Restoring Grub Boot Loader

Method 1: The Usual Way....

After Installing WindowsXP, Boot a Linux Rescue Disk and Re-Install Grub with the command. "grub-install"

read man grub for more info.

typically....

CODE

mount /dev/your_boot_partiton /boot

grub-install --root-directory /boot /dev/hda

Method 2: The Easy, 733T haX0r Linux GuRu Way....

The Boot Sector is Stored on the first 512 Bytes of the physical Disk.

so... Backup your boot sector to a file like so...

CODE

dd if=/dev/hda of=/BootSectorBackup.bin bs=512 count=1

Copy the backup file to a floppy disk / whatever.

Install Windows XP.

Boot a Linux Rescue Disk.

then Copy your Origonal Boot Sector Over whatever Garbage WindowsXP put there with the command

CODE

dd if=/BootSectorBackup.bin of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1

If at all in Doubt... Use Method 1..

If you Make a Mistake With Method 2, you can waye boodbye to your Partiton Table... File System, and look forward to a full re-partiton and re-format.

In case of Any problem use below methods

If you can boot from CD, simplest method is to mount linux partitions, then chroot to it, then run grub-install.

TIP: fdisk -l will display all partitions at all drives.

Method 3:

In general, for any distro, even you havn't live CD, restoring can be done in such steps:

1) Find any working linux sustem

2) Create GRUB boot floppy:

# cd /usr/share/grub/i386-pc

# dd if=stage1 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 count=1

1+0 records in

1+0 records out

# dd if=stage2 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 seek=1

153+1 records in

153+1 records out

3) Boot from that floppy, then (quote from GRUB info page):

Once started, GRUB will show the command-line interface (*note

Command-line interface:. First, set the GRUB's "root device"(1)

(*note Installing GRUB natively-Footnote-1: to the partition

containing the boot directory, like this:

grub> root (hd0,0)

If you are not sure which partition actually holds this directory,

use the command `find' (*note find:, like this:

grub> find /boot/grub/stage1

This will search for the file name `/boot/grub/stage1' and show the

devices which contain the file.

Once you've set the root device correctly, run the command `setup'

(*note setup::

grub> setup (hd0)

For more information type info grub

The RHEL installer provides the GRUB boot loader, GRUB (the GRand Unified Boot-loader).

/boot/grub/grub/grub.conf has a format of global options followed by boot stanzas. Here is a sample grub.conf:

timeout=5

splashimage=(hd0,0) /grub/splash.xpm.gz

password --md5 $1$/iX9y$Bkskfdsd4443gnff

default=0

title Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS (2.6.9-648_EL)

root(hd0,1)

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9.EL ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00

initrd /initrd-2.6.9-648.EL.img

title Windows XP Pro

rootnoverify (hd0,0)

chainloader +1

IF ggrub-install fails for some reason try the following:

1. type the command grub and press enter

2. type root (hd0,0)

3. type setup (hd0)

4. type quit

IF still problem occures, then reinstall the grub by

/sbin/grub-install /dev/hda or use these three commands: