Grub error 22

[BlackIceRose]

I recently installed Linux onto a partition i set aside. I agreed to installed GRUB as it would make things easier to boot into windows. The problem arrised when i decided to uninstall linux. I thought i could just format the partition so i did. This then mean that when i booted my computer i got the message..

GRUB Loading stage 1.5

GRUB loading, please wait...

Error 15

It then sits there and i am unable to do a thing. I am unable to get to windows XP or far enough to start into recovery mode. So i though i would install Linux again and see if there was a different way of uninstalling it. I did and GRUB loaded fine so i was able to boot to windows. I then decided that a format and the deletion of the partition would erase everything. I did this and restarted only to have the same thing happen but now i get..

GRUB Loading stage 1.5

GRUB loading, please wait...

Error 22

Now because i have deleted the partition i cant install Linux to get back in to windows plus there is no Linux.

Thanks in advance.

[skybl4ck]

i think this should work..

boot into the recovery console using your windows disk.. and in the prompt type "fixmbr"

[BlackIceRose]

well i went into the recovery consol and type fixmbr but nothing happened and then when i rebooted the same problem.

Thank you skybl4ck for the attempt however

[markwolfe Veteran]

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=292614

I think that thread (in our HOWTO and FAQ area) will help.

[madd_matt]

try fixboot as well. Whats happening here is grub, the boot loader, is looking for your linux partition to load some files it needs, but its unable to find said files. Or something like that anyways.

You need to get your windows bootloader installed again -- i used fixmbr and fixboot to do it (not sure of the order though)

[someotherguy]

BlackIceRose,

I am having the same problem as you right now. First I thought inserting the Windows XP CD and repairing Windows would do the trick. But after setup copies the setup files and reboots, I would get the GRUB error again. So then I tried the Recovery Console (after searching Google for help). Of course, I had problems loading the Recovery Console as it wouldnt take my password. Then I read somewhere that the password is sometimes blank. Sure enough, it was, so now I was logged into the Recovery Console.

I tried "fixboot" first, same problem with GRUB. Then I tried "fixmbr" and then "fixboot" and it seems to be working! :) Of course, since I started the repair process for Windows, right now my PC is running setup again.

I sure hope after this everything works. Of course, I'll have to reinstall all the Windows Updates again, oh joy. *goes and searches for SP2 CD* :p

Hope this helps.

[zsejk]

Hey all,

I have sort of the same problem: I used to have a Windows XP/Linux install, on partitions made with gparted. I resized the Linux partition once without any issues. Smart person that I am I today decided to re-partition again and give all the disk space back to Windows XP. Of course you end up with the same situation as the original poster: no Linux partition, and a thouroughly confused Grub. Problem is: nothing can find my hard disk. Gparted can't, Slackware can't, Windows XP Install disk can't, etc. The only thing that was able to touch my hard disk was the diagnostic hard disk checker from within the BIOS menu (I'm sorry if that last bit is a bit unclear).

So, my problem boils down to: how to repair a MBR if no program that could do so can find your hard disk?

Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Thanks a million in advance...

:)

-zsejk

[markwolfe Veteran]

zsejk,

Boot your XP CD, go to its "recovery console" and do a fixmbr.

This will put the Microsoft MBP back in place. Right now, it is the MBR for GRUB, and it is looking for the partition that was just there, and that is what that error 22 is.

[zsejk]

zsejk,

Boot your XP CD, go to its "recovery console" and do a fixmbr.

This will put the Microsoft MBP back in place. Right now, it is the MBR for GRUB, and it is looking for the partition that was just there, and that is what that error 22 is.

Heya,

Thanks for the reply! I tried that, but then it says it can't find any disks. The only thing right now that seems to be able to pick up on my hd and the Windows XP partition thereon is SystemRescueCD.

:huh:

-zsejk

[zsejk]

Just for future reference: SystemRescueCD did the trick. I used the GParted that comes with it, and simply re-did the old partition scheme (the one I had been trying to delete before). Then I installed Linux again, and Grub was back to normal.

Of course I still don't have what I desired (which was a Windows only machine), but I guess I have Ubuntu to blame for that as it insists on installing Grub to an annoying place where Windows can't get to afterwards.

Anyway.

:)

-zsejk

[markwolfe Veteran]

Just for future reference: SystemRescueCD did the trick. I used the GParted that comes with it, and simply re-did the old partition scheme (the one I had been trying to delete before). Then I installed Linux again, and Grub was back to normal.

Of course I still don't have what I desired (which was a Windows only machine), but I guess I have Ubuntu to blame for that as it insists on installing Grub to an annoying place where Windows can't get to afterwards.

Anyway.

:)

-zsejk

Yeah... GRUB is evil, and explicitly hides itself from Windows.

Dude, it is a hard drive, and the MBR of it. This is read way before Windows or any other OS even is loaded for execution on your PC. It isn't hidden from Windows at all!

I am sorry that your XP CD would not work properly and said "it can't find any disks", but that wasn't Ubuntu that did that. When you boot your XP CD, you have Microsoft's mini-OS environment and your hardware. Ubuntu is just a bit pattern on the hard drive. It isn't screwing you over.

Anyway, glad you got it going again.

[houyin]

I'm facing this problem as well. But, i do not have the bootable disc. I have only the CD come with acer (recovery disc).

What can I do now?

[markwolfe Veteran]

Borrow an XP CD from a friend. Boot it and do the fixmbr.

Or download a Windows boot disk (Win98 is ok, and any other should be fine, too), and use the command fdisk /mbr (which is the old way of doing the "fixmbr", before XP).

Either of those will restore the default Microsoft MBR.

[virgo89]

Ok, so i wrote "fixmbr"

and then i got this long warning;

http://imagenerd.com/uploads/dsc00045BgAe.jpg

I'm not sure this is the right way, because Linux wasn't even installed on a new partition, it was installed on a new hdd itself.

So should i go ahead and create a new MBR?

[bolerodan]

Yes that error message is normal when you are doing that...

-Bolero

[Barney T. Administrators]

Ok, so i wrote "fixmbr"

and then i got this long warning;

http://imagenerd.com/uploads/dsc00045BgAe.jpg

I'm not sure this is the right way, because Linux wasn't even installed on a new partition, it was installed on a new hdd itself.

So should i go ahead and create a new MBR?

Correct. That message pops up every time you do this....... :yes:

[niurzgius]

Hello people

Im having the same problem as the guy above with a cd that came along with Acer laptop or PC.

So...

I'll try to borrow someones windows CD, but im not sure if ill find someone.

But where could i download 98 boot cd or smth like that?

will this help me? sounds like a boot thingy :s

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/thankyo...;displayLang=en

Edited July 11, 2007 by niurzgius

[markwolfe Veteran]

Not sure if that floppy boot set will include "fixboot" or "fdisk /mbr", but it can't hurt to try.

A borrowed CD would be best, but I am pretty sure that you can even use an old Win98 boot floppy to reset the MBR. Its not like Microsoft changes those 512 bytes very often.

[Fatkid636]

Hello people,

I would just like to say thanks to everyone! I had this problem and could not fix it (after deleting linux partition).

You guys saved me a lot of trouble, I had to register and thank you all.

Thanks agaan

[niurzgius]

Hello people,

I would just like to say thanks to everyone! I had this problem and could not fix it (after deleting linux partition).

You guys saved me a lot of trouble, I had to register and thank you all.

Thanks agaan

Good for you! Ech.. I'm nae that lucky. All I have is some kind shiat ACER windows installer. And I'm not sure if I could find a proper one.

[niurzgius]

I'll thank you too! So thank you! For all the information above. It worked as well as it was described. Except it was hard to understand a thing when the installation language was Russian :s But anyway I got it.

[yato inda]

Hi to all,

I have the same problem.

I deleted the 2 partitions of Kubuntu, and when I wanted to restart my Windows, I got the error.

Now, I tried everything you all said, but it won't work. My CD-ROM won't boot.

I've pressed F12 and pressed ENTER when CD-ROM was white, but nothing works.

My laptop:

Toshiba Satellite A100-510

Please help me. I'm getting very desperate.

Grtz Yato Inda

[markwolfe Veteran]

^^^ You installed a boot loader that pointed to your Linux partitions. Then you removed those partitions, and left GRUB in there, pointing to what no longer exists. That is why you have your current error.

To fix it, you need to boot your Windows CD and use their option to re-install the Microsoft MBR. If your CD won't boot, then you have a bad drive, bad media, or some other BIOS/configuration issue.

[yato inda]

And..., how do I solve that ???

Lol, now I removed my hard drive, so it HAD to boot from the xp cd. Then I quickly put the drive back in. Now, I said repair it. Now it is examining the hard drive. But there is no bar that says, 72% or so, no it just says: examining 57363 MB disk 0 at id 0 on bus 0 on atapi...

Edited August 16, 2007 by yato inda

[Cid the Coatrack]

Hello. I have been experiencing the same GRUB error as many of you. However, my situation seems to be... unique. Instead of XP, my laptop has Vista. I do not have any backup CD's or installation CD's for Vista because the OS came with the laptop (Windows is retarded like that). I have tried to bootleg a live Vista CD, but it has not loaded properly upon use, and so I assume the bootleg was faulty. I know the codes to use to restore the Microsoft boot program (bootrec/fixboot and bootrec/fixmbr), but I do not have the CD I need to be allowed to use those codes. Short of going out and buying a Vista CD (an option I do not want to pursue at any cost), what are my options? The bootleg I downloaded seems popular (as several different sites had the download link posted), but it has failed to work thus far.

For clarification, this is the error that comes up when I attempt to use the bootleg. If there is a way to fix this, I am all ears. However, I doubt that the solution to my problem will be that easy.

"Client Mac ADDR: 00 1B 38 10 8E f0 GUID: F8967E5D-114E-11DC-96E5-001B38108EF0

PXE: No boot filename received

Exiting PXE"

The bootleg live CD attempts this twice, and then reverts to the GRUB attempt.

If anyone has any advice on this, please help.