Installed Linux, now Vista won't boot.?

Yes, my friend, who is supposed to be better with computers than I am, installed Kunbuntu 6.06 (I believe). Now when using grub to attempt to boot Vista, it only gets as far as the screen with the loading bar, which it will sit on endlessly, the bar always moving. I have absolutely no preference for Linux(even less so now that it has killed Vista) so if a solution involves me getting rid of it, all the better. It's Vista Home Premium, but I can't boot it, and I'd really like to be able to. So any help would be appreciated.

Contrad2007-06-08T23:43:28Z

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Man, i think you installed the linux in the same drive with vista so the vista kernel won't boot. You better partition your drive, remove the linux, repair vista, and install linux in the other partition so it won't conflict

septerra2007-06-09T00:25:55Z

In my opinion, booting problem with >1 OSs usually relates to MBR (bootloader and partition), boot sector, etc. Your data itself should be safe as long as there's no physical overwrtting.

I will assume that either you or your friend has an ample knowledge with computer. You might want to try a nice free program called TestDisk from http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk to test your bootsector and partition and repair them in case of error.

If you don't mind re-installing your whole harddisk (WARNING : EXPERT ONLY, you'll lose your data) then the fastest way :
- Use bootdisk to boot (or move your HD to another computer)
- Delete the first absolute sector (512 bytes) from your HD (sector 0)
- It will destroy your whole partition information
- TADA... linux and vista is gone
- Use your Vista CD to boot
- Vista should recognize your HD as a blank unpartitioned one
- Repartition your HD and reinstall Vista

Sector 0 contains your partition information. A leftover boot overlay or even virusses might reside in the rest sector 1 - 62 so you might want to erase that too.

Sector 0 -62 is invisible in operating system as idiot-countermeasure. You might want to try a little (3KB) ZAP63.zip from http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/asm/mbr/BootToolsRefs.htm
to erase sector 0 - 62.

Please be aware that this is an EXPERT method. Don't do this if you aren't sure. I would hold no responsibility :D

Hope this helps

Best regards,
-septerra-

?2016-11-28T00:09:14Z

Boot to a Linux command line and form sudo grub locate /boot/grub/stage1 it could say something like hd1,0 (the numbers could be distinctive). the 1st variety is the not elementary force and the 2d is the partition. Then form (replace the numbers with what you get carry of): root (hd1,0) setup (hd1) provide up Then reboot.

Julia D2007-06-08T23:22:34Z

Try this website:-

http://www.RayShaw.com.au

This fellow has a great reputation when it comes to computers.

Peter pan2007-06-08T23:21:14Z

your friend did you a favour.

Vista is a piece of crap.