Linux

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Removing GRUB when I can't boot to DOS

0 helpful
8 replies

by braddles

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have an old Pentium MMX with Windows 98, Windows 2000 SP4 and Linux (Mepis 3.3) partitions. I was using GRUB for the boot menu, which then step to the Windows boot menu.
I deleted the linux partitions with Windows Disk Management. Of course when I rebooted, I got a GRUB error 17.

I problem is that I can't boot to this PC! I've tried boot floppies and CDs but GRUB always gets there first and fails:

Verifying DMI pool data...
GRUB loading Stage 1.5.

GRUB loading, please wait...
error 17

How do I workaround GRUB?
Alternatively, if I attach the HDD to another PC, I guess I could run fdisk /mbr from there, right?

8 replies

by 93961

You had windows 98 in the system. If there is a windows 98 bootable floppy available with FDISK copied into the Floppy then boot from the floppy and at the command prompt run the command "fdisk /mbr" and just that but nothing else. The GRUB prompt will go on next boot from the HDD.
Best of Luck.

by braddles

The problem is that I can't BOOT anything. GRUB is coming in so early that it beats the first boot device that I specify in BIOS.
I reset the CMOS, but even that hasn't worked.
I now have the drive connected to my Windows XP box. I have backed up the two windows partitions. I'm getting ready to reformat the drive, but will reformatting update the master boot record?

Is there any other way to write to the MBR? FDISK isn't included in XP and the Win98SE version won't work under XP.

by braddles

One problem was the old IDE cable connecting my DVD drive asn't working, so there was no other boot device.
I booted to a Win2k CD. I tried the recovery console and FIXBOOT and the repair function to examine the boot sector. Neither process worked.
I have booted to a CD version of Mepis 3.3. Is there a way to fix the MBR from here?

by braddles

Silly me!
Somehow I found FIXBOOT but didn't see FIXMBR in the recovery console.
FIXMBR worked.

This discussion is closed to new replies.