Urgently Need Help On Linux Related Question

[Hawkwing]

Sorry for caps...but i really need help.

Ok i have a question regarding redhat linux 9.0 and dual booting. It's due at 8 AM. I don't know if the question is asking about windows or red hat cause the homework goes back and forth asking about the two. Heres the question:

If we use the format /mbr command and want to save the image and then restore it, will the OS load? Why or Why Not?

[Effector]

minimodding alert.

Could we get this moved to the correct forum?

EDIT: Sorry, but I actually don't know anything about Red Hat/Linux. I feel like an asshole for just berating you for using the wrong forum, though. Cheers?

[Hawkwing]

honestly i would prefer this gets answered before getting moved/deleted cause i need help immediately i know its in the wrong forum but its really urgent its the last question out of 16 and ive been working on it for hours

[BlueMage]

So first you clear the MBR - machine has no idea where to look to boot. Then, you want to save an image and restore it ... restore an image of the cleared MBR or what?

If the MBR is empty, machine will not boot, assuming you don't have a boot floppy or similar.

[Hawkwing]

So first you clear the MBR - machine has no idea where to look to boot. Then, you want to save an image and restore it ... restore an image of the cleared MBR or what?

If the MBR is empty, machine will not boot, assuming you don't have a boot floppy or similar.

thats exactly my problem

[Dhsu]

Just give an answer for both scenarios, and complain that the question is badly worded.

[The Coop]

Just give an answer for both scenarios, and complain that the question is badly worded.

Yeah. I don't know too much about Linux or dual booting, but that question makes no attempts at defining just what the hell it's asking.

[Halifax]

Sorry for caps...but i really need help.

Ok i have a question regarding redhat linux 9.0 and dual booting. It's due at 8 AM. I don't know if the question is asking about windows or red hat cause the homework goes back and forth asking about the two. Heres the question:

If we use the format /mbr command and want to save the image and then restore it, will the OS load? Why or Why Not?

This is a DOS command I assume (which would make if fdisk /mbr, since the DOS command format has no /mbr switch, IIRC)? The Master Boot Record holds the information the BIOS needs to figure out what partition to boot from and possibly how to go about booting it (it's been a long time since I researched the MBR). If the MBR is blank, you'd most likely get an "Operating system Not Found" or "Inaccessible boot Device" error because the BIOS doesn't know what to do with the drive. If you're lucky the BIOS might search the partitions in logical order for a partition labeled as "boot", but probably not.

I guess it really depends on which OS you reformat the MBR from. Using Fdisk or the Windows Recovery Command Console (use command FixMBR) will reformat it to boot windows, and will get rid of GRUB or LILO (Linux boot loader programs). Like I said earlier, if it's blank, probably nothing would boot.

And if this is just for homework, try reading the book. I don't mean to sound snappy or mean or anything, but it really does help sometimes. ^__^ If all else fails, ask Google and you'd probably get a quicker answer.

[Hawkwing]

Just give an answer for both scenarios, and complain that the question is badly worded.

Yeah thats what i ended up doing.

This is a DOS command I assume (which would make if fdisk /mbr, since the DOS command format has no /mbr switch, IIRC)? The Master Boot Record holds the information the BIOS needs to figure out what partition to boot from and possibly how to go about booting it (it's been a long time since I researched the MBR). If the MBR is blank, you'd most likely get an "Operating system Not Found" or "Inaccessible boot Device" error because the BIOS doesn't know what to do with the drive. If you're lucky the BIOS might search the partitions in logical order for a partition labeled as "boot", but probably not.

I guess it really depends on which OS you reformat the MBR from. Using Fdisk or the Windows Recovery Command Console (use command FixMBR) will reformat it to boot windows, and will get rid of GRUB or LILO (Linux boot loader programs). Like I said earlier, if it's blank, probably nothing would boot.

And if this is just for homework, try reading the book. I don't mean to sound snappy or mean or anything, but it really does help sometimes. ^__^ If all else fails, ask Google and you'd probably get a quicker answer.

There wasn't a book and i was using google to find everything but this one was hard to find an answer to because the question was so vaguely worded.

thanks for the help guys this is what i ended up answering it with:

If we use the format /mbr command and want to save the image and then restore the OS will boot or not boot depending on when the image was made. If the image was made while the master boot record was defective the OS will not load, if the image was made while the master boot record was useable the OS will load to its default OS.