When I boot the computer: system disk error!
Of course I checked the floppy drive. So the disk has crashed, and the part with grub, the bootloader (i'm using Ubuntu) is screwed up.
My question: can i make a bootable cd, with grub on it?
Try downloading the Ubuntu Live CD and see if you can boot the computer with it. You may then be able to mount the partition that GRUB is installed on and you can try to recover it.
Download a .iso cd image of a linux (i suggest Slackware), then boot it, then when it ask you for a kernel parameters to boot, write this
| Code: |
| bare.i root=/dev/hda(root) noinitrd rw |
or
| Code: |
| vmlinuz.i root=/dev/hda(root) noinitrd rw |
in example, my hard drive is partitionated this way in linux view
hda1 = FAT32 system
hda2 = swap Linux
hda3 = Linux system <-- i got root installed there
and i installed my linux with the vmlinuz kernel, but Slackware cd doesnt boot with it, so if you boot with slackware cd you gotta choose "bare" kernel
in example, i'd boot this way
| Code: |
| bare.i root=/dev/hda3 noinitrd rw |
let me explain first, do not try with the noinitrd rw parameters, because that works for not the cd to boot, to boot the parameters you specified first, the rw are for read & write
if you do not write noinitrd rw then it will boot regulary, just will check your root is there or not and thats all.
ok, once you are in your root, this is just like the shell system in the system cd you downloaded
so if you choosed slackware, just write liloconfig, or lilo so it recognizes the operating systems (Note: Ubuntu uses lilo, not grub) if it does not recognize lilo, then just type setup to enter the setup menu, select target drive to install lilo and just chek the A package series to install, then select lilo from all packages (in expert mode) and let it to install it, when it asks you to configure it, set it to MBR (Master Boot Record) or to root system, but if you choose the root, you gotta exit the setup menu, write cfdisk /dev/hda and make the root partition the bootable one
hope this can help you ^^
sorry if my english isnt good 
No problem (if it was to me, lol) try it, if you have any problems, just ask ^^ i'm not an expert of linux, but i know couple things, anyway, if i cant answer i surely ask some linux gurus i know ^^
Hope you have no problems :p
First, you need to make sure that the disk works at all. Why did those files disapear?
| Quote: |
| First, you need to make sure that the disk works at all. Why did those files disapear? |
the disk works, if it just didnt work, he'd never said the boot loader is gone, he'd just said that the comp doesnt turn up
the file disapearing, well, it happens when you install it in the root, and by accident, you delete a file of it, also when you install it in the MBR (Master Boot Record) if you reformat the windows partition, it will put its boot loader in the mbr and remove linux ones, that's it ^^Ive had the same prob. I had a dual boot machine and had lost my capability to boot my winxp partition..
I downloaded a ISO image of the Ultimate Boot CD (google it)
It has every app you need to fix your MBR, any bootloaders, and it also has a few alternatives to grub and lilo..
it fixed all my probs and was very easy to use..
this cd comes in handy for tons of problems in any OS..try it, its well worth the DL and its completely free..
Maybe try to fix MBR? From any linux cd (rescue mode) or from Windows recovery console (from win xp cd).
Hey man, just showing that system disk error doesn't mean that disk may be allright
It may or may not concern Bootloader
So first try out the harddisk on some other PC
If found OK, go for a linux CD
Select resue mode.
Use it to install the grub back on your harddisk
then try to boot up the system
if not , then you may need to manuallly instsll grub or lilo.
