Ubuntu

Choice of XP or Ubuntu at turn on but Ubuntu does not open!

Asked by Hal Ethridge

I installed Ubuntu on a removable hard drive. Now when I turn on my laptop it gives me a choice of Windows XP or Ubuntu! If I select Ubuntu it gives me an error message regardless ofif I have the external hard drive hooked up or not! If I select XP it goes directly to XP with no problem! If I do not select either XP or Ubuntu, after a few moments It goes to XP! How can I remove the choice so it goes to XP normally without showing an Ubuntu choice? I really don't want to ferormat my hard drive?
Help,
Hal

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Bhavani Shankar (bhavi) said : 		#1

Hello

Reinstall grub to mbr again from live cd

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=224351

Also see:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RecoveringUbuntuAfterInstallingWindows

Regards

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peter b (b1pete) said : 		#2

hello Hal Ethridge,

- first, win ALWAYS wants the MBR and write its boot to it - that's the way it is built - otherwise will not install
- second, if you want to have win as the DEFAULT boot WHEN THERE ARE OTHER OS's installed (such as ubuntu), I'm afraid that you MUST use a 3rd party boot manager that will allow you to do that

now, I understand that you already installed ubuntu and grub (ubuntu boot loader default) CAN NOT boot into it --> it comes down with errors and the system defaults to windows and boots off MBR as stated above (obviously win was installed FIRST)

in this condition you MUST first make a decision --> can you accept grub as the default boot loader with the option to boot into win ? or can not ?

if YES, then at ubuntu install time GRUB MUST ALWAYS be installed to ubuntu / partition NEVER TO MBR WHICH IS THE DEFAULT --> the install process/procedure gives you that choice -IT MUST BE USED.

if NO, then you'd have to endeavour to find a third party boot mgr that will allow win boot to be the default and grub is the second option.

hope this clarifies and helps.

peter b

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