A few days ago, I
decided that it was time for a reformat of my dual-boot Windows/Linux
computer. The Windows installation was becoming very sluggish and
unresponsive. As is common, I have no idea why - one day it was
working fine, the next day the mouse pointer would hardly move.
Typical!
So I get all the discs together with my "trusty"
Windows Vista restore disc, Windows 7 upgrade, and Linux Mint 9
installation DVD. What happened next has to be a one-off. The events
couldn't have been imagined.
First, I backed up all important data (I had to use Linux to scrape the data from the Windows partition because, as I said, the mouse pointer would barely move in Windows.
Next, the reformat and restore:
The restore disc loaded and trundled on it's way. Of course, Windows just has to gobble the whole disc, so I couldn't save my Linux installation. Everything had to go. The installation of core Windows files and operating system went smoothly, then it asked for the driver disc. That's when the fun and games started. All seemed to go smoothly until the final reboot.
As the computer started to reboot, I prepared to download service pack one for Vista in order to upgrade to Windows 7. I didn't even get that far. On the final reboot the system failed. All I got was a black screen (not even the annoying courtesy of the “blue screen of death”) with the message;
disk does not existGrub recovery>>
Flummoxed, I did what anyone else would do. I pressed “enter” a few times, swore for a while, then tried to type in dos commands like “cd c:/” “exit” and, when that didn't do anything, “sod it”.
So, I thought that something had gone wrong with the installation (which it had – BIG TIME) and decided to have another go.... and another go... and another go... After the requisite swearing, cursing and stamping of feet, I sat down and had a think.
The installation had almost completed – Windows files were loaded, all it needed was drivers, so... something must have gone wrong with the bootloader! Now, I'm no expert but I do know that when you install Linux alongside another operating system, it creates it's own bootloader and boot menu.
“Hmmm...” thinks me, “Maybe if I install Linux Mint, it will allow me to boot into the (almost) complete Windows installation”, So I inserted my Linux Mint 9 installation disc, rebooted and … the system failed to see the disc, tried to boot into Windows, then the same message. “Shit!”.
After stamping around for a while, I remembered that I had a copy of Linux Mint 10. I use Mint 9 because, for some reason, 10 doesn't install my wireless drivers but all I wanted to do was get the system working! Inserted Mint 10 and it began to load. “Happy Day!”.
After Mint 10 had loaded, I click “install mint” and it detected the (failed) Windows installation. I clicked “install alongside another operating system” and let it go. It worked! After installation, I was presented with the boot-options screen and booted into Windows to try it out. Everything worked fine, so I continued to stage... (I lost count).. upgrading to Windows 7.
I had, of course forgotten that Windows 7 installs it's own bootloader and, true-to-form, it wiped out the Linux boot-menu. So, I was left with half the hard disc (the Linux partitions) inaccessible. (Oh I forget – Windows 7 installed without errors).
So, I tried to install Mint 9 again. Damn, still not detecting the disc, so back to Mint 10. It didn't give the option to “install alongside another operating system”, so I had to manually delete the Linux partitions and reformat them. It took a while to figure out what to do, but I got there in the end. I now had a dual-boot system with Windows 7 and Linux Mint 10. Not a happy bunny. 10 doesn't allow me to use my wifi.
So, after another brainstorming session, I decided to examine the Mint 9 disc. Yup, the ISO was there, but it wouldn't boot. The cogs turned again in my head. “Rewrite the ISO to another DVD” I thought. So I did... and BINGO! It booted up and I could remove Mint 10, install Mint 9 (having to manually remove and reformat the Linux partitions) and -13 hours after starting - I am back to having my beloved dual-boot Windows 7 and Linux Mint 9 computer with fully working wifi on both installations.
Whew!
It took about 1/2 hour (the following day) to install updates for Linux and I'm still installing updates for Windows almost three days later.
John
