win2K drive in linux, given linux was compiled to read it )

as for lilo not working, see
Lilo Boot loader messages

hope THIS will help, ( how close did I come )

[Ouroboros]

Problemchild and cgkanchi are absolutely correct...Windows will NOT ACCEPT anything other than being first in line. Most likely you will have to completely wipe your partitions and start again, but make sure to install Windows first, and then RH. I dual boot Win98se and RH 7.3 on one of my boxes, and trying to figure it out when I was little-informed about the process was a pain in the ass. And considering that 2k uses the NTFS, instead of FAT32, I can't help you much there. The basic premise, though, is that Windows has to have first rights to the partition table. I don't doubt that there are ways around this, but I am uaware of them.
I would recommend opening up the wallet and picking up PartitionMagic, instead of trying to use fdisk (which isn't difficult, after you get used to it) or that horrid DiskDruid that RH7.3 comes with.

Ouroboros

[cine_anime]

If the above doesn't work for you, try re-installing 7.3, choosing no boot loader, and using a boot disk. Make sure to make multiple copies by hitting the back button during the installation section that handles making a boot disk. Good luck, and hopefully it won't come to this.

[brandon64_99]

Ive exp. a prob. similar to what our buddy pinkpanther is going through. And Exception was that I was using Mandrake Linux 8.0. When the option came to boot either Linux or win2k, I got some strange wingding looking fonts.