[nappymonster]

hi all,
I have windows vista on an internal drive and ubuntu on my external; although they are dependant of each other. Unplugging ubuntu makes grub confused and you gives error code 21, and you can't then boot into vista or ubuntu. I also have a drive i've been trying to install leopard on.

So, as follows:
Computer: Samsung X50
Type: laptop
Ram: 1GB Of Ram
Motherboard:
-Manufacturer: Samsung Electronics
-Model: SX50S Revision MP
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies LTD
-Version 11ZA
cpu: Intel Pentium M 1.73ghz
Hard Drive:
-75gb internal running windows vista, formatted as ntfs.
-95gb external with nothing on it; just remenants of failed mac os X leopard installs, formatted as Mac os X extended (journeled)
-30gb external running ubuntu, formatted as ext3.


My problems:
-After i had installed ubuntu, whenever i booted into vista it told me that windows needs to be activated, and i had 30 days to do so. It counted down, and now it just says 0 hours. I've entered a new product key that MS gave us, but i'm still getting the 0 hour thing. This error may be caused by vista thinking it's an entirely new machine now ubuntu has cropped up.
-Vista decids to randomly reboot; often when i'm in the middle of something.
-Whenever i try to install something on vista, i get "invalid drive D:\" - or words to that effect. Drive D:\ would be the one ubuntu is on, but of course it's formatted as ext3, so it's not recognised in vista - so not sure why it's been labeled drive D:\

But the main issue is external hdds. I downloaded something in ubuntu, booted into vista, plugged in a drive, and it didn't show up. It think i may have plugged it in previously to this machine, but now it seemed to have completely killed it. No computer recognises it. This is our main external drive; 500gb, backups, music...

Then today i plugged in another drive to transfer some files, and it didn't show up in vista. "Driver install failed". Luckily this one still works with other computers.

On the bright side when i plug the first one in or unplug it, it does still make the familiar noises in vista. (ba-buh? describing noises in words is hard!)

Thanks,
Nappymonster