Computer reboots at startup

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Guest

I used to have Windows Vista and Windows XP installed on my computer, on
separate hard drives. I installed Ubuntu Linux over the Windows XP
installation. Every since then I am unable to boot into Windows Vista.I have
added a Windows entry to the grub boot menu, but when I select it the
computer will reboot. When I select Windows on the boot menu, is it trying to
load the Windows Boot Manager and since where Windows XP was installed there
is now Linux, it is trying to read the drive but can't handle the format and
therefore reboots? That's my best idea on what happened. I do have read and
write access to the hard drive with Vista on it. Thanks for any help!
 
Chougard said:
I used to have Windows Vista and Windows XP installed on my computer, on
separate hard drives. I installed Ubuntu Linux over the Windows XP
installation. Every since then I am unable to boot into Windows Vista.I
have
added a Windows entry to the grub boot menu, but when I select it the
computer will reboot. When I select Windows on the boot menu, is it trying
to
load the Windows Boot Manager and since where Windows XP was installed
there
is now Linux, it is trying to read the drive but can't handle the format
and
therefore reboots? That's my best idea on what happened. I do have read
and
write access to the hard drive with Vista on it. Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

That's because Vista puts its boot files on the first system drive, which,
dollars to doughnuts, was probably XP in your case. When you blew out XP,
it took Vista's boot files too.
 
So I would have to reinstall Vista?

Mark D. VandenBerg said:
That's because Vista puts its boot files on the first system drive, which,
dollars to doughnuts, was probably XP in your case. When you blew out XP,
it took Vista's boot files too.
Click to expand...
 
Well, unless you can get the boot files into the root of the first visible
system partition, yes. There are a few Windows compatible, third-party
software products (VistaBootPro and EasyBCD) that can help with this, but
with Linux installed things are more difficult, even the file system itself.
Perhaps, using a boot manager, you can hide all of the partitions except
Vista and then use the Vista DVD to do a startup repair. Then, the boot
files would be in the root of the Vista system and you could use the boot
manager to select which system to load a startup.

If you can not successfully restore the boot files, then yes, you would have
to reinstall Vista. Keep us posted.
 
Mark D. VandenBerg said:
Well, unless you can get the boot files into the root of the first visible
system partition, yes. There are a few Windows compatible, third-party
software products (VistaBootPro and EasyBCD) that can help with this, but
with Linux installed things are more difficult, even the file system
itself. Perhaps, using a boot manager, you can hide all of the partitions
except Vista and then use the Vista DVD to do a startup repair. Then, the
boot files would be in the root of the Vista system and you could use the
boot manager to select which system to load a startup.

If you can not successfully restore the boot files, then yes, you would
have to reinstall Vista. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...

"use the Vista DVD to do a startup repair"
Good suggestion Mark, I just hope he knows how to do it.
 
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