3 HDDs, 2OS and a grub error when 1 is gone!

[cyberman no3]

Hi All
My problem is this
I have ubuntu studio and win xp on my second comp and I want to take out the ubuntu hdd, reformat it and put another OS on it in my newer Win 7 comp.
However just removing the drive does no work as Grub seems to be on the removed drive :-( I have tried booting using a win XP bootable CD and going into the recovery console and have used both fixmbr and fixboot to try to correct the problem but whenever I boot without the ubuntu drive in it just tries to load Grub and gets to the stage below


Verifying DMI Pool Data .............
Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM : Failure ... (Coz there's no CD in there)
GRUB Loading stage1.5.

GRUB Loading, please wait...
Error 17


My Boot order in BIOS is CD, SCSI, IDE

1 x 18GB SCSI Drive (win XP)
1 X 320GB IDE drive for data/applications
1 x 250 GB IDE drive with Ubuntu Studio

I don't really want to lose the data and settings on the XP drive, I can disconnect the 320GB and not lose my data from that so no worries there. ANyone got any ideas as to how to proceed? I have various newer linux distros (bootable - mint, peppermint, leeenux,) and am not too afraid of terminal though editing in single user mode is still pretty scary.

All help and advice greatly appreciated

 

[lpmjames]

ok.. so on my recent build i ran into issues like this.. before i start.. 1st.. each is on a different independent drive .. correct? 2nd.. replace the ubuntu drive back into the original comp with xp init.. load xp and use easus partition manager to format the ubuntu drive from there.. you should be able to do this as (shoot in the dark) grub loads before xp correct.. so if the drive is in grub should load and wvallla.. eausus pm should be available in the techspot downloads.. also it will suspend the drives, restart the comp, and do the format and put everything in proper order.. now you should have a fresh drive available for the new comp.. get a win7 loader.. cause when you reinstall it on the new comp i would utilize it as a backup and install ubuntu in win7 like an application that way grub comes after the win7 loader and you wont run into this issue again.. (i should know i have 3os on my one comp.. xp/7/ubuntustudio).. lemme know how that works for ya

 

[Sharam]

The problem is not with the 2nd drive, he removed it and Grub still tried to load pointing to the fact that Operating Systems always put their boot/ load information on the Root drive, in this case the C:\ partition even though they themselves reside on another partition and /or drive.

The information pointing to UBUNTU from the main active boot partition has to be removed.

I hope your method does that

 

[lpmjames]

my method?.. it worked for me.. true its probably not the second drive but without getting too complicated its easier and more efficient to just replace it and do the eausus.. etc.. is there another method??? cause like he stated above.. fixboot / fixmbr dont work

 

[Sharam]

Sorry, by your method, I meant using the program you recommended which I have no experience with.


EDIT:

Another method since he just wants XP on that system before the upgrade would've been to manually remove all reference to UBUNTU from the main drive.

 

[Leeky]

I'd be removing the disk, then repairing the mbr instead.

Your way lpmjames, seems very long and overly complicated in comparison to just going to the source of the problem and resolving it.

Its not that the 2nd disk (Ubuntu) is missing as such, its that Grub is located on the boot sector of the primary (windows) hard disk - Over the top of the Microsoft boot loader.

 

[lpmjames]

:-( I have tried booting using a win XP bootable CD and going into the recovery console and have used both fixmbr and fixboot to try to correct the problem but whenever I boot without the ubuntu drive in it just tries to load Grub and gets to the stage below


Verifying DMI Pool Data .............
Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM : Failure ... (Coz there's no CD in there)
GRUB Loading stage1.5.

GRUB Loading, please wait...
Error 17

yea .. thats not working for him tho..

 

[Sharam]

Don't know what drives were attached when he tried, which drive is what as in master, active, which one has XP or the other ... like you said, instead of getting complicated hopefully "EASEUS Partition Manager" and your instructions work for him.

 

[cyberman no3]

thanks for input

booted with ubuntu drive in to load windows (on 18GB SCSI C:\) loaded easus partition manager to fix mbr on C:\ unplugged ubuntu drive and up popped XP. Thanks for help and advice, now I can see how much fiddling I can do with it in new comp.
Have a nice day everyone. Thanks again

 

[Sharam]

Thanks for reporting back and thanks to lpmjames for instructions.

Great job.

 

[lpmjames]

yea... ty.. glad it worked for ya...