Dual booting

[GoFigureItOut]

I was dual-booting Windows 8 and Unbuntu 14.04. Just recently I had to install Windows 7 over my Windows 8 partition because some Windows update botched my system. After a Windows 7 successful install, I used Boot Repair Disk to get dualbooting back. It reported back as being repaired, but when I restart, I don't have the option to pick an OS. Is there an alternative way to install the GRUB bootloader over Windows? I'm looking for something that's on a novice level.

 

[OneMoar]

there is no novice level way to fix this if boot repair didn't fix the problem
without having a log file I can't tell you exactly what broke but I am assuming that grub installed its self to the wrong partition and isn't chain loading correctly
you are either gonna need to re-install ubuntu or boot from the Ubuntu disk manual mount your partitions and then install grub2 from the terminal one command at a time
also out of curiosity what do you mean a windows update botched the system thats nearly impossible unless you broke it

 

[zsolt_93]

Most likely GRUB was on the partition with W8, and when you installed 7 you wiped that bootloader, and now there is only the win bootloader, that has no reference to the ubuntu install. Re installing GRUB will surely fix it.

 

[OneMoar]

make sure you used the ubuntu boot repair until and not something else
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair

 

[GoFigureItOut]

I figured out why boot repair disk didn't work. The partition where Ubuntu was installed, got erased some how. The whole 15 GB partition was free according to Windows disk management. Not sure why BRD reported a successful repair.

I had to install Ubuntu 14.04 all over again and now it's working. I'm still wondering how Linux got erased when I specifically installed Windows onto its own 120 GB partition

 

[OneMoar]

I figured out why boot repair disk didn't work. The partition where Ubuntu was installed, got erased some how. The whole 15 GB partition was free according to Windows disk management. Not sure why BRD reported a successful repair.

I had to install Ubuntu 14.04 all over again and now it's working. I'm still wondering how Linux got erased when I specifically installed Windows onto its own 120 GB partition

because by default windows will setup the partitions as follows
1. system reserved partition containing the MBR,ntbootloader,mft
2. the main c:\ partition
if you partitioned your disks with a 3d party untility when you reinstall windows you need to select MANUAL partitioning so it doesn't wipe stuff
what I do is I keep the GRUB bootloader isolated to its own physical disk that way if grub goes over it doesn't take the windows install with it or vice-versa
my boot order is as follows
HDD1 1TB blue with a 100GB linux ext4 partition and 8GB swap contains grub 2 for my linux mint install
the windows bootloader is installed on partition0 of HDD0 and windows its self is installed on partition1 of HDD0 should grub or the ntbootloader go over all I need todo is swap the boot order in the bios