BleepingComputer.com: Computer Won't Boot After Plugging in Phone to USB

applesauce1234, on 07 January 2012 - 01:03 PM, said:

Sorry: My mistake.

Please type: sudo fdisk -l

mint@mint ~ $ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders, total 488397168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000001

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 68 143717489 71858711 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 306263160 455828309 74782575 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3 159670270 306262015 73295873 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 159670272 302073855 71201792 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 302075904 306262015 2093056 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 1030 MB, 1030225920 bytes
4 heads, 3 sectors/track, 167680 cylinders, total 2012160 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 243 2012159 1005958+ b W95 FAT32
mint@mint ~ $

applesauce1234, on 08 January 2012 - 01:42 AM, said:

That's a very interesting "comment" to see.

Thanks for doing that. I'll get back to you when possible.

Can you please try to tell me exactly what you did with gParted before this problem arose.

Did you move partitions about and change their relative positions perhaps?

i shrank my two windows xp partitions (labeled 'hard drive' and 'music') and extended my linux mint partition.

im pretty sure i did this with gParted, but it's possible i did it using EASEUS Partition Manager... not sure if that would make a difference.

either way, all i would have done was attempt to increase the size of the mint partition by shrinking the 2 windows partitions.

i dont recall changing their order... i certainly wouldnt have done it intentionally, but it's possible i did it inadvertently.

Can you please outline the history of the installations on this hard drive.

Firstly, there was Windows .... that's on the first partition.

But in what order did the drive with your music on it ... and the drive with Mint on it ... come about?

Looking at the partition table on the hard drive, I see the first partition entry is the Windows system/boot partition, and the second entry is the partition with your music on it with the third partition being the Linux extended one, like so:

• Windows system
  
• Music
  
• Linux extended

However the order on-disk is different:

• Windows system
  
• Linux extended
  
• Music

yeah, i can't explain that...

the PC had windows xp preinstalled on it... a long time ago (3+ years), i split the hard drive into two, and put all my music on one partition...

then maybe two months ago, i installed mint, creating a new partition in the process...

im not sure how that would have come about, but i remember seeing it in that order for the longest time... could that be because there was the largest amount of space between those two (the 2 windows) partitions? i certainly didnt intentionally place the linux partition between the two, and i also can't recall (but doubt that I would have) changing the order...

How are you going there? Are you still waiting patiently?

I have been (and still am) investigating the possibility of restoring the GRUB bootloader to get the existing configuration up and running as is.

However, if you are getting impatient at all, you might just prefer to go with what seems to be simplest solution: That is, to remove Linux altogether, and just revert to the two NTFS partitions, namely your Windows system partition and your Music partition.

Let me know if you have a preference one way or the other, please.

Based on your previously expressed amenable view on removing Linux and restoring the ablity to boot normally to Windows XP, I have proceeded to test doing just that on a hard drive set up to mimic your situation. The test run successfully restored the normal Windows boot mbr. I will post instructions for you to proceed with doing that if you wish to go ahead do so.

Start Windows and use EaseUS Partition Master (I am assuming it is already installed on the system) to delete all Linux-related partitions, leaviing only the two NTFS partitions (Windows system and Music partitions). Shut the system down.

Boot with the XP CD (or XP Recovery Console CD) and run fixmbr (I think you will find that fixmbr will be all that is required). That will replace the GRUB MBR with a standard Windows MBR.

Boot the system and allow it to start normally (having removed any CD from the optical drive tray). Does Windows load normally now?

sorry for the delay... i was away for the week...

so:

i deleted the mint partition in EaseUS, booted to the XP repair disk, ran FIXMBR, and was able to boot to XP normally, as i was before installing linux mint.

i then reinstalled linux mint... when i installed mint the first time and this more recent time, i selected the option "install linux mint side by side with windows XP"

everything appears to be working correctly.

BUT, here's something interesting.

using gParted, i took a screenshot of the partitions, and the mint partition looks to be physically in between the two XP partitions AGAIN...

while numerically, the mint partition is SDA3, following the SDA1 and SDA2 (windows and music), it seems to physically be in between those two.

i suppose the solution would be to merge the two windows partitions back together, then install mint, then split the windows partitions... although i imagine i won't have a problem until i start adjusting the partition sizes again.

note: i have maxed out my image upload quota, so i uploaded the screenshot to tinypic: http://tinypic.com/r/rjjyva/5

thanks

No worries: I was hoping that was the reason you were not replying. I am very pleased to see that all is now well at your end.

You said: "when i installed mint the first time and this more recent time, i selected the option "install linux mint side by side with windows XP""
Thanks for telling me you chose that option: It explains a few things that remained a mystery to me ... including "the mint partition looks to be physically in between the two XP partitions".

You wrote: "i suppose the solution would be to merge the two windows partitions back together, then install mint, then split the windows partitions..."
Given that you have two NTFS partitions used by the Windows system, let me suggest another way to go about it. Firstly, get rid of the Mint installation/partition again. Then use EaseUS to arrange and re-size the two Windows NTFS partitions, leaving enough unallocated space at the end of the hard drive to create a third partition for the Mint OS.

Proceed then to install Mint, but do NOT choose the option to "install linux mint side by side with windows XP". Instead, choose the last option, which will allow you to create a partition in the unallocated space that you have set aside for the purpose, and to format the partition and install Mint there.

You wrote: "note: i have maxed out my image upload quota"
The BC forums allow you a total upload/attachment size of only 512 MB. You may visit your "Settings" page (use the little downward facing triangle next to your username at the top of each page to get a drop-down menu) and go to "Manage Attachments" and remove all existing attachments, which will give you the space to upload attachments in the future. On the other hand, using an image hosting website is a better way to post images in the forum, especially if you enclose it in image tags so that it will display ... like so:

[IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/rjjyva.jpg[/IMG]

Very pleased we managed to get out of that little predicament, and get the Windows system back up and running. Good luck for the future!

This post has been edited by AustrAlien: 22 January 2012 - 05:56 PM