Tag Archives: Troubleshoot

Ubuntu: Getting nasty to restore Wubi Boot loader

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This post is about restoring the boot loader for the Ubuntu Linux which is installed under Windows using WUBI installer. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. NOTE THAT NO SCREENSHOTS AVAILABLE. READ CAREFULLY BEFORE TRYING. POST A COMMENT OF YOU’RE STUCK OR FACING SOME ISSUES.

The Advice

Always backup at least a single copy of your disks folder under your Ubuntu installation beacause some of the updates sometimes make the system crash or make unstable. Especially I face several issues after changing to Gnome 3 theme.

The Problem

If Windows 7 detects any issues with the boot sector, it will automatically start boot repair (Spawns the installer screen to repair the boot). There’s a high chance to tamper the boot record in case if we cancel in between or even the Windows restore the boot sector (You may get improper entry to Ubuntu Linux or it may even removed from the screen). Your Windows will boot fine but Ubuntu. See the following error I faced while booting to Ubuntu.

Error: cannot find GRLDR in all drive. CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart.

Easy Re-installation

Don’t touch your boot record. You can simply take backup of the disks folder under the Ubuntu installation (or full backup) and go for re-installation. Uninstall Ubuntu and install it again. Now replace the disks folder in the new installation with the backed-up disk folder. Done! Reboot your machine. But there’s a high chance to get failed with this procedure if the boot sector is already tampered. The Installer may show error about invalid boot entry and failed to uninstall. In such cases we’ve to get our hands dirty!

Dirty Hands

This is quite straightforward and nasty. Take care!

Pre-Requisites

Restoring Boot Record

I tried to recreate the boot entry using EasyBCD, an amazing and reliable tool to manage the bootloader. But EasyBCD can’t solve the problem with WUBI boot loader. It will just create a raw entry in the boot sector and manually required to edit it using bcdedit. (start BCDEdit from elevated command prompt). How to geek has explained the tips to restore the boot loader in detail. But it didn’t work for me, same error occurred after rebooting

The issues gonna face after repairing boot entry

The first work around we can try is restoring the boot sector with EasyBCD. If this works fine, then nothing proceed.
If the tip mentioned in ‘How To Geek’ doesn’t work, then you have to get really nasty. Uninstalling Ubuntu will look for a proper boot record which was originally created by Ubuntu Windows Installer. It may show error as we manually modified the boot entry. The uninstallation may fail.

How to get rid of Un-Installation and Re-Install Ubuntu?

As it’s impossible to uninstall, we’ve to manually delete the Ubuntu installation entry from the Windows registry. Otherwise Ubuntu installer for Windows will not allow you to install it again.

NOTE: Take backup of your Ubuntu installation folder before proceeding.

  1. Delete the boot entry using EasyBCD or BCD edit.
  2. Delete the Ubuntu entry from installed program list using tools like CCleaner (Tools->Select Ubuntu->Delete Entry. NOTE: don’t uninstall it)
  3. Now neither your system nor the Ubuntu installer knows that Ubuntu exists in your disk
  4. Just proceed with ‘Install under Windows’
  5. Now replace the Disks folder in your newly installed location with the disks folder in the previous (backed up) installtion.
  6. Now reboot.

Done!

 

Troubleshoot: No sound from Dell XPS M1330 speakers after Windows 7 upgrade

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My Dell XPS M1330 speakers stopped working ever since I upgraded to Windows 7. Even this issue was existing there in the beta versions, I believed that this issue will be sorted out in the final release as this series of machine is one of hot cake of that time (also the most problematic laptop too)

I have raised the issues in several forums and being helpless I directly contacted veteran Larry Osterman who leads Windows 7 Audio Development at Microsoft. He promptly responded with the issues with the Dell’s driver issues when working with their class driver. It was back 2009 July. I tried re-installing the driver and it really dint work at that time. But the very same driver when I tried reinstalling of late worked perfectly.

The normal to troubleshoot the problem is to use the Windows Hardware Troubleshooting mechanisms available. But Microsoft troubleshooter wrongly reported that Teefer2 Miniport #8 driver is required to be reinstalled which is actually part of Norton End Point Protection installed in my system. It’s a wrong diagnosis.

Search in Dell website for “SIGMATEL STAC 92XX C-Major HD Audio” and download the latest version of the driver. The one which worked for me can be downloaded from here (Seems it will upgraded automatically on new releases). Thanks Larry for your great help.

 

Troubleshoot: What you can do if your wireless mouse is not responding?

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If you’re a wireless mouse owner, probably have experienced a situation where mouse becomes irresponsive. We can try the following to make it right. If none of these works, contact your vendor for more assistance!

Try different USB port

Insert the device in another USB port. Try without USB extenders.

Re-Synchronize the receiver

Check for constant green light on the wireless transmitter/receiver after plugging in. Check the red light under mouse blinks well. Push the reset buttons on both mouse and receiver after connecting it to the power. Remove and insert if necessary. Most of the synchronization problems should be resolved by this step.

 

(receiver) (alternative receiver)

Image Taken from Microsoft.com

Remove and Insert batteries again

Remove the undercover and insert the battery again. Also ensure that it’s not a drained battery. Always use good quality batteries with your mouse.

Interference

There’s a chance that other wireless devices, mobile phones, radios etc. interfering wireless signals. Take required steps to avoid them.

Upgrade your software

Especially when working with old version of Windows, the latest drivers may not be available. Download it from product vendor’s website. Windows 7 and Vista support most of the latest hardware. Download the drivers from here, if you’re using Microsoft Wireless Mouse of Keyboard

Try This in different computer

Borrow your friend’s computer for a minute and check if it works!