Linux install failed - Now can't boot - Need suggestions!

If you can't boot into a boot disk, that has nothing to do with your MBR on your HD, Linux, or Windows.

You need to double check your BIOS settings to make sure it is set to check your floppy drive and/or CD-Rom drive for a boot device first before it checks your HD. If that does not work, your problem lays in your BIOS assuming the boot disks you are using are good. In which case there isn't much that can be done, clear your CMOS and see if that makes a difference, but there is something very low level on your motherboard that has been damaged, which isn't even touched by any OS that I know of(Short of Mac OS and EFI, but that is a special case with a special BIOS-like chip when you don't have bios to begin with).

Seablade

seablade's right it's not the mbr. I'd add to what he said that I've had similar problems when my power supply took a dump on me. But it certainly isn't your failed linux install that's keeping you from booting a CD or floppy.

Also, it's likely you haven't damaged any of your data yet so I recommend you stop trying to re-instal windows until we have the boot problem fixed.

what they said

try reflashing the bios, if its a computer from a manufacter like dell, there may be bios updates you could try installing

BIGEE-

Exactly how are they to reflash the BIOS if they can't get a boot disk to boot?

Seablade

whoops, didnt read the entire thread. sorta skimmed it.

Heh thats ok, just havin a bit of fun with ya there

Seablade

lol
I got similar advice from a retailer once. Bought a modem to replace one that died on me, and when I opened the box... no driver disk. So back in I go to get a unit that has the disk in the box. The salesman tells me to go to USRobotic's website and download the drivers.

Me: "if I could get to their website, I wouldn't need the drivers anymore."

Heh, actually my all time favorite(That I want to throttle people for) is when I call up my ISP tech support - usually because they screwed up, and they insist I screwed up(I haven't been wrong yet, slight ego there - and tell me to go to their website to do such and such....

Yes, so I am calling my Internet Service Provider to say I don't have internet and tell them they need to fix it, and they tell me to go on the internet to their website.

Yea.... we'sa got smart ones here.

Seablade

yeah, mine has a recorded message telling you that if you don't have a connection to go to the help section of their website, and download the"broadband checkup utilities"

Heh lets assume you get said utilities from someone else...

What are they going to tell you, "yea you don't have internet?" Please call XXX-XXXX number for tech support. Strangely that is the same number you called that told you to download utilities...

Hey what do you know ISPs have found a use for the infinite loop.

The few times I have to deal with ISPs, since i used to work in networking, not only do I have more information than their basic tech support even knows what it is, I tend to call up with a very good idea of exactly what the problem is and why it isn't on my side. The major problem, depending on the ISP and individual tech support staff I get, is I get told to go to their website first(See above), Get to sit through the same steps I already provided them information for(This I can forgive though in some cases), get told that it is on my end and it can't be on their end(Usually results in me calling back a half hour later and being told I was right), or get to sit through 3 levels of tech support before I get to someone and give them the same information and reasoning I gave to the previous people, and they actually know what they are doing as opposed to read from a book and say, yep you are absolutely right, we screwed up. We will work on it.

Yea usually it is only the top levels of their tech support that recognize this. The lower levels generally have no clue, are outsourced, read from a book/website, or whatever the case may be. It is funny cause you can always tell the ones that know what they are doing when they are talking to me, since I used to work in networking, I give them all the info they can possibly need right off, and they say, yep you know what you are doing no point going through the basic crap again.

/rant

Seablade

Doesn't have a high opinion of ISP tech support in his area, been meaning to try out Clearwire though and see how that goes, at least their customer service is a bit better from when I have talked to them.

the low level support seems to assume you're an idiot until you prove otherwise. I did finally learn that if I'm having trouble, I might as well boot into windows before I call or they wont give me the time of day: "we dont support linux. You must have something configured incorrectly in your system." One time I lost the ability to get to any site on the web, but I could go anywhere so long as I knew the IP... (yep, you guessed it: extreme lag -> DNS lookups were timing out) tech support blamed it on all 5 of my machines getting a virus or worm simultaneously (along with 6 other people in my neighborhood). Never mind that 3 of my 5 were running linux. Morons. funny thing is one of said neighbors was a network administrator (between us we had 12 machines that all lost internet at the same time on the same day), and had done some traceroutes and such and even TOLD them WHERE the problem was (he turned out to be right)... it still took us 5 days to convince them the problem was on their end! We finally had to do a 3-way call with them, and they still tried to maintain it was our 12 boxes that had the problem. So I share your disdain for low level tech support. wonder where the op is on his problem...

here is my typical call to comcast when i can't get online:

Me: I can't get online. I already did a power cycle on my router and my modem and still have issues connecting. I also tried to renew the IP on the computer and nothing happens.

Comcast: Unplug your modem, then your router. Let them sit for about 20 seconds. Plug them back in.

<i do yet another power cycle>
<open up firefox on my desktop that runs ubuntu...google fails to laod>

Me: Ok. Done. Still can't load a page.

Them: What OS are you using?

Me: Linux

Them: We don't support linux. we can only help you if you run XP or Vista

Me: What were you gonna do? Maybe I know how to do the same thing in linux.

Them: we can't help you. just try restarting your computer to renew the ip.


that is of course if the server is not down on their side. of course most of the time it does turn out that a few power cycles and yelling @ dhcpcd later i can get online (sometimes takes up to an hour).. but like the call told me something i didn't know.

That's why I never tell support I am using Linux.

Me: My computer will not boot on battery.
Them: Which operating system are you using?
Me: It doesn't matter, the thing does not even post.
Them: I understand but which OS are you using?
Me: Linux
Them: blah blah, no linux support....

That's why I always just say XP now and in a few years, I'll just say vista.

heh. looks like we're done working on this problem.

Well assuming that nice phrase under his name is accurate... yep that might be a good guess.

Course not real sure who/what/when/where/why but hey

Seablade

Bwhahwhwahahaw. Ban'D.

I'm still wondering how he could have gotten banned in only 3 posts but idk. Maybe he was PM'ing like a madman.

spam