[NCLUG] Starup problem

[Jim Hutchinson]

On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 12:44 PM, OWEN BLACKLOCK <BLACKLOCK2646 at msn.com>wrote:

> As a newbie to linux, I tried to install a linux distro to an external USB
> hard drive connected to my HP laptop.  It seemed to go as planned at first
> but somehow my Windows XP OS stopped booting up on startup and opening with
> GRUB instead.  GRUB appears with a blinking command like curser but nothing
> can be typed in.  Linux distros can be accessed through the CD/DVD drive and
> I have tried to use Knoppix to solve this problem but with no success so far
> (probably because I don't know what I'm doing).  My goal is to get my
> Windows XP back as the startup and probably try to dual boot Windows XP and
> a Linux distro on the primary hard drive.  Hope there is a fairly simple
> solution I just haven't learned.
> I at least know I haven't lost my laptop info because I can see it when I
> run a live linux disro but just can't get there thru the opening boot up
> process.  Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.


I've noticed that laptops with Linux on an external drive sometimes have
issues because the grub loader is installed on the MBR but the actual files
needed for grub are on the external drive. If that drive isn't connected
then it won't boot. I've played with installing grub to the external drive
and using the bios to select the boot drive. That allows windows to boot
normally but when you connect the external you can select that to boot. If
that sounds familiar, I wrote a post about this a while back that might
help.

http://ubuntukids.org/blog/?p=69

-- 
Jim (Ubuntu geek extraordinaire)
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