"error Loading Operating System"

I happily used knoppix 3.3 and 3.4 for a while now, so I decided to make a 3rd partition and install SUSE9.1 personal.

• Primary - for windows (37 Gb)
• Extended - for data (38 Gb)
• Unalocated for Suse (6 Gb)

This all functioned pretty well, I installed Suse and even installed some drivers. But when I rebooted to startup windows, it went through grub and I selected windows, but then the system frose with only: "windows loading..." on the screen.

Since it is the machine of my GF, I need windows, so I used FIXMBR from my windowsXP setup cd to fix it. But then when it started it returned: "Error loading operatingsystem".

So I reinstalled Suse with LILO but this problem persisted (only when I start windows). I even dumped my WINDOWS-XP-immage on the primary partition, but this dint fix anything.
My guess is it has something to do with the boot-sector or with windows having difficulty with the fact that SUSE is installed to a second active partition.

Allthough Linux is doing great, it's the computer of my GF and she needs Windows, so I'm really stressed out here because I "crashed" her computer. Can anyone please, PLEASE help me (I have my most important data backupped, the extended partition holds some data I'd rather not loose, and I have a Symantec-ghost-immage of the c-partition with a fully workable system).

Wimmel

P.S. I read on another forum that a low-level format could do the trick, but that should be the final option.

And what do you guys think of this?: Microsoft support

Can you still boot into Suse?

Yes I could, Suse runned with no problems, I could even mount to the C:windows and the D:data!

But my problem has been solved!
I have the happy announcement that after 24 hours of stress and a lot of sweat I read on this forum somewhere that the BIOS-HD configuration should be on LDA. I did that and Windows runs again

What is this LDA?

But please stand by... because Im doing it all over again so there could be some more questions. I MUST have linux because I want to learn more about this great system!

Wimmel, the LINUX n00b

It's actually LBA...Logical Block Addressing.

You can read about it here.

Ah thx, I read and learned

But the thing is now that something seems wrong with partitioning. In windows when I startup Partitionmagic8 it states that there are partitions which are not made by the file-systems it knows.

I am trying with YaST to correct this... Ill keep you updated.