[Lancaster] lancasterlug.org.uk: Advice needed

[mp]

On 19/07/10 15:29, Ken Hough wrote:
> 
> 2. If, as many people do to start with, you decide to go for a dual booting 
> setup with Windows and Linux, I strongly recommend one change from the 
> default setup that Ubuntu and other Linux distros provide.
> 
> During the default setup procedure Ubuntu will place the dual boot info in the 
> master boot sector of the hard drive. Should this ever get screwed up you may 
> well loose access to your Microsoft system.
> 
> Better to place the dual boot info on the boot record of a primary Linux 
> partition and then set that partition as the active partition. If you later 
> decide that you wish to remove Linux, or that system should become corrupted, 
> it will be necessary only to reset the Windows partition to be the 
> active/boot partition. I learned the value of doing this some years ago as 
> the result of practical/disasterous experiences.

It is - if you have a Windows CD - very easy to rebuild the Master Boot
Record for Windows - one single command:

fixmbr

See:
http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/fix-mbr-xp-vista/
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ht/repairmbr.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record#Editing.2FReplacing_MBR_Contents