Dualboot: Vista overwrites Grub

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hi,

I’ve just reinstalled my mashined and decided to install openSuse again, together with Vista.
First, I installed Vista and left 40gb space on my primary HDD for Linux - should be enough. Then I installed openSuse 11.1 x64, which works fine. Everything works normally, untill I start Vista again.
It seems like it overwrites Grub (or just the mbr), because when I reboot my pc after starting Vista, there’s no sign of Grub - Vista starts directly.

So I started searching on the net for a solution, and found one which uses the Vista Bootloader: How to dual-boot Vista with Linux (with Linux installed first) – the step-by-step guide with screenshots

but it doesn’t work. If i try to boot linux from NeoGrub, I get Error 2: bad file or directory type.

I also tried to repair Grub with the OpenSuse DVD, which doesn’t do anything - besides telling me everything worked and at the and I get a blue screen which tells me that something failed (not a bsod, looks like kernel panic screen or something similar). Also, if I use the repair system and try to boot the linux installation from there, it tells me that it can’t find one. So Vista starts fine, but I can’t access the linux installtion. The sticky thread ( Fixing vista multiboot with openSUSE - openSUSE Forums ) didn’t help my, too.

Does anybody have a clue how to get it working again? Back in the days when I was unsing XP it worked well that way, because Grub is a great bootloard (and that of xp isn’t), but it didn’t overwrite the mbr after a proper start.

My system specs (in case it helps):
Intel Core2Duo E6750
ASUS P5N-D Motherboard (nForce 750i SLI Chipset)
4x2GB DDR2 Ram
HDDS:
150GB WD Raptor (split into 100GB Vista, 40GB Linux, 2GB Swap)
2x750GB WD in Raid-0
400GB WD

#2

Boot your pc from Live CD, and then follow this tutorial:

Programming and Linux: Solution: Grub issues in opensuse with dual boot(XP,Vista)

Hope, this would help.

#3

I suggest booting into openSUSE and reinstalling the Grub bootloader. Then after that you might have to tweak the entry in the Grub menu for successful booting into vista but that’s easy and might not even be necessary.

So here are Five ways to boot openSUSE when Grub is broken.

Once you’re in, use the method in the appendix of that tutorial to reinstate Grub booting.

Then tell us if the boot into vista still works OK or needs the tweak.

#4

I tried this and it worked perfectly - I’ve rebooted several times (when installing a fresh windows it needed), and grub wasn’t overwritten a single time. Thanks =)

@swerdna: sorry, I didn’t try your solution, but the site is interesting, so I’ve bookmarked it =)
Also many thanks for fast help =)

#5

Glad to hear, it works for you.
BTW, swerdna is guru of these problems here. You will need his site next time in complicated situations.