LILO on the MBR
 

I had installed Mandrake 9.0 a while back, and since then have installed Vector 3.2. I was able to set up everything perfectly, but I have to boot to Linux using the CD. I have set up LILO many times in Vector but whenever I boot up without a disk, it still brings me to the Mandrake bootsplash screen to boot up. And if I choose Linux from that screen, I get an error because it's trying to boot Mandrake.

Did Mandrake install LILO on the MBR? If so how do I remove that, if possible? I've read that you are not supposed to install LILO on the MBR if your Windows file system is NTFS (I'm using XP), so when I'm setting up LILO in Vector, I'm installing it on the first sector of /

Any suggestions?

if you want to remove it from your windows partition, you can use a rescue floppy (a windows one I mean) and from the dos prompt you do:

fdisk /mbr

but then you need a boot disk to get to your linux partitions after that.

you could remove mandrakes lilo on the mbr by using fdisk /mbr like captain suggested (just make sure you only have windows parition set bootable) and reinstall lilo with new conf file from your vector linux..

Now when I'm configuring LILO with Vector, I do have the option to load it on the MBR, but I've not used that option because of what I've read. But if what you guys are saying is true and that Mandrake did install LILO on my MBR, even though it's a NTFS file system, then I could just setup LILO with Vector and choose to install it on the MBR. Then that would overwrite any Mandrake setup there was.

Am I right?

Where did you get that little bit of FUD? By putting Lilo boot code in your Linux partition, vice MBR, you are guaranteed to need some extra steps to boot Linux.

The fact is that Lilo, or Grub, are fully capable of booting an version of Windoze. The MBR is interesting territory, but it's not sacred :D .

For now, you can remove the Lilo boot that is on your MBR by booting with a Win98 boot disk in your floppy and at the A:\ prompt enter:

fdisk /mbr

Cool, I will try that then. Thanks for the info all. :)

Well, I just loaded LILO onto my MBR and well. I can no longer boot to windows. I'm going to have to do some work on it, but luckily I'm pretty good at windows (just a beginner in the linux arena). But I thought you should know that loading LILO on the MBR when running the NTFS isn't such a hot idea.