Bug#591416: This bug might be due to Windows programs overwriting grub

[Svante Signell]

On Wed, 2010-09-01 at 09:13 +0100, Colin Watson wrote:
[...]
> The Squeeze Alpha1 netinst CD should be fine for this:
> 
>   i386:  http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/squeeze_di_alpha1/i386/iso-cd/debian-testing-i386-netinst.iso
>   amd64: http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/squeeze_di_alpha1/amd64/iso-cd/debian-testing-amd64-netinst.iso
> 
> Select "Rescue mode" when booting the CD, then run through the
> installation system (which should say "Rescue mode" at the top left of
> each screen) until it asks you which partition to use as your root file
> system (if it prompts you to create or edit partitions, then you
> selected the wrong thing when booting the CD; reboot and try again).
> Select /dev/ROOT, then select "Execute a shell in /dev/ROOT".
> 
> In this shell, run 'grub-install /dev/GRUB'.  You do not need to run
> update-grub (grub.cfg has not been touched), and you should not run
> install-mbr (GRUB installs its own MBR).
> 
> I suggest that you perform a test run through this before doing whatever
> you do to make GRUB unbootable.

I followed your instructions and checked that I could reinstall grub
from the rescue mode of the netinst CD. However, the problem no longer
shows (even if I re-installed some DRM-related XP programs that I
suspected was the problem). I'll continue to try getting back to the
state where embedded partition is overwritten, but no luck so far.
Thanks for your help anyway!