[NTLUG:Discuss] ubuntu disaster!!!

[Robert Citek]

On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 2:47 PM, john stiers <lonestar17 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>   A friend was helping me install Ubuntu on my 2nd HD....I thought he KNEW what he was dong,,,obviously NOT!!!   Now my computer won't boot... Grub error 17.
>  Apparently he corrupted the MBR by mis labeling the grub boot sequence....

Technically, the MBR isn't the problem.  But that doesn't help you.
Chances are the /boot/grub/menu.lst file has a line that looks like
this:

root (hd0,0)

and should look like this:

root (hd1,0)

Christopher posted a link to an Ubuntu forum that explains the problem
and solution in more detail:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3518911&postcount=9

BTW, this is one reason why I don't recommend that newbies dual boot.
99% of the time it works just fine.  But the 1% it doesn't work tends
to leave people with a bad impression of Linux.

Alternatives to dual booting: VM, if you can, otherwise, boot from external USB.

Regards,
- Robert