[chris200x9]

hi on my other commputer I partitioned my harddrive aand installed xunbutu and I cant get windows back! and I cannot connect to the internet in xunbuntu because I cant figure out how to set up my dial up internet connection and really need windows back!!!! plz help!

aany help will be much appreciAated thanx in advance

[Headrush]

What do you mean by go back?

Did you install over the Windows OS?
Did you install Linux in a different partition?
Doesn't the Linux bootloader show your Wndows installation if you didn't install over it?

Please explain what you did and want to do a little clearer.

[Headrush]

If you didn't erase windows and it still exists on a partition, you need to remove the Linux bootloader (GRUB or Lilo).

The easiest way is boot the Windows XP CD, go to recovery console, and run fixmbr

[saikee]

Or amend Grub or Lilo the boot loader to boot Windows as well, assuming you haven't installed Linux on top of Windows.

[GripS]

Originally Posted by saikee

Or amend Grub or Lilo the boot loader to boot Windows as well, assuming you haven't installed Linux on top of Windows.

Saikee you are a linux wizard IMO. I have read your guides and find them very informative. However you assume the original poster knows how to do this which i can probably guarantee he/she does not.

Let's get you booted into windows the way I know how. 1.Insert your windows installation CD. 2.When the setup screen appears tap 'F10' a couple of times(this will put you right into the recovery console in a couple minutes). 3. You will be asked which installation you want to boot. If you see Windows listed your install should be safe!! If not then you probably nuked it. If windows is still on there you should see something like '1. C:\Windows'. Enter '1' to the prompt and hit enter. 4. At the command prompt type in 'fixmbr'. It will ask you if your sure and give you some type of warning. Hit 'Y'. 5. Remove windows install CD and reboot. Now you should be back in windows.

Maybe Saikee will show you an easier way of just editing Grub to boot windows as well...

edit: Heh i knew i forgot something. When you select the windows install in step 3 above you will need the administrator password.

[saikee]

In the last link of my signature

Task B1 shows how one can restore XP by a bootable DOS floppy

Task B2 shows the same but using XP installation CD, same as Grips suggested.

To edit Grub or Lilo is also dead easy. On any non-bootable Linux just use a Linux Live CD, boot it up and opt for superuser (by typing "su") to get root privileage.

Grub's configuration is always stored in /boot/grub/menu.lst
Lilo's equivalent is stored in /etc/lilo.conf

One just mount the Linux partition and edit one of these two files, save the file and then reboot. For Lilo there is a complication that one must issue the "lilo" to recomplie the boot loader and that the user normally needs to change-root into the affecting partition.

I use vi for editing as it is available in every Linux.

In the case of the original poster xubuntu is avilable and presumably bootable then it is just a matter of editing its /boot/grub.menu.lst and make sure it has these lines for booting Windows, which I assume to be the first partition of the first hard drive or (hd0,0) in Grub's term

title My Windows in 1st partition of 1st disk  
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

Just don't forget root privileage is needed to amend a Linux system file which is far better edited in the terminal mode.

Grub counts from 0 so the 1st disk is (hd0) and its 1st partition is (hd0,0)