On Sun, Jul 26 2015, Mick wrote: > On Sunday 26 Jul 2015 15:35:15 [email protected] wrote: >> The system came with windows 7 on the whole disk 500GB. To shrink it to >> 50 takes work as there are "unmovable" files in the middle (the "" are >> there since you must actually moved them). Anyway I didn't try but >> simply removed the big partition (I left the "dell" partition and the >> windows recovery partition). I then installed linux (an error) leaving >> a partition for windows. > > OK, this is your problem:
Thank you for the clear explanation below! > The Dell partition is a FAT partition, in which Dell installs some > recovery utilities which we do not need for now. > > The Windows Recovery partition is the NTFS boot partition for the > MSWindows OS, which itself resides in the (originally) 3rd large NTFS > partition. In the 2nd partition you should find a ./Boot/BCD file, > which is the MSWindows boot manager. When you look at it with BCDedit > you will find the kernel entry which loads the OS from the 3rd > partition. You will notice that the 3rd partition is specified as a > UUID and this is what is causing your problem. If you change the 3rd > partition either in size, or in position, you *must* obtain its new > UUID and edit the BCD file with this new string, before your system is > able to boot again. I "knew" it was better to install windows first but did not have the correct reason. OK (by luck>) I seem to be doing it right this time. I used the purchased flash drive containing 8.1 to remove all but the dell partition. I then had the windows installer make a 50GB second partition and install windows there. It made a small second partition and installed 8.1 on the big remaining third. I was able to turn on / login / logout / halt (my basic use of windows) and am back to installing linux part time (I have family activities on weekends). Thanks again. allan
