GRUB dual boot configuration: xmnt2002 and autochk not found **solution**
Over the weekend I attempted to set up a dual boot system on my mothers PC (SJDS & WinXP). Windows XP was already installed, and therefore the Windows bootloader (NTLDR) already occupied the Master Boot Record (MBR).
A Google search revealed a number of sites explaining how to set up a Linux/WinXP dual boot system. The advice of many of the authors was to allow Windows to continue to occupy the MBR. Install Linux, electing to install GRUB onto the first sector of the /boot partition - not the MBR. Then, make an image of the Linux boot sector and place this in C:\, and modify C:\boot.ini to recognise this image.
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux/grub-w2k-HOW TO.html" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux/grub-w2k-HOWTO.html< /a>
Essentially, this means the process of booting Linux originates with the Windows boot loader. The chain of command in reaching Linux would go NTLDR->GRUB->Linux. This doesn't sit comfortably with me: relying on a Microsoft product to access Linux. MS Windows is a retarded bitch sucking demon's d*cks in hell. Instead (having already used PartitionMagic to resize the NTFS partition smaller, and having created Linux '/' and '/swap' partitions), I stuck with the Sun JDS/SuSE default installation boot option, which is to give MBR to GRUB.
This is where I ran into a few minor problems. Firstly, SJDS didn't bother itself with configuring an additional GRUB boot option for WinXP. In hindsight, this may be due to the fact that PartitionMagic BY DEFAULT HIDES THE NTFS PARTITION. This then required two actions on my part to remedy:
1) Add the Windows XP menu item to GRUB. This is simply done by adding the following lines to /boot/grub/menu.1st...
title Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
2) Instruct GRUB to unhide the NTFS partition, by adding another line to the above...
title Windows XP Professional
<b>unhide (hd0,0)</b>
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
Of course, I could have used PartitionMagic to unhide the NTFS partition, but by this stage I was unable to start WinXP (easily).
This brings me full circle: explaining the "xmnt2002 and autochk not found" error messages. This occurs if, given the above scenario, step one but not step two is performed. GRUB will attempt to start WinXP, the WinXP splash screen will display but, as the NTFS partition is hidden, the boot will fail (displaying the above error message). Typically the system will then reboot itself.
I wasted a few hours on this, and this forum brought up no search result for either of the above two missing items. My hope is that anyone else experiencing the same problem will be saved the wasted time should they choose to search this forum for 'xmnt2002' or 'autochk'.
Please anyone feel free to reply to this thread if you have any information to add, or if you believe that my <b><i>technical correctness</i></b> is not 100%.
Cheers,
Chris.
P.S. I hereby absolve Sun of all responsibility concerning my comments above describing the behaviour of MS Windows in the afterlife ;-).
