How to solve: Cannot boot into Windows after installing Ubuntu Linux

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Problem:

I was installing Ubuntu 10.10 on my old laptop lately in dual boot mode with Windows Vista. I simply could not boot into Windows though I could easily boot into Ubuntu. After going through a number of Ubuntu forum threads, I figured out that it might be a problem with Grub and thus I decided to reinstall Grub. But update-grub did not detect Windows and displayed a message like this:

  ls: cannot access any_path/boot
  Boot: No such file or directory

Reason:

The reason which I found (on SourceForge) is that Grub2 was installed with Windows system partition chosen as the root-directory. This causes the folder /boot/grub to be created on the Windows system partition. Since ntfs partitions are case insensitive this leads to confusions between “/boot” and the already existing folder “/Boot”

Solution:

Boot into your Linux OS and deleted or rename the folder /boot on the Windows system partition. Make sure that your don’t delete the /Boot folder. The /Boot folder contains the file “bcd” which is necessary to boot Windows Vista/7.

This solution worked for me flawlessly. Hope it works for you as well. Feedback, suggestions and questions are welcome. Enjoy :)

Sources: Ubuntu Forums, SourceForge.

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How to run ex_ file by converting ex_ to exe file

By 15 Comments

Recently I came across a new type of file format which is “ex_” instead of “exe“. First I tried executing it by simply renaming it from “filename.ex_” to “filename.exe” but it did not work that way. “ex_” is actually compressed form of “exe” files and they need to be expanded. The most suitable way is to use command line. Follow the given steps:

  • Open the command prompt by going to “Start->All Programs->Accessories->Run” and then type “cmd” in Run window. Run can also be opened by pressing “Windows button + r“
  • In the command prompt go to the folder where your file “filename.ex_” is stored. For ease I would suggest you to manually copy the file into C drive. Make a new folder named say “new“
  • If you are in different directory than C then type “cd ..” and press enter. Do it a couple of time until you are :C directory.
  • Now use the command: expand filename.ex_ c:newfilename.exe
  • This command may result in following error: EXPAND.EXE Error Msg: Can’t Open Output File
  • The reason is very simple. You might not have write permission for the “filename.ex_” or for the folder “new” or for both
  • Right click on the file/folder and select properties. If the “Read Only” box is checked, de-select it.
  • Now run the previous command again. Use the expanded file in .exe format wherever you want.

Questions and Suggestions are welcomed. Enjoy :)

Sources: Microsoft