Software issue. Linux mint not booting in blinking cusor in corner, need to get files off of the drive.

[Thanesh s]

So i went for a dual os on my old Dell insprion 530, it had windows vista which ran perfectly. I installed Linux mint 18.1 on a seperate hardrive and it stopped vista from working. I went on to linux and backed all of my data on the linux drive like an idiot (i should i have used an external drive of some sort) I did a fresh install of windows 10 on the vista drive and it works fine. Now i need the files i saved on the linux drive back but the PC won't boot to that drive anymore. I disconnected the win 10 drive in order to prevent anymore boot failures and problems with linux. I then installed vista on another drive to see if it would get triggered by linux again but it didn't this tells me that the linux partition won't work. The linux HDD doesn't show up in my computer in vista but its shown in disk management but i can't open it. I installed mint on a usb and ran it, I can the HDD but I can't acess user files, no option for password either.


Thanks in advance
Thanesh

 

[thebudman420]

You can reinstall the grub bootloader. There is an app for linux called fixboot. Load the live usb. download fixboot. It will then reinstall grub bootloader and should find your windows and add that to your grub bootloader.

 

[thebudman420]

I edited my reply and it didnt take so here goes a second try. First it is possible your linux partition and windows partition bootloader are on separate drives. Select other drive to boot using one of the F1 through F12 keys depending on the bios or go into the bios and change drive to boot. I prefer it that way now of days instead of relying on grub. Most likely your data from vista was still intact Not now as you install windows 10 on it. As long as you didnt install windows 10 on the linux drive it is still there. You can use fixboot like i said in the other post or just try pressing the proper key to select what drive to boot and see if grub is still there. You can use fixboot to try to fix grub so it shows both linux and windows partitions. I prefer separate bootloaders though and i select with my F keys the drive i want to boot. Linux can see windows but windows can't see linux. Blame microsoft for that one. There is a program for windows that can see linux partitions. Just don't try writing to it as it can mess up the ext partition. I am not sure the commands to do it manually but all can be fixed with a live linux usb.

 

[thebudman420]

If you wouldn't of changed your vista to 10 you could of repaired the windows boot using the windows dvd recovery console assuming it wasnt them stupid clones they give you with prebuilt computers then added windows bootloader to grub. Sometimes if you installed linux then it overwrites your bootloader if you select that drive for the bootloader and it just takes a few minutes to repair the windows one. The windows bootloader cant see linux if you wanted to keep both and select what one to boot you have to use the linux grub bootloader or have both bootloaders on separate drives. Go to linux mint forums as they can help you a lot better. Also you can use a linux live usb or cd to browse your linux files and then copy them to the windows partition so you have lots of options here. Try fixboot it should fix linux and make windows show up in grub then just point your bios to boot from the drive with the grub bootloader or just keep them separate and use the F keys if you have the option. Most likely all your data is intact and you just need to repair grub.

 

[Thanesh s]

If you wouldn't of changed your vista to 10 you could of repaired the windows boot using the windows dvd recovery console assuming it wasnt them stupid clones they give you with prebuilt computers then added windows bootloader to grub. Sometimes if you installed linux then it overwrites your bootloader if you select that drive for the bootloader and it just takes a few minutes to repair the windows one. The windows bootloader cant see linux if you wanted to keep both and select what one to boot you have to use the linux grub bootloader or have both bootloaders on separate drives. Go to linux mint forums as they can help you a lot better. Also you can use a linux live usb or cd to browse your linux files and then copy them to the windows partition so you have lots of options here. Try fixboot it should fix linux and make windows show up in grub then just point your bios to boot from the drive with the grub bootloader or just keep them separate and use the F keys if you have the option. Most likely all your data is intact and you just need to repair grub.

So the linux drive is still intact done nothing to it yet, i wanted to install windows 10 anways so thats fine, my vista data is backed on the linux drive, so i need to use fixboot to try and get back into my linux drive, right . I don't think grub is still there as the cursor is in the conrner. I did try re-install linux on another drive and browse my initial install but when i try to go into personal files it says access denied.

Thanks for your help
Thanesh