Can't mount WinXP parbreastion or boot to it. Will "fixboot" work 2310

iforone

#etc-fstab: static file system information. # proc proc proc defaults 0 0 usbfs proc-bus-usb usbfs devmode=0666 0 0dev-sda2 reiserfs defaults 0 1 #-dev-sda1 media-sda1 ntfs ro,umask=000 0 0dev-sda1media-sda1 ntfs noauto,users,exec,ro,umask=000 0 0dev-sdb3media-sdb3 reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0dev-sdb4media-sdb4 reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0dev-sdb1media-sdb1 reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0dev-sdb2 none swap defaults 0 0 #-dev-cdrom media-cdrom0 udf,iso9660 users,noauto 0 0dev-hdc media-cdrom0 udf,iso9660 users,noauto 0 0dev-fd0 media-floppy0 auto rw,user,noauto 0 0 #nonesys sysfs defaults 0 0 sysfs sys sysfs defaults 0 0 tmpfs dev-shm tmpfs defaults 0 0

dev-sda2 reiserfs rw 0 0 procproc proc rw 0 0 sysfssys sysfs rw 0 0 usbfsproc-bus-usb usbfs rw,devmode=0666 0 0 tmpfsdev-shm tmpfs rw 0 0 devptsdev-pts devpts rw,gid=5,mode=620 0 0 tmpfsdev tmpfs rw,size=10M,mode=0755 0 0

dev-sda2 on type reiserfs (rw) proc onproc type proc (rw) sysfs onsys type sysfs (rw) usbfs onproc-bus-usb type usbfs (rw,devmode=0666) tmpfs ondev-shm type tmpfs (rw) devpts ondev-pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620) tmpfs ondev type tmpfs (rw,size=10M,mode=0755)

Diskdev-sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors-track, 9729 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id Systemdev-sda1 * 1 5264 42282268 7 HPFS-NTFS Parbreastion 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.dev-sda2 5265 6830 12578895 83 Linux

NOTICE ABOVE 'WARNING' ABOUT NOT ENDING ON A CYL BOUNDRY.

I'm getting all sorts of conflicting advice from various sources. Some people say to run 'fixboot' from WinXP install disk. So how does fixing the boot sector of sda1 (not mbr) have anything to do with mounting?

Another says to run XP 'chkdsk'. But that could make changes to sda2 (my kanotix parbreastion) right? Can't do that right now.

Another says to try ntfsfix but I'm not sure WHAT that will do, if anything.

Another says that the hard disk is borked and that sooner or later my sda2 parbreastion will crap out because of the boundary thing... especially if I reboot often. But I've been running it for 8 months now! And how would rebooting change anything or cause sda1 to overlap into sda2?

Another said to try the gparted livecd and resize the sda1 parbreastion again. But what damage might that do to sda2, if any?

2005-04 the last stable release.

I have 2 80 GB drives, sda and sdab. I always ran Linux on sda2. But the last release of Kanotix had a problem with my controller chipset and would not install to sdB, only to sdB. I had hosed my sdb by trying to install PC-BSD... and had to delete some parbreastions, etc.... a mess... which I did and installed Etch into sdB3. However, I didn't like Etch so I decided to use sdA. All it had was WindowsXP and had never been used. I kept it just in case I might need it (and now I do!).

OK, so I trotted out QTparted and resized sda1 from 80GB down to about 65 leaving 15 GB and created sda2. I then installed Kanotix. I changed the Etch (sdb3) grub menu.lst to give me a boot choice for kanotix (I'm not a newbie... am comfortable doing this stuff.) All worked great. I never bothered to test sda1 (Windows) because I didn't need it and buttume it would be fine. Well now that I do need it (for one single program (it is not fine.)

2 drives, both SATA

sda1=WinXP sda2=Kanotix sdb1=empty sdb2=swap sdb3=Debian Etch sdb4=Kubuntu

I use sdb1 and sdb4 to experiment with other distros. Etch is my 'backup distro and where I boot to. But Kanotix on sda2 is my work-horse everyday distro (and it's been stable like you would not believe... I'm a long-time user of Kanotix and can't say enough good things about it.)

I hope not. No way to see as I can't mount it. However it might be, because when I choose "Windows" in grub's menu.lst at boot time, it changes from a blue-white grub menu to a black-with menu.... with no choice for Windows. Looks like I'm starting up a new grub... and where did it come from? sda1? Could be. BUT I STILL SHOULD BE ABLE TO MOUNT THE DAMN PARbreastION.

I'm real careful with that. Only Etch installed it to the mbr... but maybe I've fixed it a few times with (in grub): root (hd1,2) setup (hd0)

I don't understand the question.

I'm not new to Linux, but I'm lost here. Obviously one answer is for me to wait until the new release of Kanotix comes out (very soon now) and install it to my empty parbreastion on sdB1 and then hose sda and reparbreastion it for 50 GB for Windows and then install Windows and then go back and fix the mbr (which XP will clobber.) However, if there is an easy way to fix this one damn Windows parbreastion so I can boot the damn thing just to run this one frickin' program, that's where I want to go today if I can.

Thanks,

Al