Killed windows?

[tzirtzi]

Hi! This is only half a windows question, as it's linux that has done the damage. I'm not much of an expert, so bear with me...

I was aiming to install Mandriva Linux and dual boot with my existing Windows XP. I had two 250gb hds - one had a 20gb partition on which windows was installed and nothing else; the other was split into two roughly equally sized partitions with all my data. I downloaded mandriva, wrote it to a dvd and booted the computer - I was expecting just to check what partitions it suggested and then boot back into windows so as to do the partitioning myself. It asked me something to do with RAID and I clicked yes as I wasn't entirely sure what it was asking but assumed that it wasn't actually doing anything (yes, a stupid approach...). I then got to the partitioning section and it offered just to use the existing free space on the drives - as there was a separate option to install on the unused space on a windows partition, I assumed that this meant that it would only use currently unpartitioned space. As it sounded a safe option, I decided just to let it do the partitioning after all and selected this option... Only to be instantly given some error messages and returned to the previous screen. So, going back to my original plan, I clicked custom partitioning so as to check what it suggested - only, what it displayed was a 10gb windows partition and the whole of the rest of the 490gb taken up by linux partitions. Now, when I try to start into windows, it just restarts before reaching the login screen (sometimes with a blue-screen-of-death-type-screen displayed very very briefly) - and the option on the mandriva disc to install on existing free space has gone.

So what have I done? Have I inadvertantly told Mandriva to delete all of my old partitions or something? What should I try?

Thanks!

[Alan2273]

My suggestion to your stuation would be to download something like Knoppix and use GParted to resize the Windows partition and then put your XP disk in and repair the MBR.

That should get you back into Windows.

You can also use GParted to partition your drive so if you want to install Mandriva again you will know what partition to use.

If you have never used GParted I suggest you have a look at this link, it explains the process better than I could.

http://www.howtoforge.com/partitioning_with_gparted

[Scarecrow Man]

If you think you've deleted a partition, in addition to GParted (which I also recommend) you may also want to have a look at TestDisk.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

[tzirtzi]

Thanks very much for your replies! I've organised to get the windows disc I used tonight, so I will try these programmes then. To clarify: I use GParted in a live linux distro like knoppix (could I use ubuntu as I already have a copy?) to resize the windows partition and then my windows disc to recover the MBR - as I understand it, this would recover information about how the disc was partitioned, but if (as may be the case - I'm not sure right now) Mandriva has also created new partitions over the top of where mine used to be, will this be possible? Anyway, assuming that that works, I can then use TestDisk to help with data recovery?

[Alan2273]

1/ Yes you can use Ubuntu but not Kbuntu as that does not contain GParted.Be sure to right click the drive and unmount it before you resize it.

2/Recovering the MBR just tells the BIOS where to find the operating system to boot from, it has nothing to do with the information on partitions.

3/Once you are back in Windows and have recovered your information the use Disk Management to format your other partitions to NTFS.

[tzirtzi]

Ah ok, thanks - hopefully I actually understand now, I'll have a go once I have my windows disc.