When you restore a Dell computer with a restore disk it may give the error:

Windows could not start becuase of a computer disk hardware configuration problem.
Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware.
Please check the Windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information.

The Dell expected to find a special Dell Partition at the beginning of the hard drive, and a newly formatted drive will not have this partition.

The process for creating this partition really is simple – I’m going to give a simple overview, and then more detailed instructions. The key here is not to overthink things. The GOOD news is, if you’re starting with a blank hard drive, you have nothing to lose!

Simple Overview

(If you are familiar with booting into a live linux environment and fdisk, this should be all you need!)

1. delete the existing partition table
2. create a new dell partiton spanning the first 7 cylinders. (1-7)
3. create a second partition for windows spanning the rest of the drive. (8-default max)
4. set the first partition to type “de” (dell partition)
5. set the second partiton to type 7 (NTFS)
6. write the changes
7. exit, and install windows

Detailed process (all command line language is in italics)

1. Download an Ubuntu Desktop CD
2. Boot with the CD
3. F12 is the “one time boot menu on my computer; choose CD/DVD Drive – if this doesn’t work for you, enter BIOS and change the first boot device to the CD drive.
4. When the CD menu opens choose your language
5. Select “Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer”
6. Wait a minute while the CD loads. When it is done, you will see an ubuntu desktop.
7. Choose Applications > Accessories > Terminal
8. At the command line type: sudo bash (any linux nerd will tell you this can lead to trouble – we need to become the root user so we can modify the partition table)
9. fdisk -l (this tells fdisk to list your partitions. note the name under “Device” that you want to work with)
10. The target device will look something like “/dev/sd?”, where “?” represents a letter of the alphabet)
11. fdisk /dev/sda (instead of “/dev/sda”, use the correct name of the device listed in fdisk -l; do NOT add the number at the end of the device)
12. You are now in the fdisk utility. My instructions cannot fit every case perfectly, so you may need to improvise, but it’s easy. Type m if you need some guidance in fdisk. Protip: None of the changes you make will be written until you choose to write them. If you quit without writing, no changes (damage) will be done!
13. d (delete the existing partition table)
14. If you have multiple partitions you will be asked which one to delete. Delete them all one at a time. IF you only have one, it will automatically select it. Continue when you can type  fdisk -l and see a blank partition table.
15. Time to create the dell partition:
    Type n to create a new parition.
    Type p to make this a primary partition.
    Type 1 to make it the first partition.
    Type  1 to make the paritition start at the first cylinder.
    Type  7 to end the partition at cylinder 7.
16. Now we label the partition as a Dell partition:
    Type t to change the type of the partition.
    Type de to change the partition to type Dell.
17. Time to create the Windows partition:
    Type n to create a new parition.
    Type p to make this a primary partition.
    Type 2 to make it the second partition.
    Type  8 to make the paritition start at the first cylinder.
    Press Enter to end the partition at the last available cylinder of the hard drive.
18. Now we label the partition as a NTFS partition:
    Type t to change the type of the partition.
    Type 2 to select the second partition.
    Type 7 to change the partition to type NTFS.
19. Now all you have to do is press w to write your changes and exit. If you do not write your changes before you exit, you will probably spend a long time trying to figure out why things didn’t work.
20. I always run fdisk -l one last time before I exit the command line to make sure I did everything right!
21. Shut down the computer.
22. Reboot the computer using the Dell Rescue CD and install windows.

If you try this and it doesn’t work the first time, I suggest retrying. One common mistake is to run fdisk on /dev/sda1 (wrong) rather than /dev/sda (right!). Be sure you’re fdisking the correct volume! I have also talked to people that exit fdisk without writing the changes. If you exit without writing, it was just a dry run – nothing happened!

I am attaching some sequential screenshots – they are not complete, but they may help you understand the process if you’re having difficulty!

http://www.huanix.com/sync-in-linux

I am actually working on getting iTunes to work in wine: http://www.huanix.com/sync-in-linux/index.php/ITunes_8_through_modified_Wine

For the record: I am not currently working on this project. You are free to use the resources or ask questions, but I am moving on! I will be glad to share access on the wiki with anyone that wants to work on this. -hb

11/22/2008- STOP! DO NOT use this fix. The problem addressed by this script has been corrected in VirtualBox 2.0.6. You are welcome to try it if nothing else works for you- it won’t damage your installation and could possibly help.

This is a script that will modify the Ubuntu 8.10 (or other Debian) environment to allow you to sync your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPod in a Windows XP VirtualBox VM.  Earlier versions of the script have high success rates. This fix solves two problems:

1. USB doesn’t work at all because there’s no mount point; edit /etc/fstab to fix it.
2. For the iPhone to sync, MAX_USBFS_BUFFER_SIZE needs to be modified in drivers/usb/core/devio.c

This version of the script will actually complete several steps:

1. Check for the correct version of VirtualBox-2.0 and install it if the need arises.
2. Correctly modify the /etc/fstab file to assign the usb mount point to the virtualbox group (thanks tauchris@gmail.com)
3. Download the correct kernel source, patch it, and update the kernel.
4. Re-initialize VirtualBox to recognize the new USB configuration.

I really believe this will simplify things for many folks. I think the greatest add on is the detection and installation of the correct Virtualbox version – it will add Virtualbox to your sources.list and add the key for you!

If the script works for you, please comment with your OS and details. If the script fails for you, PLEASE be very specific about what OS you are running and what did or didn’t happen. Comments without details don’t help anyone. If you see an exit code with a line number please include it.

You will need to re-run this script each time the Kernel is updated. The script now knows what to update and what to leave alone.

These instructions are based on my test environment. You do not have to follow them to the letter! Go ahead and try the script if you know what you’re doing!!!

1. You do not have to have VirtualBox pre-installed. The script will do that for you if it needs to.

2. Download the script to your Desktop and open a terminal window.

3. Set the script to executable, and run it as root.

• chmod +x virtualbox-iphone-r8.sh
• sudo [path to]/virtualbox-iphone-r8.sh

4. Run the script:virtualbox-iphone-r8.sh

5. Reboot.

• The script downloads the kernel source, and will take approximately 400 mb and several minutes of processing to run properly.

6. In the settings tab for the virtual machine, check to be sure that USB and USB 2.0 are enabled.

7. When you run windows as a virtual machine, you will have to connect the device, then go to the “Devices” tab in VirtualBox and enable the device in “USB Devices”

These steps should set the stage for everything to work correctly on Ubuntu 8.10. If you have difficulties, please be VERY specific!

Note: At this time I am no longer working toward making this script available in Fedora and Suse. However, the kernel fix contained inside the script will work if you extract and implement it. -hb

wine-116-itunes-no-devices.sh
(right-click the link to download this script)

to run it:
save the script to your desktop or home folder
open a terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), navigate to the same directory as the script.
type: chmod 777 wine-116-itunes-no-devices.sh (hit enter)
then type: ./wine-116-itunes-no-devices.sh (hit enter)

This script will build a custom version of wine 1.1.6 that will run iTunes 8.0.1 on Ubuntu 8.10. The resulting installation of wine will *NOT* (?) recognize iPhones or iPods. This installation will NOT conflict with your existing wine installation – it is separate!!!

Expect to download 500+ mb of stuff and compile for 2+ hours. I may find a way to simplify it later, but my goal now is to get it working reliably and predictably for everyone running Ubuntu 8.10.

Please leave detailed feedback including your operating system and version of iTunes as well as other information (i expect people to try lots of different things). “it worked” or “it didn’t work” are not useful comments!!
As far as getting devices to work, my best shot was Marteen  Lankhorst’s rejected patches (http://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-patches/2008-May/054483.html), but i haven’t gotten them to work with iTunes 8 (not sure why). Just in case you weren’t clear: This version WILL run iTunes 8, but it will NOT recognize your iPod/iPhone.  My current solution for that is with VirtualBox: http://www.huanix.com/2008/11/03/fixing-usb-on-virtualbox-to-allow-iphone-sync-with-an-ubuntu-host-running-windows-xp/

For the latest developments on this, go to the wiki at : http://www.huanix.com/sync-in-linux/index.php/ITunes_8_through_modified_Wine

Updated to virtualbox-iphone-r7.sh on 11/11/2008, 3:25 CST.

• Removed check for ubuntu, since this will work on far more systems.
• Improved the check for /etc/fstab with a grep instead of a question.
• Started package cleanup; it’s not the best yet.
  
• Still no exit points
• Still only accepts simple responses (y).
• Planning to add support for Suse & Fedora soon.

This is a script that will modify the Ubuntu (or other Debian) environment to allow you to sync your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPod in a Windows XP Virtual machine. This fix solves two problems:

1. USB doesn’t work at all because there’s no mount point; edit /etc/fstab to fix it.
2. For the iPhone to sync, MAX_USBFS_BUFFER_SIZE needs to be modified in drivers/usb/core/devio.c

If the script works for you, please comment with your OS and details. If the script fails for you, PLEASE be very specific about what OS you are running and what did or didn’t happen. Comments without details don’t help anyone.

UPDATE: I’m not sure if i pointed out that you will need to re-run this script each time the Kernel is updated. The script now knows what to update and what to leave alone.

These instructions are based on my test environment. You do not have to follow them to the letter! Go ahead and try the script if you know what you’re doing!!!

This fix works on Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex running VirtualBox-2.0 installed through apt-get. It also works on older versions of Ubuntu, and possibly many other distros. Be creative, but be careful.

Install virtualbox-2.0 through through apt-get:

1. edit your /etc/apt/sources.list file and add the following source:
deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian intrepid non-free
(intrepid is not listed on the wiki, but the source is working!)

2. Run “wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -”

3. Run “sudo apt-get update”

4. Run “sudo apt-get install virtualbox-2.0″

Restart your computer to make sure the vboxusers group initializes properly.

Run the script:
(be sure to chmod +x and run as root!)

Change the permissions to allow execution (chmod +x virtualbox-iphone.sh) and run it as root.
The script downloads the kernel source, and will take approximately 400 mb and several minutes of processing to run properly.

Restart again to initialize the modified kernel. (not sure if these restarts are necessary, but i’m trying to be safe!)

In the settings tab for the virtual machine, check to be sure that USB is enabled.

When you run windows as a virtual machine, you will have to connect the device, then go to the “Devices” tab in VirtualBox and enable the device in “USB Devices>”

These steps should set the stage for everything to work correctly on Ubuntu 8.10. If you have difficulties, please be VERY specific!

—-

Some people are having trouble with the USB settings.. make yours look like this. Your iphone may already be here, and it may not – i deleted mine to keep people from panicking if they didn’t see theirs.

—-

11/16/2008: I am aware of an issue where version 2.6.27-7 of the kernel goes through “make” while version 2.6.27-8 goes through update-initramfs. I am working on the script to address this. The result is that running the script works fine, but USB doesn’t connect. I think this only happens to people that have updated to 2.6.27-8, which appears to have been pulled back. A possible solution is to run “sudo grub-update” and boot into the 2.6.27-8 kernel, OR (i would do try this) “sudo apt-get remove linux-image-2.6.27-8-generic && sudo apt-get remove linux-headers-2.6.27-8-generic “. I have only confirmed this once (thanks Brandon) and cannot reproduce it because 2.6.27-8 is not available. Please confirm a solution if you have one. This is the relevant output from the virtuabox script…

(i need a good code highligher!)
Building modules, stage 2.
MODPOST 1 modules
CC /home/user/linux-source-2.6.27/drivers/usb/core/usbcore.mod.o
LD [M] /home/user/linux-source-2.6.27/drivers/usb/core/usbcore.ko
make: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-7-generic'
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-8-generic
Do you want to get rid of the source and installed files?
—-

I’m working on virtualbox-iphone-v8.sh ; this release is intended to run on both Ubuntu and Fedora 10. I’d like to release it on November 25, 2008 – the same day Fedora 10 (Final) is released.

I’m looking for 5 testers that have a spare development machine and experience with installing operating systems (fedora & ubuntu). Experience with subversion would be a plus, but I’m not sure I want to go that fancy. Email me at huanix@gmail.com

I’m also looking for 5 donations to my paypal account, also huanix@gmail.com before we start testing. It takes a lot of time to do this and there is no substitute for monetary encouragement.

Current Tally (11/22/2008):
Testers: 3/5
Contributors: 4/5