FRIHOST • FORUMS • FAQ • TOS • BLOGS • DIRECTORY
You are invited to Log in or Register a Frihost Account!

Windows 1024 Cylinders limit

   Frihost Forum Index -> Computers -> Computer Problems and Support
 


psoft
Is any one aware of the windows limitation of installing on partitions spanning on more than 1024 cylinders.My Windows XP fails to restart after text mode setup & gives up
Quote:
Disk Error
Sad
I highly suspect it may be because of this limitation as Windows uses 13H bios function
However Linux boots fine
In fact i read that this problem itself is caused by GRUB setup by Linux
Can someone help me on this???
S3nd K3ys
psoft wrote:
Is any one aware of the windows limitation of installing on partitions spanning on more than 1024 cylinders.My Windows XP fails to restart after text mode setup & gives up
Quote:
Disk Error
Sad
I highly suspect it may be because of this limitation as Windows uses 13H bios function
However Linux boots fine
In fact i read that this problem itself is caused by GRUB setup by Linux
Can someone help me on this???


According to Microsoft, it may be your hardware. If your hardware supports it, then check the HDD for errors. Linux may be auto-detecting the 'error' on the disk (if that's the problem) and working around it, or marking it bad etc, where we're all aware that Windows wouldn't think of something so simlpe.

Note that the link refers to NT, but should apply to XP.
psoft
Thank SendKeys for your support
I think my problem is because of 10 bit limit imposed by my system's BIOS,but is there any way by which i can translate my HardDisk Geometry to have less than 1024 cylinders.
I think there is sfdisk command in Linux which let's do that.
$sfdisk -C #cylinders /dev/hda
Data on my HDD is critical to me,Can i do that to let Windows don't mess??
ocalhoun
Did you just install linux?
Windows XP 'lives' in the MBR, no matter what partition it's installed on, while linux will usualy try to install the bootloader in the same place. Unless you specificly tell the bootloader not to install there, and to instead install on the partition itself, it will overwrite the XP files and cause XP not to boot.
This may or may not be your problem, I'm just guessing.

Did windows ever work on it, or are you just installing it for the first time?
ezekiel_rage
ocalhoun wrote:
Did you just install linux?
Windows XP 'lives' in the MBR, no matter what partition it's installed on, while linux will usualy try to install the bootloader in the same place. Unless you specificly tell the bootloader not to install there, and to instead install on the partition itself, it will overwrite the XP files and cause XP not to boot.
This may or may not be your problem, I'm just guessing.

Did windows ever work on it, or are you just installing it for the first time?


As he said above.

May I ask in what order did you installed your Operating Systems?

Did you installed Windows first then linux second?

or There is an existing linux installation then you installed windows?

For the first scenario, you may have to edit your boot loader's configuration.

If your Linux distro is using is using grub, you should check if there is an entry for your windows installation in /boot/grub/grub.conf (it may vary in your distro).

Here is a sample configuration of grub for dual boot systems

Quote:

==============
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda3
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=2
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,1)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Linux (2.4.20-8smp)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8smp ro root=LABEL=/ hdd=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8smp.img
title Linux-up (2.4.20-Cool
root (hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/ hdd=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8.img
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,4)
chainloader +1
==============



If your distro uses LiLo;

You have to edit /etc/lilo.conf
Quote:


boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
lba32
default=linux

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.0-0.43.6
label=linux
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.0-0.43.6.img
read-only
root=/dev/hda5

other=/dev/hda1
label=Windows




May I ask what distro you are using?

Because most modern Linux distros now have a wizard to handle this so you dont have to edit these files manually.

Hope this helps
psoft
Thanks ocalhoun & ezekiel_rage for the support
I think i have not been very clear in how the problem cropped up
I had installed Linux Fedora Core 1 over Windows 98 installation now i needed to install XP on the same machine
I didn't had a free partition for that so i created a new one from free space on existing Win98 partition using partition magic.The installation of Windows XP was successful but it overwrote the Linux bootloader Grub.
To restore it back i booted in rescue mode through the installation CD & used
Code:
$grub-install  /dev/hda

Grub was restored but i couldn't boot windows,subsequently neither could i install Windows XP through the setup.Entering the rescue mode through installation CD & using fixboot fixmbr etc. or fdisk /mbr is not either working.
I did researced over the subject & found that such trouble has to do something with the corruption of hard disk geometry & is distribution & kernel version independent.There are topics in bugzilla refering to "XP dual boot trouble" but none of the methods suggested there worked for me.
Below is my partition table
$fdisk -l
Disk /dev/hda: 20.4 GB, 20411080704 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2481 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 765 6144831 c Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda2 766 1203 3518235 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda3 1204 1861 5285385 83 Linux
/dev/hda4 1862 2481 4980150 f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5 1862 1923 497983+ b Win95 FAT32
/dev/hda6 1924 2306 3076416 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda7 2307 2346 321268+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda8 2347 2434 706828+ b Win95 FAT32
/dev/hda9 2435 2481 377496 b Win95 FAT32

The red colored partition is the one i'm trying to install upon now it's end cylinder in 1203 i.e. >1024 can this be the problem.I suspect this is.
Expecting response & support to resolve this.
Reply to topic    Frihost Forum Index -> Computers -> Computer Problems and Support

FRIHOST HOME | FAQ | TOS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SITE MAP
© 2005-2007 Frihost, forums powered by phpBB.