I input line 4 and I get an errer, unknown filesystem using o or 0 no diffrence.
If it can’t see dev/sda1 that gets me kinda worried. :o Maybe it installed to a different partition. ??? (Mark?)
I doubt if it’s sda1 that isn’t set, it’s more likely the loop device that isn’t being set … or I’m getting the syntax wrong (I did say WUBI configuration is new to me 
)
In Windows … Can you confirm there is a C:\ubuntu\disks\root.disk file, and that is the correct path to it.
Can you also, at the grub> prompt, enter the first 3 commands, then enter:
ls
(which should list discovered devices)
hit enter, and let me know what the output is
Meanwhile I’ll keep looking for a solution, and if I’m getting the syntax right.
Is this new … were you entering line 4 incorrectly before ? … and this is what you get when you enter it correctly ?
In windows the folder C:\ubuntu\disks\ is there but empty. In Ubuntu from the cd the folder C:\ubuntu\disks\ has a root.disk file and a swop.disk file if I open root.disk with text editor it is empty!
When I boot in ubuntu and get to the grub> prompt tpye in the info the results are
(memdisk) ((loop0)) (loop0) (hd0,msdos5) (hd0,msdos1)
I was putting spaces in the wronge place in line 4 to start with then when I got it right it came up with error device not set. If I tried to continue inputting line 5 I get error you need to load kernel first.
Have to go back to work now going to be another late night, ho well
OK, at least it’s seeing the loop device … so I’ll go check my syntax and get back to you
Gedit won’t be able to read the root.disk file, as it’s not a text file … it’s a virtual HDD image … but at least it’s still there 
OK, try this for the grub rescue prompt (grub>)…
insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,1)
loopback (loop0) /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro
initrd /initrd.img
boot
or
insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,msdos1)
loopback (loop0) /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda1 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro
initrd /initrd.img
boot
or
insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,5)
loopback (loop0) /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda5 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro
initrd /initrd.img
boot
or
insmod ntfs
set root=(hd0,msdos5)
loopback (loop0) /ubuntu/disks/root.disk
set root=(loop0)
linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda5 loop=/ubuntu/disks/root.disk ro
initrd /initrd.img
boot
Something else to try …
In Windows … Check to see if this file exists C:\ubuntu\winboot\wubildr … if it does, try renaming C:\wubildr to C:\old-wubildr … then copying C:\ubuntu\winboot\wubildr to [b]C:[/b] (to replace the one you just renamed).
Then try booting into Ubuntu.
Otherwise we’ll have to see if we can loop mount C:\ubuntu\disks\root.disk from a LiveCD and manually copy wubildr from there, and/or edit (the loop mounted) grub.cfg manually.
Tried them. Unfortunately none work. Nor dose the copying the wubildr file.
Do you need to know the error’s they created?
I as so managed to read the error that come’s up when booting Ubuntu just before I get the grub> command, it is “prefix not set”
“prefix not set” is a harmless error and NOT the cause of this problem.
This error message was reported to the developer and he stated that it wasn’t causing any problems and he wasn’t going to try to fix it (in case something broke in the attempt).
See comment 29 (Colin Watson) here:
I’m going to guess that the root.disk virtual HDD image is corrupt … can you (in windows) check its file size.
Meanwhile … I’ll post instructions (in a few minutes) on loop mounting the root.disk image from a LiveCD … if that fails, we’ll KNOW it’s corrupt.
And YES … ALL error messages are helpful
Unless you’d prefer to just ditch this installation … and do a “proper” installation instead ?
I’m happy to continue either way … the choice is yours
Though loop mounting may (if succesfull) at least allow you to recover any data you have in the WUBI install…
OK … Loop mounting the root.disk image from a LiveCD -
Boot to your Ubuntu LiveCD, and select “Try Ubuntu” … when you are at the Ubuntu desktop, hit Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal, then in the terminal enter:
sudo mkdir /media/windows
then
sudo mkdir /mnt/ubuntu-wubi
then
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/windows
then
sudo mount -o loop /media/windows/ubuntu/disks/root.disk /mnt/ubuntu-wubi
Now open the /mnt/ubuntu-wubi directory in Nautilus:
nautilus /mnt/ubuntu-wubi
is anything visible ?
Before shutting down, it would be a good idea to unmount those 2 directories:
sudo umount /mnt/ubuntu-wubi
then
sudo umount /media/windows
any error messsages … write them dowm and post them here, along with which command caused the error.
how easy is it to swich between windows and linux with proper install of linux?
The root.disk file in C:\ubuntu\disks is 0 bites
It’s exactly the same as a WUBI install … you choose which to boot at system startup … but you can read and write to the Windows partition from within Linux.
Only difference is it’s on a “proper” Linux partition, not in a “virtual” image on the Windows partition … so fixing any problems is MUCH easier, and (as Window can’t read/write to Linux partitions) Windows can’t screw it up
Sorry to say it’s not worked. What i put in and the error is below.
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mkdir /media/windows
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mkdir /mnt/ubuntu-wubi
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/windows
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo mount -o loop /media/windows/ubuntu/disks/root.disk /mnt/ubuntu-wubi
mount: you must specify the filesystem type
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
It’s that line 4 again can we put a line of gobbledygook in line 1 just so we get passed line 4?
I am beginning to think I should just go for a proper install
OK, looks like the root.disk image is probably corrupt.
Try running chkdsk from within Windows
then just to check we’re mounting the correct partition …
Boot to the LiveCD, open a terminal and enter:
sudo mkdir /media/windows
then
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/windows
then
nautilus /media/windows
When the Nautilus file manager opens, can you see the contents of your Windows C:\ drive … and most importantly can you see a directory called ubuntu ?
Hi.
I am having problems with the laptop. My cd drive has a fault and I cannot get it to boot from the live cd, sometimes it just misses the cd and goes to windows other times it starts loading from the cd then stops and dose nothing sometimes it works. This morning I have spent 2 hrs trying to get it to boot from the cd with no avail. I have a new cd drive for the laptop but that is not seen inn the bios and only works once windows has started it becomes E drive.
So for the moment I am looking at new laptops and I will put proper install on that, thou I may try again later today when I am not so hacked off with this machine.
And I must say thank you for the help so far.
Sorry to hear you’re having optical drive problems … will the laptop boot from a USB stick ?
Your only other option is to delete your current WUBI installation … from the Windows “Add/Remove Applications” control panel applet … and to do another WUBI installation.
Not Ideal I know, as you’ve just learned, there ARE certain limitations with a WUBI install :o
[EDIT]
Have you tried burning Ubuntu to a DVD rather than a CD (or vice versa), sometimes optical drives work OK with one,but not the other.
Managed to get it booted from the live cd. Did the Inputs you said and yes I can see the directory called ubuntu.
My cd drive struggles to read dvd’s and I only have the option to boot from cd or HHd in the bios. it is old!!
As I said then, the root.disk image must be corrupt … AFAIK, there is no way to fix it if you can’t loop mount it … which we’ve already tried 
If it would loop mount, you could have run fsck (file system check) on it … but if you can’t mount it, you’re stuck.
Where do you want to go from here ?
Thanks for all your help. i will remove Ubuntu via windows add remove programs then reinstall. My hard drive is split into 2 so what would I have to do to do a proper install?
I have been looking for a new laptop as well.
You’d have to use something like gparted to resize one of your windows partitions … leaving room for a Linux partition.
How large are the partitions ? … and what is on the second partition (not the C:\ drive) ?
[EDIT]
After thinking about it … if your optical drive is playing up, you’d probably be better off doing another WUBI install.
To do a proper install you’d need to resize one of your Windows partitions … ANY partition manipulation carries a small risk of partition table corruption, which could screw up Windows too (unlikely but possible) … then you’d have an unbootable system and no easy way (due to the CD drive) to reinstall windows or Ubuntu.
The choice is yours … but I’d be remiss if I hadn’t pointed that out though
It is 1 hhd split into 2, c: @ 67GB and D: @ 97GB
I think am heading towards the easy option and buying a new machine the installing Ubuntu on that. If I email you some links would you give me your opinion on them and which one would be best for linux (to have everything working on it).