Broken AspireOne

Really need some help here.

I have a Aspire one AOA150 with XP installed.
For some reason had a bright idea to install linpus Lite & dual boot

So used the Acer eRecovery to wipe XP and give a clean install.
Burnt Partitianed the disk so 1st partition was the Acer stuff, then the linux swap file, then windows, then Linux.
installed the linpus lite image, then added linpus to the boot.ini using bootpart - This is where I went wrong. I put in the wrong command line I think.
Restarted the machine and after POST I just have a flashing curser in top left of screen nothing esle.

So tried the ALT & F10 to get into eRecovery and this tries to format the 2 Gig swop file i put in not the 80 gig windows partitan, so this fails and restarts it now says
NTLDR is missing, press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.

This just takes me back to POST.


Help don't know what to do.

 

A lot of times you see the NTLDR is missing error is because the MBR doesn't find NTLDR where it should be. Possibly the MBR is looking for your Windows partition where your Linux Swap partition is. This could also be why eRecovery is trying to format the Linux Swap partition.
I would try is to delete the Linux Swap partition and resize the Windows partition with the unallocated space using a livecd/usb that contains Gparted and then see if eRecovery works. I haven't used it before so I'm not familiar with its mechanisms.

 

Thanks m4xr8d

anybody any idea of how this can be done?

 

got that Gparted working
at the moment I have deleted the swop file and moving the 77.82Gb to the left and growing to 79.82GB.

Taking ages.

 

Update on this.

Have deleted the swop file and then run eRevory to copy windows file over all goes nicely.

This has been done as usual

When turning comp on it gets past POST and just stops with curser flashing in top left corner with the HDD access light flashing. This stays like this for hours. tried reinstalling the eRecovery and no difference.

I wonder if it is because I have left the linux partitain at the end of the disk?

 

linux partitain completely gone, but no boot.

Any ideas anybody?

 

Try booting into safe mode and run

Code:

fixmbr

this will restore the windows:twisted: mbr and erase the Linux mbr. Then it should be oke.

 

I can't boot into anything. unless I can run safe mode off memory stick.. if so then how can i run fixmbr?

 

There are a number of ways to fix the MBR, google will locate them quickly.

But Master Boot Records repaired in the normal manner will not longer have access to the eRecovery partition. This is because the AOA has a special MBR which allows access to the recovery functions with "F10" key during post.

Just so you are aware if you want access to your data the normal MBR repair will work, but eRecovery will not.

This post links the files to rewrite the eRecovery MBR. viewtopic.php?f=61&t=13696&hilit=erecovery

 

Thanks Jerry

The link you posted is to restore the mbr files from within windows or need to make the pdservice visible from windows.

If I boot to the cmd prompt using a usb stick, how can i then add the files you have put to the mbr?

Sorry If I am being dim, I have never touched a mbr before.

 

Do you need access to what is on the hard drive? Then try any MBR instruction you find by google. But D2D eRecovery will be broken until you use the files I linked too, from within Windows.

If you don't need access, then you should restore from the recovery disks.

If you want someone to fix the problem for you, PM me.

 

Jerry et al

Thanks for all your help.

Before I deleted the linux partitians using Gpartitian. However i left the Acer windows partitian.

Because all my data had been lost I thought what the hell, and deleted the Acer partitian and recreated it, then used the eRecovery to copy windows files.

Because the partitian was new this must have forced the eRecovery to recreate the MBR.

and now gets into windows woohoo. Going through installing all my crap again

Thanks for all your help
Tim.