Help with booting openSUSE 11 and win XP

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

I will try and post my settings…first time here and a newbe to Linux

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc79595c1

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1            2048   354940927   177469440    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2   *   354942158   396885825    20971834   83  Linux
/dev/sda3       396885826   976768064   289941119+  83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders, total 312581808 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xb7854216

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *          63   146496734    73248336   83  Linux
/dev/sdb2       300495825   312576704     6040440    5  Extended
/dev/sdb3       146496735   188442449    20972857+  83  Linux

[gfxmenu (hd1,2)/boot/message

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.11-0.1
    root (hd1,2)
    kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.11-0.1-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_ST3160215AS_5RA2CPWY-part3 resume=/dev/sdb5 splash=silent showopts vga=0x31a
    initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.11-0.1-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.11-0.1
    root (hd1,2)
    kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.11-0.1-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_ST3160215AS_5RA2CPWY-part3 showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume edd=off x11failsafe vga=0x31a
    initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.11-0.1-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: windows 1###
title windows 1
    rootnoverify (hd1,2)
    chainloader (hd0,0)+1

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: windows 2###
title windows 2
    rootnoverify (hd1,2)
    chainloader (hd2,0)+1

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc79595c1

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1       22095   177469440    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2   *       22095       24706    20971834   83  Linux
/dev/sda3           24706       60801   289941119+  83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xb7854216

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1        9119    73248336   83  Linux
/dev/sdb2           18706       19457     6040440    5  Extended
/dev/sdb3            9120       11730    20972857+  83  Linux
/dev/sdb4           11731       18705    560

setup --stage2=/boot/grub/stage2 (hd0) (hd1,2)
quit/HTML]

I have 3 hard drives, had vista installed on sda,but had to get rid of it..XP is on sdc but can't open it..All my important files are there.

Thanks for any help you can give

floydsp
#2

So sda had Vista but it also has some linux partitions.

sdb is all linux?

sdc (not shown above) is xp

So which HD has grub to the mbr?

You could read here: Partitioning/Install Guide - openSUSE Forums

my xp looks like this in menu.lst

title WIN XP
map (hd0) (hd1)
map (hd1) (hd0)
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
chainloader +1

You don’t say if all the drives are internal. And you give us no info on sdc - except we know xp is on it.

If it were my box, I would start fresh. You don’t need to touch xp. But that’s just me, I would like to tidy it all up.
If xp is all alone and the mbr is intact, you should be able to boot it by switching to boot that drive first in your bios.
If your xp mbr is not there, then maybe your grub was written to it??
You can use your xp disc to restore mbr.
Just remember - don’t format your xp partition and all will be fine.

#3

I see this is your first post. Welcome!

I’m having trouble interpreting your data. Is this correct:
1: vista was on the first partition of the first drive but you deleted the files, or did you just format the drive?
2: Suse is on the second drive, in second place (sdb2)?
3: sd3 is a usb drive which wasn’t attached when you entered the command fdisk -l to list the data you presented here?
4: “XP is on sdc but can’t open” means that when you attach the drive sdc, you can’t boot to it? or does it mean that you can’t see the partitions on it when Suse is up and running?

That might get us a bit closer to understanding your problem.