I think I just destroyed my brand new laptop

Post Reply New Topic

I was trying to get Ubuntu on my computer which came with Windows 8 pre-installed, and here's what happened:
I made a partition for Ubuntu, installed Ubuntu, and used it for about five minutes. Then I realized there was something with the partitions that I made a mistake with, I wanted to have three as suggested (for the boot installation, for the main disk space and for swap space) and I only had two (one big one that had the first two both on it and another for swap space). I just thought reformatting the big partition with Ubuntu on it would erase Ubuntu, and I could restart and use the Ubuntu installer to make that third partition because it gives you the option while installing to make partitions. Well, I guess not. After formatting and restarting, I can't do anything. It gives me a few errors, "failure reading sector __ from `hd2'" The three "sectors" that fill in that blank are 0xfc, 0xe0, and 0x0. I have no idea what that means. It gives me the option to use grub commands and so far I haven't figured out much with that, other than how to locate certain directories and do nothing with them. And I can't get to any kind of Windows recovery mode because as far as I know Windows 8 doesn't give you any advanced startup options from the initial boot, you have to restart from the Windows OS to do it in the first place, which is really stupid.

I figure unless there is an option similar to pressing the f8 key on startup, I'm pretty much screwed and I wasted like 400 dollars.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%22failure+reading ... %22+ubuntu

I did try searching and asking for help on various forums, they all give irrelevant information or just say they don't know what to do. It's frustrating because I know that my Windows is just sitting there on a completely separate partition, perfectly fine, if I could just freaking get to it.

Didn't you create a Windows 8 recovery USB stick before installing Ubuntu? It is a very important part of the instructions in the link I gave in case this sort of problem happens.

Step 1

I didn't, but my Windows partition is totally fine. I'm actually very confused because the only partition I did anything to was the new one. Windows was fine until I tried restarting, I just can't reach it now, and I'm still not sure of the reason. I'd think that reformatting a totally separate partition wouldn't cause something like this to happen.

If I need to, I can just make a recovery disk for Windows on another computer, right?

One of the functions of the recovery disk/usb stick is that it is bootable, allowing you to gain access to the computer. The image may not be compatible with the recovery disk from another computer as it is the image for your specific hardware, though I'm not 100% sure exactly what is included in the recovery disk, so may be wrong.

I don't know how to undo the problem you've created by doing a format. It sounds like you've effectively given the computer no operating system at all to work with (neither Windows nor Ubuntu). Windows may still be there on your computer but without the boot sector to get into it you are stuck - the recovery media would have enabled you to get back into Windows.

Have you tried installing Ubuntu again as dual boot? Assuming it can now even see the windows partition.

The problem is it seems I have no access to anything. I doubt even a Windows recovery disk would help, as about 2 seconds into startup some errors flash and then I am taken to a command line. I do have some access to the partitions, so perhaps if I got the needed files onto another flash drive to allow me to boot into the USB I'd be fine, but I don't even know where to begin with that.

I don't know what to suggest. If you've destroyed your boot sector then you need to boot off something else - either CD/DVD or USB stick with either Windows or Ubuntu on it. One thing I had to do recently to get around a problem was use Puppy Linux. You can download that and install it as an ISO to a CD/DVD and boot from that. Once in you may be able to do something with the partitions. Though thinking about it - can't you simply boot from your Ubuntu media anyway in the trial mode rather than installation mode and use that to sort out the problem/partitions? Though exactly what you need to do to fix the problem I have no idea.

I saw a tutorial on how to get the iso file for Ubuntu installation to boot, but for it I need grub modules according to the article, which would have been deleted when I formatted the Ubuntu partition. Now, if I could somehow get those files on a flash drive maybe i could do it. I think for that I'd have to install Ubuntu on another system and then find the files on there. I think I may try that.

This is the link: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1599293

Sounds overly complicated to me. All I did to install (K)Ubuntu was download the image and cut it to a DVD. Then (after creating the ahem... windows recovery USB) simply booted off the (K)Ubuntu disk. At which point I was given the choice to either run it it trial mode or to install it. Sounds like you didn't do the same?

would this help?
How To Fix Windows 8 MBR (Master Boot Record)

I assume that since my Ubuntu bootable USB doesn't work at all, a Windows one wouldn't work either. I somehow disabled my computer's ability to boot anything. It's like Ubuntu somehow took over the whole startup process (while it was still installed it allowed me to choose Ubuntu or Windows, but it was definitely an option that came from Ubuntu itself so it somehow took control of the normal startup). I was a bit surprised even then because I thought I would automatically start in Windows, and that I would have to choose to restart into advanced options from within Windows settings in order to start Ubuntu. That's not how it worked out unfortunately, otherwise I'd still have access to Windows (which is currently completely intact might I add). I am just unable to do anything because Ubuntu tries to do it's startup options, and when it can't it takes me to the command line, so I never get the option to boot with a CD, USB or any other partition.

Right, I can see what has happened. Ubuntu has overwritten the boot sector (as is normal) so you can choose either Windows or Ubuntu at startup but you have wiped ubuntu out by formatting its partition. However, seems odd that the Windows option isn't working either - unless you've actually damaged the windows boot partition too?

Can you still get into your BIOS settings at bootup? You normally need to hold down a function key or combination of other keys for it to open the BIOS settings (seems to vary somewhat between computers). Amongst those settings should be the boot order; you can specify something like USB then DVD then Hard drive. You need to be able to boot from external media to get any further forward.

I hope you can get it working. That sounds like something I would do.

You might be better off asking for help on www.ubuntuforums.org, or #ubuntu on IRC.

I tried to figure that out for a while. Unfortunately,I think it's just because Windows 8 is just crappy, I couldn't find anything about accessing the BIOS. I've read that UEFI (which is what I apparently have) is supposed to replace BIOS, but the only way to access those options is through the Windows options. I tried shift+f8 repeatedly and it changes nothing