Windows 7 and Fedora 16 Dual Boot Issues...

[joshuaegclark]

So I wanted to create a dual boot with the latest Fedora (16) and my current Windows 7 installation. I installed the desktop iso (3.5gb) from a usb drive and in my inexperience with non-windows operating systems, must have messed something up bad.

At first, no OS would load up, never got an option for Fedora and Windows failed to load. Then marked the partition as active and grub loads up. Fedora boots and works fine. I can even see the files from my windows installation.

But Windows 7 still won't load when I try to load it from grub. I have a recovery disk and when I try to boot from it to fix the MBR (by using Bootrec.exe /fixmbr from the recovery console) it doesn't recognize any operating systems. I tried using Bootrec.exe /fixmbr from the console and it didn't seem to do anything. Also, Startup Repair doesn't do a thing either, just says it can't fix the computer automatically.

Also, I've seen that the fdisk -l output is usually asked for, so here it is:

[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

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
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xf2b66014

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1              63        2047         992+  42  SFS
/dev/sda2            2048      409599      203776   42  SFS
/dev/sda3          409600   889909247   444749824   42  SFS
/dev/sda4   *   889909248   976771119    43430936   83  Linux

I appreciate any insight that can be offered as I'm completely inexperienced in both dual-booting and the use of linux operating systems.

[stoat]

I imagine GRUB's problem with Windows in this case is those type 42 SFS partitions. I don't really know though. And I also don't really know what they mean in relation to this situation other than what I can read about them when I look it up. One thing you can try that may work just as well is to restore the Windows boot loader and configure it to boot Fedora. There is a free and popular utility for that known as EasyBCD.

Now, about Bootrec.exe not working, I would try it again. But you also may need to use some other utility to change the active partition (aka "boot" in fdisk) back to the partition with the Windows boot loader files (probably /dev/sda1 in your posted fdisk list). The Fedora installer probably changed that, and it usually does no harm if you are using GRUB to boot both systems. But if you later decide to go back to the Windows boot loader, then that active partition flag has to be fixed, too. Windows will not boot directly from BIOS without it. GRUB doesn't really need it, but Windows does.

See, Bootrec.exe /FixMbr writes new bootstrapping code in the MBR, but I don't know if it will or can change the active partition once something else has changed it. That may explain why it appeared to do nothing. Some things that I know can change it are fdisk and GParted. Almost any Linux live CD will have fdisk and maybe GParted. And GParted comes in a live CD version (handy to possess anyway). The Fedora DVD booted into the rescue mode also can run fdisk.

No, promises. But this is my best guess, probably harmless to try, and what I would do in your shoes.