I have 2 hard drives.

Hard Drive 1:  Primary Windows XP
Hard Drive 2:  Old Windows XP (I don't really use it), Linux

LILO was used and booted linux by default. I tried to change the
default to Windows XP and then my primary windows xp wouldn't boot
anymore. So in the XP recovery console I did fixmbr and fixboot on my
primary partition. Now my harddrive one is messed up and I can't even
access it from my old windows xp or linux. I think/hope the data is
still there, but how do I fix the mbr/partition table and get it back.

I'm using a boot disk to get into linux, and gag to get into my old
windows xp.

Thanks

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Clarification of Question by spinalwiz-ga on 05 Jan 2003 12:10 PST

I think the problem is with the partition table. In windows setup, it
detects it as a 30gb partition, but of type unknown. I guess I need to
set it to a FAT32 partition somehow?

Hi, 

I am facing kind of a similar problem. I have two hard drives with
win98 on one and XP on the other. I tried using Partition Magic to
make a partition in win98 and the whole thing went crazy.

After all kinds of stuff, i finally did something by which i could
access all the partitions! I added a had drive to this setup,
installed windows 98 on it and then winXP. Lo! all the partitions came
up. I then copied all my data (4 years!)

Now as i write this, my computer has 3 hard drives and has been booted
from the new one I added.

I dont know how this will work with your Linux, it may not as I see
it, but you can surely find access to your WinXP partitions this way.

If you try this and it works out for you, do let me know. 

warm regards
vinods-ga (Google-Answers-Researcher)

fixmbr DOES NOT WORK on MBR's LILO is resident in.
I once had a similar problem.

you'll need to blank the MBR befor you can do anything else.  I used a
dos utility to do it (rawrite i think), but since you can floppy boot
into linux, might as well use bash.
#DD if=dev/null of=hda bs=512
will write 0's to the first 512 bytes (the MBR, formerly knows as the
'boot sector' of your hard drive, assuming your harddrive is labled
'hda' under linux.

Windows setup will then be able to properly rebuild the MBR. 
*Hopefully* windows setup will also be able to recognize your already
existing FAT32 partition......

I've been playing around a bit more and this might be helpful:

If I run diskpart from the recivery console I get this (for my 1st
hardrive)

C: 29997 MB   Unknown
D: 8256 MB    FAT 32

If I just try and boot normally I get this:
Invalid Partition Table

If I use a windows XP bootdisk I can actually get to my C: drive and
access all my data there intact!

If I access it from anywhere else (my old windows XP for exmaple) it
says that the drive needs to be formatted.

I can't run fixmbr anymore because the recovery console wont let me
logon to that drive.

I've got a utility called MBRWORK so i'll try wiping the MBR and
seeing what happens. Don't suppose it can do any harm.

I've had good experiences with the eXtended Operating System Loader:

http://www.xosl.org/

It replaces LILO and boots any OS - and it fixed an XP partition that
wasn't booting.

Good luck,

--seizer-ga