[NTLUG:Discuss] ubuntu 9.10 MBR corrupted!! Grub error 17

[lonestar17]

Hello - All,
  While upgrading to Karmic, things went down on my laptop compaq presario V2630 amd HP...
worked perfectly on my Dell desktop, but NOT on my compaq!!
  Now I can't boot!!
55 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x94e494e4

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        5747    46162746    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2            5748        8612    23013112+  83  Linux
/dev/sda3            8613        8742     1044225    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda4            8743        9729     7928077+   c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda5            8613        8742     1044193+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
ubuntu at ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk /dev/hda

Unable to open /dev/hda
ubuntu at ubuntu:~$ 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following an example on line,was wrong. Ubuntu lists HD's as sda1 etc.  However, I still can't open /dev/sda 1/2/3/4/5 http://stringofthoughts.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/grub-error-17-debianubuntu/

  What would happen if I just deleted the ubuntu partition?  I have partition magic on my laptop, that's how Terrence partitioned in the beginning to linux....Would the MBR magically return to windows XP home?? 
  Thanks/ everyone for suggestions,
  John in Dallas.