Well, I guess I figured what messed up my drives:

- HDA (Master) have XP-SP2 installed, 3 partitions:

- 9GB With XP, NTFS
- 9GB data storage, FAT32
- 19GB data storage NTFS

- HDB (Slave) where I installed Knoppix from CD

At that time, HDA was connected to the HD controller so Knopix setup find it.

Durying install, LILO config undesrtood (or I understood ... this is better :o) that LILO will install itself at HDB MBR. Bios should be altered to boot from HDB.

BUT LILO installed itself on HDA (master) leaving config info on HDB.

HDA has its MBR altered. So following the sugestions from our forum pal I worked around XP tools (regedit / diskmgmnt) trying to solve the problem. No way. WIN-XP do not boot anymore without HDB installd (lilo was there on HDA).

XP problem: I brough XP-with SP1 ... upgraded via web to SP2. Surprize!!!! You can not install Recovery Console because Win considers that CD have an older version than the installed on HD.

Boot from XP CD and press R to start recovery console. Then XP install did no care abt the existing version. I used fixmbr function and voilą ... worked. XP now boot normally.

Another BUT: the remaining HDA partitions has gone anyway. I mean, they“re there but hidden or something like that (take a look at http://py.qsl.br/partinfo.gif).

Since I killed LILO at HDA I needed to re-install Knoppix on HDB.

This time I disconected HDA from the hw controller. Smooth instalation, LILO at this time has only Linux options, no other operational system.

Reconnecting HDA and rebooting via HDB (lilo there now), I started Knoppix and as a different user run QTParted.

Now there was all information about XP drive (HDA), all partitions. There“s a 9GB NTFS active one, the FAT32 9GB - hidden - and the NTFS 19GB, hidden too. As QTParted doesn“t handle NTFS, I was able only to unhide the FAT32.

Bingo! XP now sees this missing partition, assigned a letter etc etc.

Everything is - almost - perfect now.

Any idea about un-hiding the NTFS partition? Using another linux tool? Or is there any trick on Windoze?

BTW, even hidden and NTFS, linux have access to the hidden NTFS contents. I guess I“ll move all data to CDs and under XP delete this partition to create a new one later. Deletion is the only option that diskmgmt.msc gaves me.

Regards
Marcus
PY3CRX/PY2PLL
http://py.qsl.br