LILO / dualboot problem

[gamblor01]

Ok so let's see if I can say this properly. I have 2 hard drives in my computer. A 40GB with WinXP on it and a 20GB that was my old win98 drive. The 40gb is the master and the 20gb is the slave. Now I also have an old 8gb drive that I installed slackware on, and I would swap out the 8gb with the 40gb to boot into Linux. Instead of doing this, I thought I'd reformat the 20gb and install slackware on it, and dual-boot either Slack from the 20gb or XP from the 40gb. I was able to get Linux to recognize and use the win98 drive (using a umask=000) so I could read/write to the disk, but I never tried booting from it. Anyway, now I want to do something different since I think that 8gb hard drive is crapping out on me.

So now here's the new setup:
20gb (with Slack) is Master and has Lilo booting from MBR
40gb (with XP) is Slave (and trying to boot through Lilo)

So whenever I boot up, I do have two choices, either Linux or Windows. I can boot up into Linux just fine (I'm in it now) but when I try and select to boot into Windows, it just says "booting Windows" or "starting Windows" or whatever, and then just hangs. It doesn't actually boot anything. Here's what my current lilo.conf file looks like:


# LILO configuration file
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hda
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
prompt
timeout = 300
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
vga = 773
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda1
label = Linux
read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# DOS bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hdb1
label = Windows
table = /dev/hdb
map-drive=0x80 to=0x81 # make Windows think it's
map-drive=0x81 to=0x80 # the master hard drive
# DOS bootable partition config ends


I tried booting without the map-drive options and that didn't work either. I've also tried using "other = /dev/hdb" and no success with that. Can anyone tell me what's up with this?

EDIT: I think I should also mention that I tried putting the XP drive back to master and booting it as the only drive on the IDE (so the Linux drive was disconnected at the time) and I had to run a fixmbr command to get Windows to boot up again. When I tried to switch the XP drive back to slave and Linux as Master and boot Windows, it still didn't work. I'm lost.

[JohnT]

Put your XP back as master and look HERE (http://justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75693)

I boot all my operating systems with NT Loader.

[gamblor01]

Well what if I didn't make a bootdisk during my slack installation? Should I reinstall or can someone tell me how to make a bootdisk through the terminal (I'm sure this can be done...it'd be insane if you couldn't)? Once I get that, I suppose I could set them back in the XP-Master/Slack-Slave configuration, boot through the disk and follow the rest of the instructions. I'll search around this site and another to see if anyone offers instructions on that though.

And gehidore....I already tried your suggestion and it didn't work. This is from my original post...

I tried booting without the map-drive options and that didn't work either. I've also tried using "other = /dev/hdb" and no success with that.

[JohnT]

Bootdisk....in the terminal type the command "pkgtool", choose "Setup">Slackware installation scripts to run again">#8 Make bootdisk.

[gamblor01]

Well I appreciate your help John, but that thing just didn't work. My computer wouldn't seem to cooperate and make a boot disk, so I just changed my lilo.conf file slightly to taylor it so that the boot would be on /dev/hdb (which is the slave ide):


# LILO configuration file
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hdb
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
prompt
timeout = 300
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
vga = 773
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hdb1
label = Linux
read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends


So anyway, I did all the stuff you said to do and created that bootsect.lnx file and everything was set up. When I rebooted the system, Windows now worked fine, but when I try to select and boot Linux, now THAT just hangs and does nothing. I can however, put the Slack CD into the drive and then just pass in the command "bare.i /dev/hdb1 noiditrd ro" and now here I am...back into Linux again. But that's an annoyance to have to stick the CD in and type that everytime I want to use Linux.

I shouldn't set lilo into the MBR should I (otherwise it will overwrite the Windows one)? I just set it to superblock on the Slack drive...that's correct yes?

I'm not sure where I'm going wrong...I am following your instructions exactly, which all seem to be kosher, and follow the instructions from slackware.com exactly. Would it be a problem that I sent the bootsect.lnx file through ftp and then logged into Windows and downloaded it? I doubt it, but you never know...

If you can give any more pointers I'd appreciate it.

[JohnT]

Put your bootsect.lnx on a floppy and copy it to XP. You could try ftp. email or whatever, but what's the guarantee? Every time you change anything in the Lilo boot process you have to run /sbin/lilo and then make a new bootsect.lnx. Go into "cfdisk" and make sure your " / " partition is bootable. Your Lilo line...boot = /dev/hdb...is incorrect...it should point to your bootable "/ " root partition.

[gamblor01]

Ok well I'm not sure how to check whether or not my root partition is bootable. I ran cfdisk but there's only one partition that takes up the entire /dev/hdb and that's the only partition it lists. I am able to toggle the boot option on that but is that the root partition "/" you're speaking of? I didn't set up any swap space, mainly because I'm not sure how to do that (maybe I should try cfdisk instead of fdisk like I was doing), so there's one primary partition, containing Linux, on reiserfs, which takes up the entire 20gb of the drive, which is the slave drive or /dev/hdb.

Do I just need to set the bootable flag on /dev/hdb in cfdisk?

[JohnT]

No set it to /dev/hdb1....../dev/hdb is the hardrive of which your /dev/hdb1 is a partition of. Use the command man mkswapto learn how to set your swap partition.

[gamblor01]

Yeah I think I meant "Do I need to set the bootable flag on the /dev/hdb1" but just put hdb. I was thinking I have to run the command "cfdisk /dev/hdb" so that's where that /hdb came from. I'll try making that bootable when I get home today and see what happens...and I'll run that command for the swap space. Thanks again! I'll let you know if I have any more problems. :)

[JohnT]

Thanks again! I'll let you know if I have any more problems. Just linux ones...preferably Slack..please:D

[gamblor01]

First of all...I totally agree with you about Slack. It's a great distro and I've been way more successful with it than any other distro I've installed. Mandrake and Redhat are...well, not my cup of tea anyway.

To get back on topic though...IT WORKS! :D I can now boot into Windows or Slack and no boot disks are necessary or anything...I just had to set the /dev/hdb1 to be bootable in the cfdisk and now it's all going perfectly. Fedex says they're delivering my Athlon 3000+ (Barton) tomorrow so I'm going to have a much faster processor (I'm currently on a 2000+ @ 266MHz FSB), and a working dual boot system! Huzzah! Plus Linux is now on a 7200rpm drive rather than the 8gb 5400rpm I was swapping in and out. John...I owe you one. If you're in Austin anytime (not sure where in Texas you live), I owe you a beer or something man. I'll be here in Austin at least another year finishing up my B.S. so you've got plenty of time. Seriously, thank you.

[JohnT]

The more you do it the more you know...glad you got it running:D ..I'm in Cleburne, just outside of the DFW metroplex. Austin used to be a "little" college town..once upon a time.:D I grew up in San Antonio.

[gamblor01]

Well I have a few friends up in Dallas and I imagine I'll be up there sometime this summer. You're :cool: in my book so perhaps there will come a time...perhaps not.

[XiaoKJ]

Actually, If I were fast enuff for this topic, I would recommend a very easy way out of this mess.

1) get a grub boot floppy, onli grub, no kernel no nothing

2) get grub (http://www.gnu.org/software/grub) sources and compile in Slackware(boot into that of course)

3) #grub-install /dev/hda?

4) #grub

5) root (hd0,?)

6) setup (hd0)

7) quit and enjoy making the configfile no prob anymore! LILO is well known to fumble. It is not recommended and is quit a bother to maintain.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by XiaoKJ
Actually, If I were fast enuff for this topic, I would recommend a very easy way out of this mess.

1) get a grub boot floppy, onli grub, no kernel no nothing

2) get grub (http://www.gnu.org/software/grub) sources and compile in Slackware(boot into that of course)

3) #grub-install /dev/hda?

4) #grub

5) root (hd0,?)

6) setup (hd0)

7) quit and enjoy making the configfile no prob anymore! LILO is well known to fumble. It is not recommended and is quit a bother to maintain.

How is all that configuration easier than changing one line in Lilo?:confused:

As far as being a bother..I have been using Lilo very successfully for a number of years to boot several OS's and several HD's. I dont know where you got your recommendation. Grub's a fine boot manager and I even have a Grub floppy. I would recommend either to anyone...providing they can set them up properly.

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by JohnT
I would recommend either to anyone...providing they can set them up properly.

So would I. As long as they are configured and setup properly, either bootloader should be able to dual/multi boot operating systems over multiple HD's.

[XiaoKJ]

tt was just my personal view, dun take it to heart!

I am tramatised by lilo so it still feels like a sore thump. For newbies I definitely recommend Grub as it works stably(for me). I noe that lilo works too but I am u noe wad.

learning grub is also a gd thing to do! At least I can think straight when i use grub. Grub also does not need to be reset like lilo when stuff are put across to the kernel. I am now going to compile kernels and i wouldnt want lilo to hinder me. I will just use grub to map to one proven kernel.

[JohnT]

tt was just my personal view, dun take it to heart!
.:D Who's taking it to heart...that is also my personal view and experience with both boot managers.