Windows borked linux

I've just re-installed my windows after failing to fix it, and everytime I do this it writes over the booty-thingy part (if someone knows the proper term please tell me) so now it just boots straight into windows instead of going into the screen where I choose which OS to use.

Is there a way to fix this without having to re-install suse?
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Master Boot Record (MBR) is what you mean. You need to reinstall the boot loader to the first sector of the boot partition or make a boot disk.

http://www.sorgonet.com/linux/grubrestore/

That's one of many sites explaining how to restore grub and I'm sure there are many on LILO as well.

So you installed suse before windows? Or the other way around?

Windows needs to be installed first; then you may utilize a secondary OS which should install it's own boot manager.

This might work too...

Right click My Computer >> Properties >> Advanced tab >> Settings button under startup and recovery >> Edit button

Then you can edit the Windows boot loader and add whatever you want.

I've never tried to add a linux or unix OS that way sooo let me know if it works or if it even can work

geekdw, there is supposedly some way to add a linux option to the windows bootloader, but imho its fruitless and completely not worth it :]


there is a suse specific way to restore the bootloader.
now that windows is installed, boot from the suse install cd/dvd as if you were going to install or reinstall it.
After the license agreement, you'll be prompted for an installation type. select "other" then "repair installed system"
In the options you're presented with you'll see entries for the master boot record (grub) and partition checks.
Select those and run the repair.
voila.. ding.. wham.. bam.. that good ol' grub is back in action >.<

@geekdw-I never knew you could get to the boot.ini that way, I've always gone through the command line and did cd\, attrib -a -s -h -r, edit boot.ini, and so on. This way seems a bit easier and quicker, thanks!

I just got finished my first Linux class, and the thing we learned was to "always" install Windows first, because it doesn't like other O/S's.

Windows is such an arrogant O/S!

BTW, I got an "A-" in the class, but I worked my ass off for it.

I think if I ever decided to go out and buy a copy of vista (yeah right...maybe when pigs fly) I will probably get vmware going on my linux machine then put the vista in that. That is another option, then you don't have to worry about which order you do them, either one will work. Or you could just do windows then linux, and format the entire thing and do linux then windows, just for the learning experience.

VMWare will be my next step too. I abandoned dual boot years ago in favor of separate machines.

start > run > msconfig, boot.ini tab ...not manually editable to add whatever you want, but it has options to do quite a few things

I use the msconfig all the time for taking stuff out of start up and what not, but I've never added that /NOGUIBOOT or /SAFEBOOT or whatever they say to the boot.ini, maybe if I get bored today I'll take an old junker machine out of storage here at work and see what happens.

just boots windows faster if you do /noguiboot by like 2 seconds. instead of seeing the "winblows" ..or "windows", rather with the green bar going across the screen you see a black screen and think something is fkd until the winlogon screen appears >.<
i think the safeboot just auto boots into safe mode

I think two separate machines with a KVM switch is probably the best bet. I do that, however, my Linux machine also uses a mobile hard drive dock. Docks can be had for about $25 or less, then your only other expenses would be another hard drive, and maybe another mobile dock tray for about $10 - 15. You can pick up a used hard drive for a Linux config for about $10.

I understand that some people might be constrained by budget, however, a lot of the people in my class who did dual boot had issues, and had to reinstall everything again. I got better things to do, although I do remember their pain in the past when I had Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 dual booted.