antiX-forum

I installed Antix M7 Beta 2 on an old Dell I rescued. I configured it to dual boot with Windows 98, which was already on the hard disk, I added a second hard disk for Antix. The install went smoothly. Then I tried to reboot. Grub gave me "Error 21", which as best I can determine is being caused by a BIOS issue.

I can get a BIOS update, but it is a MS Windows executable and I can't boot either Windows or Antix because I allowed GRUB to replace the MBR of the primary had disk.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found a way to restore the Windows MBR.

I am still searching, but I thought maybe someone here might know where I can find what I need.

Thanks.

I'm not an expert here but

1. when I installed a second drive my bios immediately told me to reconfigure my settings. so perhaps you do have a bios problem.

2. if you have a windows disc, insert it. There should be some sort of repair option, command prompt, or something along these lines (it has been a few years since I did this and I can't remember the details). Anyway, the point is to issue the command "fixmbr" and then you can boot into win32.

3. this will also wipe out grub, but you should be able to fix grub using the livecd.

john

Thanks for rpelying.

Unfortunately, I don't have any Windows CDs or floppies.

I was hoping that the MBR got backed up somewhere and I justdidn't know where.

I am going to try making a boot floppy and see if that works.

Or maybe LILO will work where GRUB did not.

Otherwise, I guess I'm stuck with running that old Dell off the CD until I can get access to a Windows PC to try to fix the MBR.

Try booting antiX as a livecd and try using the Mepis system tools
Repair System Boot.

Put the MBR on the hd that will definitely boot.

Whatever you do, don't give up. I know there's a way to boot either OS. In fact, if I were there I could do it in a few seconds with a boot floppy that I have sitting right here. If worse comes to worse, I can send you a copy of it.

Phil

Update:

Could not find "repair system boot".

After finding a store that actually still sold floppy disks, I tried building a boot floppy. Unfortunately, the floppy drive has problems, so the machine could not boot from it.

More later.

Thanks.

This page may be helpful:
Fixing Linux with Knoppix: Fixing LILO and GRUB

Of course, you shouldn't need a Knoppix CD to perform the above repair. The antiX CD should work fine.

BTW, I've used the method he describes to fix LILO several times. I always get at least one error message when I do it, but it has always worked.

Phil

Thanks for the replies.

Currently, the project is on hold due to needing the desk space for other things. I plan to get back to it, soon.

The best way to dual boot with 2 drives is to disconnect the windows drive and install the new drive as master. Install Antix on the new drive and put grub on the mbr of that drive. Reconnect the windows drive as a slave and edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst to reflect windows (sdb). This way grub will boot both drives and the windows drive will boot normaly if the Antix drive is removed.

Now I know this does not fix your problem but the only way I know to correct the windows boot loader is to use the windows install disc.

eriefisher