If I install LILO to the MBR, can I use it to boot Windows XP?
 

I just got a copy of Slackware Linux. My PC right now has one hard drive with one partition containing Windows XP Home Edition. I'll probably get another drive for Linux since I'm new to Linux.

I want to set up a dual-boot configuration. What concerns me is that the Slackware documentation says that NT has trouble working if you install LILO to the Master Boot Record. I know that XP uses the NTFS by default, so I want to know if it has the same problems when LILO is written to the MBR. The manual documents how to edit lilo.conf to boot either Linux or Windows 95/98...can the same thing be done with XP?

I'd really rather not have to copy the Linux kernel to the Windows partition to use something like LOADLIN or the XP loader if possible, but I don't want to install LILO to the MBR and just render XP unbootable. If I can't install LILO to the MBR and use it to boot XP I'll probably just put it on a floppy instead. (cowardly, I know, but I'd rather play it safe since I've never actually touched Linux before)

Bottom line: If I install LILO to the MBR on the boot drive (where Windows XP is now), will I be able to boot XP using LILO?

Thanks

I have successfully dual booted with Slack and WinXP (NTFS) by having LILO on the MBR. Just remember that when you are prompted to install LILO, do the expert option, not the simple option. The simple option only picks up Slackware - with the expert option, you can manually point LILO at WinXP.

Hi. I'm having pretty much the same problem as squirrels, except I chose to not install LILO during installation. Last time I did it, it completely messed my MBR and I had to use Windows' recovery console and fixmbr.

Now when I try to run LILO I get a "/etc/lilo.conf: No such file or directory" error. So I created an empty file for LILO to run, but I'm not exaclty sure of what to put in it. Or should I use GRUB ? Or Windows' bootloader ?

XP is alone on my /dev/hda. My Linux partition is on /dev/hdb1.

I DID get XP to dual-boot with Linux. :)

Sounds like you're trying to run /sbin/lilo without a lilo.conf file in your /etc directory. lilo.conf tells the LILO installer how to configure the boot loader. You can't just make it blank...it tells LILO where your kernels are, how to boot them, etc...

I just run liloconfig as root and it takes you through the process of creating lilo.conf (including how to add your DOS/Windows partition as an option at boot time) and allows you to save it to /etc...then once you get more familiar with it you can tweak it manually.