Restore your MBR for ReactOS [GRUB, LILO] Bug 2733 [Real HW]

[LinoSP]

Tutorial: Repairing the MBR for ReactOS

The story starts like this: I wanted to install ros in a hd where I had X/K/Ubuntu or "put your favorite distro name here", and I had to install Lilo or Grub, I deleted all the partitions, I've made a new one for ReactOS and I "suppose" the disk is clean, now that I have installed ReactOS I can't start freeldr… :’( T_T

In this tutorial we'll show you the 10 steps to recover and reinstall your Master Boot Record (MBR) in a disk that has already had GRUB or Lilo installed using Super Grub Disk, to be able to start later freeldr without any problem…


I don't know if it's a defect, a slip, a bug or incapacity of ReactOS but the point is that after having installed GRUB in a hd ReactOS can't replace the Grub's MBR. In this tutorial we'll learn to reinstall (so to speak) the Master Boot Record (MBR), to start FreeLoader without problems.

Details about Bug 2733 here

In some motherboards to start the PC from a CD/DVD you hit F8 or F11 to enter the menu where you choose where to boot from.

Anyway, you can also do it changing the boot sequence in the BIOS.

To enter the BIOS:
When you turn your computer on, hit DEL, other alternatives are Insert or F1, F2, F10.
Try to see where ‘Boot Sequence’ or ‘First Boot Device’ is

Download Super Grub Disk from here. Then burn it into a CD/DVD (rewritable preferably). You can do it with InfraRecorder.

Alright, let's work.

We boot the computer from CD/DVD, then we choose the options hitting ENTER.

1. “Super Grub Disk”


2. “Choose Language & Help”
Help is shown in a clear and simple language.


3. “English Super Grub Disk”


4. “Windows”


5. “Fix Boot of Windows” [“Fix Windows MBR”]


6. “Syslinux”


7. Choose your hard disk: [you'll recognize it by the size]

“1 hda sda (hd0) hd0 74GB”
“2 hdb sdb (hd1) hd1 8GB”

Where options 1 and 2 are your physical hard disks (not the partitions). If you have more HDs they will appear here.


8. After choosing the hard drive, SGD will show you:
“SGD has succeeded”


9. “Reboot P.C.”


10. Stop reading this tutorial and hurry up to remove the CD/DVD from the tray before the computer boots again from it.... xD

After this, we'll have the MBR ready to proceed with the installation of ReactOS without issues.

PS: Super Grub Disk is useful to recover GRUB after having installed Windows too.

Links:

Super Grub Disk official homepage
InfraRecorder official homepage

This Tutorial was originally posted by me in:
http://reactos.wordpress.com/2009/06/04 ... a-reactos/
http://reactos.wordpress.com/
Thx to gabriel_it for his translation .

[vicmarcal]

+1
Thanks

[Black_Fox]

Finally I can have ROS on real HW, thanks a lot!

[LinoSP]

I am very glad to see that my little contribution is useful 4 the ReactOS community

[brokndodge]

been using fixmbr from the winxp install disk, i'll try this next time i install reactos. thx

for burning cd's on windows i've always liked 'burn at once'. tho it's not gpl, it has always worked reliably for me.

[geirergoy]

It did not solve the problem for me.
After the Super Grub Disk said it had been successfull, I rebooted.

When the computer restarts, it goes like this:
"FreeLoader does not understand features of this EXT2/EXT3 filesystem."

What can I do?

[Lone_Rifle]

LinoSP, you are free to include this as a Tutorial in the wiki.

[gabrielilardi]

"FreeLoader does not understand features of this EXT2/EXT3 filesystem." - What can I do?

You need to wipe-out your disk, clean everything (partitions) not only the MBR. Repeat the cleaning procedure, and then reinstall ReactOS.

[hto]

Try the latest builds.

[LinoSP]

LinoSP, you are free to include this as a Tutorial in the wiki.

It is already added to the wiki.
Thanks to RideBMX for fix my BBcode

http://www.reactos.org/wiki/Repair_the_Master_Boot_Record