Linux Urgent - Win 8 has overwritten bootloader on Linux hard disk

singenaadam

singenaadam

Level H
I have 2 hard disks.

One of them with W7 had failed. I had installed Mint on the 2nd HDD. Everything was OK. On the failed HDD the partitions & data were visible & accessible from Mint.

Today I thought of installing W8 on the failed HDD. Selected the 500 GB OS partition during install (500GB with clear label as OS_7). W8 got installed.

I dont know how it happened but, in the process it loaded the bootloader in the Linux hard disk. Linux is not booting up. W8 is not working. I have disconnected the 500GB HDD. The Linux with the 2nd HDD is not booting up as the bootloader is of W8, even after a 2nd install of Mint on the same (2nd) HDD.

Kicking myself or not disconnecting the 1TB HDD when trying the W8.

How to get Mint to start without the W8 startup error?

How to get the 1TB HDD back on line?? It is not getting mounted in Mint. I am right now running the PC off the LiveDVD.

PLEASE HELP.
 
No. Somehow the W8 bootloader got into the healthy 1TB HDD where the Mint is actually installed.

I even installed Mint a second time. Disconnected the W7/8 HDD. So only one HDD with Mint is connected. But it seems the W8 bootloader got in the 1TB HDD instead of the selected 500 GB partition & is not allowing Mint to boot.

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Error message when I try to mount the 1TB HDD:

Unable to mount 1TB_BACKUP Etc:

Error mounting /dev/sda5 at /media/mint/1TB_BACKUP Etc: Command-line `mount -t "ntfs" -o "uhelper=udisks2,nodev,nosuid,uid=999,gid=999,dmask=0077,fmask=0177" "/dev/sda5" "/media/mint/1TB_BACKUP Etc"' exited with non-zero exit status 14: The disk contains an unclean file system (0, 0).
Metadata kept in Windows cache, refused to mount.
Failed to mount '/dev/sda5': Operation not permitted
The NTFS partition is in an unsafe state. Please resume and shutdown
Windows fully (no hibernation or fast restarting), or mount the volume
read-only with the 'ro' mount option.
---------------------------------------------
I am scared of loosing data if change anything else now.
 
You are able to boot from live DVD right? why not connect a USB hard disk and back up everything and then proceed towards a fresh install
 
Try repairing the installation via Linux Mint DVD on the linux mint Hard disk. Be sure to take an image back up first.
I think what has happened is Windows boot loader is replaced by GRUB, so mint isnt booting. And as you have disconnected the windows 8 installation hard disk, it isnt booting too.

Try this tutorial for re-installing GRUB
http://www.faqforge.com/linux/resto...er-windows-installation-on-multi-boot-system/

Again, take image backup first.

You could also try connection both hard disks as they were and then booting into windows to see if it works
 
Last edited:
@vaibhavyagnik
I thought of the same thing! Tried it out, Windows booted. Changed the power button settings, since I was "in", did a defragment of the OS partition. Shutdown. But Mint is still not starting, so booted from LiveDVD and got back my 1TB HDD:)
I need the PC not to be disturbed for a couple of days. I will try the boot repair (downloaded the CD image) after that. Will post feedback.
Probably, I will go for the simpler option of a reinstall of Mint.
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One thing I (had to) notice when I was in W8, the partition (~500GB, one of the two of the 1TB HDD) was not visible at all. It was as if it never existed. But, it is perfectly normal in Mint, am able to access/transfer/read/write etc. Any idea how I can get it back in W8?
 
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