Ubuntu
grub2 package

[Boot direct Windows] Unable to reboot on XP / Ubuntu dual-boot system

Asked by Damon Tam

I have installed the latest Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on my HP notebook which was using XP for a long time. The installation was sucessful and I managed to boot into Ubuntu without any problem. However, after I boot into XP and then reboot again, I got the following message:

no module name found.
Aborted. Press any key to exit.

After pressing a key, I got a message saying that the disk is not bootable (can't remember the exact wording). After that, I cannot start my notebook at all.

I then reinstall Ubuntu again. The same thing happened again. It looked to me that, as soon as I boot into XP, the boot record is somehow corrupted.

Here is some more information about the installation:
- Original partition before the first installation of Ubuntu: /dev/sda1 => 89G for XP, /dev/sda2 => 11G for HP's recovery partition
- The installation program reduce the XP partition as follows:
    /dev/sda1 => 66G XP
    /dev/sda5 => 22G Ubuntu
    /dev/sda6 => 1G swap
    /dev/sda2 => 11G HP's recovery partition (unchanged)

Any help would be appreciated.

Question information

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Ubuntu grub2 Edit question
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Solved by:
Gary M
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Revision history for this message
Mario Tomljenović (tomljenovicmario) said : 		#1

You probably made a mistake when you resized XP system partition. The partition was probably fragmented, and when you resized it, some files were probably deleted or corrupted.

You could try to repair Windows XP with XP installation CD. But if you succeed to repair Windows, you will probably not be able to boot Ubuntu. Than you will have to repair grub.

Try to repair Windows with installation CD first, and if you succeed it, we will give you further instructions.

Revision history for this message
Damon Tam (damon6502) said : 		#2

Thanks for your information.

I have already tried using the XP installation CD to repair but I got an error saying that no hard disk was detected. Also, before the installation, I've run "chkdsk /f" and defragment the hard disk using Norton.

However, there is no problem reinstalling Ubuntu and I'm using it right now. In fact, I can boot into XP and use it once. After that, when I reboot, I got the error as previously described.

Let me know if you need more information.

Revision history for this message
Ahmadi Anouar (ahmadi-anouar) said : 		#3

Hello!
Try "sudo update-grub" then restart your computer.
I wish that it solve the problem.

Revision history for this message
Best Gary M (garym) said : 		#4

There is a known issue with grub2 and software provided by various vendors with Windows, which might be your problem. See bug #441941, which I've linked to this question.

Revision history for this message
Damon Tam (damon6502) said : 		#5

Thanks Gary ! That was exactly my problem. I'm using HP nx8420. I'll follow that thread from now on.

Thanks Ahmadi too !

Revision history for this message
Damon Tam (damon6502) said : 		#6

Thanks Gary M, that solved my question.