Re: [LUG] Corrupt partitions

["T and G Brownen" <Admin@xxxxxxxxx>]

mltruscott wrote:
 >I am a relatively new convert to Linux and need some help - if this isn't
 >the right place to ask the question below, a link to the right place would
 >be a great help.

This is a place to ask...

 >I was running Mandrake 9.0 as part of a dual boot system.  Then my sons
 >installed a new game (in Windows) and since then Linux is unreachable.

Which game (so we don't all rush out and buy it)

 >I get the following error message while booting:
 >
 >EXT3-fs:unable to read superblock
 >mount: error 22 mounting ext3 flags kernel panic.  No init found.  Try
 >passing in it= option to kernel.
 >
 >Needless to say the keyboard is dead.

Keyboards do become locked when the kernel "panics"

 >I thought the answer may be to try to reinstall it but the installer 
tells
 >me that the partition table of hda - the partition which runs has 
windows -
 >is too corrupt to read.  It then says:
 >
 >error extended partition:  bad magic number on disk hda
 >
 >and offers to erase the hard disk.
 >
 >Is my only option a scorched earth policy and reformat the drive and start
 >again or is there something more subtle I can do?  Can any one explain 
what
 >it means as no reference material I can find seems to cover it.



I had a similar experience when my Granddaughter downloaded a Game it 
turned out to be a virus on micro soft, after finding it and eliminating 
it I "fdisk /mbr" from the command line of dos, I was then able to 
recover Linux with the recovery disk.
Ps I now do not use a MBR manager, I always boot from floppy for Linux, 
if windows fails then all data is retreavable via Linux.
I hope this helps.
Trevor




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