In over My Head: WINDOWS WON'T BOOT!!! HELP!!

[keybowvio]

please help me:

I installed Suse.

Everything went like I thought it would, I partitioned the hd, and all, just shrunk te windows partition, did not delete it.

but...

when I wen't to boot up the pc:

1. grub loader loaded fine

2. suse opens fine

3. windows attempts to boot: the load in screen goes on and everythiing but...
about a quarter way through the loading windows fails, the computer restarts and I am brought to the grub loader loader screen again.


Just to be sure that there really was a problem, and that this wasn't just a once in a lifetime occurance that just happened to of happened right after I installed a new operating system. I tried to boot windows agian. This time a got a screen that says something like:

"we apologize to inform you but an error occurred while booting windows..."

I am then given the option to:

boot windows in safe mode

bot windows according to the last settings that worked
or..
boot windows normally.

do I need to use my backup cd to reinstall windows?


please help!!!!!!!!!!1

[Gecko]

Are you able to boot windows into safe mode?

Also do you get any windows error messages?

[keybowvio]

I get the windows screen:

we apologize for the inconvenice but an error has occucred during the last boot
this might be due to a hardware or software change
please choose:

boot into safe mode

boot according to the last configuration that worked

boot windows normally

I have tried to boot into safe node, maybe I'm doing it wrong, click on "boot into safe mode" and then press enter?

[keybowvio]

I looked at the windows xp forum and saw a sticky on recovering from an unsuccecful installation of sp2. It shows how to get windows to boot to a stable condition and then to uninstall the service pack.

Could I do that but instead of unistalling the sp2, delete the hd partition?
Would it be the same procedure?

please help

[Gecko]

I don’t think the partition is the problem.
I think that something for windows was corrupted or removed by the Suse partitioning/install.

You can reinstall (in place upgrade) windows by booting from your windows xp cd.
At the Welcome to Setup screen press enter, press F8 to agree with licensing
Make sure your current windows installation is selected and press the R key.
Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to reinstall Windows XP.
After you repair Windows XP, you may have to reactivate it and redownload all the updates.

[keybowvio]

will this replace my data on my hd?

[Gecko]

No, no data will be lost the only thing that will be gone are your XP restore points.
All your programs, registry and data will be intact, you might have to reinstall your anti-virus if it's Norton.

Also as I said you will have to reactivate XP and run XP updates from MS.

[keybowvio]

I'm not sure that I have a windows xp cd, just the Gateway system recovery cd that came with my pc, Can I still just REPAIR my installation, instead of REINSTALLING it?

I read somewhere that with the pc company maufactured cd, you can only reinstall wndows, not repair, is this true:?:

also...
i dont have that pc connected to the internet, so...
no updates, no antivirus, no hassle.

p.s.
thanks for your continued posting I appreciate it, and also thank you for helping me without an attitude, many forums have a bunch of "elite" and experienced users that just pick on the questions asked by newbies, thanks.

[Gecko]

[keybowvio]

I think I get it, do the recovery on the Suse partition, then from windows I will be able to access the data on the other partition?
that's where I get a little lost. I don't need to know now, and i know this is the linux forum, but..

how would I access the data on the other partition?

thanks

[Gecko]

Once the new windows is installed into the suse partition that will become C drive:
(you are going to want to select the suse partition and format it to NTFS on the install)
The original windows install will be on your drive D
Just go to My computer and you will see your old windows as drive D

[keybowvio]

how will I know which partition tol install it on, will it say womething like: Overwrite suse partition, are you sure?
or will it just be some random code, that will leave me guessing as to whiich partition has windows on it and wich one has suse on it?

[Gecko]

You will know what partition by the size of the partition and by it number.
The windows partition will be listed as NTFS and should be the larger partition listed as disk0 partition1.
The suse partition should be a logical extended partition listed as disk0 partition2.

[keybowvio]

back a little while ago, "depending on how your recovery cd works"
so,theres like a 50/50 chance that it will work and a 50/50 chance that it won't?

do you by any chance have a phone number? you know, talk me through the whole proccess

[Gecko]

I would say less than 50% chance that it will work from the Gateway restore CD.

You might have better luck trying to save your data through Suse but I’m not sure you can.
I have never run Suse so I cannot say for sure but most likely you can mount the NTFS partition.
Then it would be a matter of copying your data to the suse partition and then run the restore cd.

As for a number please check you pm.