Error 21_ windows XP wont boot

[erabyss2]

When I try to boot my notebook I get:
GRUB loading Stage 1.5
Grub loading, please wait....
Error 21_


I have spent all day googling this error. It sounds like it should be an easy problem to fix. I just dont have the tech skills to understand what how to fix it. Can somebody either point me towards a site that explains how fix this in a simple step by step, or help me figure this you.

So far all I have learned is:
This happened because I was trying to create a duel boot using my external drive. That some how messed up something, in the bios, my windows boot drive, the registery, idk. The only thing I can find are links to forums with every forum offering up a little different answer.

what I can make out if it, is "grub" is something that tells my computer where to go to get the info it needs to boot into an OS. My grub got lost and my computer doesnt know where to go.

How can I put it back on track?

Thank you for your help.

Maybe this will make everything more clear. Again I thank you for any help you can offer.


My computer's hard drive and dvd-drive broke, and HP is 'lost' my warranty. Being the genius that I am, I get this great idea. Ill use my office computer to install OpenSuse on my external hard drive. That way I can use which it out with my non-working hard drive.

My notebook is an HP, my office notebook is a Toshiba. Needless to say me brilliant idea bit me in the ***. Now neither computer works. I am using a liveCD on the Toshiba trying to find some way to undo my damage.

1st of all the Toshiba does not support booting from a USB drive, but my HP does. Now when I turn it on I get this error:
GRUB loading Stage 1.5
Grub loading, please wait....
Error 21_

I have tryed to run my WindowsXP install disk, to repair the installation. But I dont have the Admin's password.
If I get the admin's password, would that solve my problem?

I have googled this, and visited many links. But I have not yet found anything that would be of use to me. I dont know too much about computers. Really all I know is how to repeat what people have shown me.

I hope you can help me fix this. Thank you for any assistance.

 

[eyeCpc]

When unplugging and then replugging the external drive back in that changed the boot configuration as well as which drive was seen by the bios as the default boot device. Go to the boot or boot order section of the bios and highlight the hard drives item. Then press the enter/return key to bring up the list of hard drives installed.

Once you are in the list the external drive will likely be seen at the top where you then highlight the XP drive and use the NumPad plus or minus key to move that to the top and exit+save the bios or press F10 to set that as default. If XP fails to load you then boot back up to the recovery console to use the Fixboot and Fixmbr commands.

This will remove Grub or the other loader from the mbr once the XP entries are corrected. Which distro are you trying to dual boot with there?

 

[erabyss2]

eyeCpc, thank you. Your responce is very easy for me to understand and follow.

I tryed to install OpenSuse on my external.

Its good to hear that I was sort of on the right track. Im not a techie, and was freaking out a little trying to fix this problem while taking as few risks as possible.

I have looked at the bios, and learned that this Toshiba does not allow booting from a USB device. My exteral never showed up on the listed harddrives. I will look again now that I have read your post. Much closer this time, now that I know what to do if I find something.

I tryed running the windows recovery console, but I need an Admin password. Ill get that tom.

Thank you for your help.

You said
"This will remove Grub or the other loader from the mbr once the XP entries are corrected."

Is there any possible way to do that manually thru a liveCD? If it is possible, how can I do it?
You know how it is; "I broke something." is always heard louder than "I fixed it."

 

[eyeCpc]

That's the problem! You will first need to replace the bad optical drive in order to be able to boot from the XP installation disk. Once logged on properly then you simply run one of the commands while both are recommended to see the XP boot information rewritten.

For an effective dual boot you would have to consider shrinking the XP primary down enough to see OpenSuse installed on a second partition where you could then see Grub or another boot loader installed. An alternative to seeing Grub reinstalled and using the legacy boot loader is one thing you might want to consider however. SDB:Booting Linux with the Windows NT/2000/XP Boot Manager - openSUSE

 

[EricB]

actually the mbr is a completely different thing when you write it to a usb drive. put a regular hdd in and reinstall your os to solve your problems

 

[eyeCpc]

actually the mbr is a completely different thing when you write it to a usb drive. put a regular hdd in and reinstall your os to solve your problems

erabyss2 is trying the dual boot on external hard drive not a flash drive there. But the main problem is being a temporary configuration subject to change at startup. Here I simply solved the Linux problem by tossing an old ide drive back in for Linux there.

 

[EricB]

erabyss2 is trying the dual boot on external hard drive not a flash drive there. But the main problem is being a temporary configuration subject to change at startup. Here I simply solved the Linux problem by tossing an old ide drive back in for Linux there.

???

isn't that what I said?

 

[erabyss2]

Now Im being told that this computer does not have an Admin password. I dont know if thats true, or if she just forgot what it was. I have tryed entering no password and made several attempts using other passwords she uses.

Is there a way to run the recover console without entering a password?

Wiping the hard drive and reinstalling Windows is NOT an option, unfortunately.

erabyss2 is trying the dual boot on external hard drive not a flash drive there. But the main problem is being a temporary configuration subject to change at startup. Here I simply solved the Linux problem by tossing an old ide drive back in for Linux there.

No what I was trying to do was:
I have 2 computers.
1) HP with a bad hard drive and optical drive. (under ADP warranty)
2) Toshiba that was fine before I messed it up.
I also have an external hard drive that I use for back ups.

My plan was to use the Toshiba to install OpenSuse on my external hard drive. Then swap out the HP's hard drive for my external hard drive. As a temporary fix while I sort out some problems Im having with HP over my warranty.

I want to thank you all for the help and advice yall have offered.

 

[EricB]

Now Im being told that this computer does not have an Admin password. I dont know if thats true, or if she just forgot what it was. I have tryed entering no password and made several attempts using other passwords she uses.

Is there a way to run the recover console without entering a password?

Wiping the hard drive and reinstalling Windows is NOT an option, unfortunately.



No what I was trying to do was:
I have 2 computers.
1) HP with a bad hard drive and optical drive. (under ADP warranty)
2) Toshiba that was fine before I messed it up.
I also have an external hard drive that I use for back ups.

My plan was to use the Toshiba to install OpenSuse on my external hard drive. Then swap out the HP's hard drive for my external hard drive. As a temporary fix while I sort out some problems Im having with HP over my warranty.

I want to thank you all for the help and advice yall have offered.

i don't know much about linux, but if it's like xp, you can't install it to a external hdd then put the external into the internal spot and load xp because the usb part of the external and the ide part of the internal are 2 completely different interfaces. it not even the same kind of hardware.

I been there done that

Please tell me that you understood what i just said

 

[erabyss2]

i don't know much about linux, but if it's like xp, you can't install it to a external hdd then put the external into the internal spot and load xp because the usb part of the external and the ide part of the internal are 2 completely different interfaces. it not even the same kind of hardware.

I been there done that

Please tell me that you understood what i just said

Your right. I know that fact first hand now.