LILO Fatal Error on multi-disk config.
 

I posted a similar question a few days ago, but am still having problems. :^/

I'm trying to install LILO onto the root Linux partition so that I can configure the NT bootloader to load Linux directly.

Here's a quick overview of my system.
I have Win2000 installed on /dev/hda1.
I have WinXP installed on /dev/hde1
I have my Linux root as /dev/hde8.

/dev/hda1 is the 'boot' drive that the NT loader resides on.

I've configured my lilo.conf to be:

boot=/dev/hde8
map=/boot/System.map
prompt
timeout=60
image=/boot/vmlinuz
root=/dev/hde8
label=linux
read-only

I downloaded and compiled LILO 22.5.2, which seemed to work fine.

The problem is that when I run 'lilo' to install it to the drive, it returns with this error:

Error: /dev/hde1 and /dev/hda1 have duplicate volume IDs (serial numbers)
Fatal: Duplicate volume IDs must be resolved before installation can proceed.
Use the '-z' and '-M <dev>' switches to erase the conflicts.

So, following the advice given by the error, I then entered:

lilo -z -M /dev/hde8

... which gave me this error:

Fatal: /dev/hde8 is not a master device with a primary partition table.

I've also tried installing to a floppy disk by changing boot=/dev/fd0 in lilo.conf, but it comes up with the exact same error.

Does anyone know what might be causing this error, and what can be done to fix it?

Thank You,

- skubik.

I don't know much about lilo because I prefer GRUB but I do know that "/dev/hde8" is not a device it is a partition. "/dev/hde" is the device - I assume you need to leave off the 8.

no, this way you will overwrite the MBR and kill the NT Bootloader. And without that NT/2K/XP won't start.

The error messages mean to me that the Hard disks have the same ID number though I don't know how this can happen :confused:

Why would you want to use ntldr anyway?

/dev/hde8 looks strange to me, I have one on my MoBo with a on-board IDE-Raid controller.

You sure that it's not hdb, c, or d?

Could you post the output of sfdisk -l /dev/hde ?

M.

sfdisk output & more....
 

Alright now...

I'm using ntloader because from what I understand, it's an easier solution than lilo is. All I'm using lilo for is so I can use 'dd' and extract the first 512 bytes of the 'boot partition' into a file so ntloader can load it. If there's an easier way to do it in either lilo or grub, great.

As for the hde8, you're right, it's a partition on a drive attached to a PCI ATA controller (Promise Ultra133 TX2).
Here's the output from sfdisk:

Disk /dev/hde: 14589 cylinders, 255 heads, 63 sectors/track
Units = cylinders of 8225280 bytes, blocks of 1024 bytes, counting from 0

Device Boot Start End #cyls #blocks Id System
/dev/hde1 0+ 382 383- 3076416 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hde2 383 14588 14206 114109695 5 Extended
/dev/hde3 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/hde4 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/hde5 383+ 2932 2550- 20482843+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hde6 2933+ 6757 3825- 30724281 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hde7 6758+ 6885 128- 1028128+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hde8 * 6886+ 7395 510- 4096543+ 83 Linux
/dev/hde9 7396+ 11220 3825- 30724281 83 Linux
/dev/hde10 11221+ 11475 255- 2048256 83 Linux
/dev/hde11 11476+ 14588 3113- 25005141 83 Linux

The NT bootloader is on /dev/hda, where Win2000 also resides. WinXP resides on the /dev/hde1 partition.

This help at all?
I'm REALLY stuck here and I've been trying to solve it for a few days now... with no success. I can't even install lilo onto a floppy disk because it gives me a similar error.

Any help is MUCH appreicated.

- skubik.

I used lilo once and I allowed it to overwrite the MBR and I had no problems. I simply choose either XP or Mndk.

If you overwrite the MBR of hde and ntldr is on hda then you have nothing to worry about. Just put lilo on the MBR of hde then dd the mbr to a file and load that from ntldr. Personnaly I would still use grub but if you are more comfortable then use ntldr and lilo.

I took that bold step last night and wrote LILO to the MBR of /dev/hde. It wrote it. I then used 'dd' to extract it so I could boot it from the NT loader.

Unfortunately, it killed booting for WinXP since WinXP apparently has it's own bootloader on the MBR of /dev/hde... furthermore, Linux STILL did not boot. VERY frustrating.

- skubik.

I agree with skubik: its very frustrating. Unfortunately there are people around who would die for the 'lie' that LILO is a stable product and better than the ntloader.Yet the fatc of the matter is that LILO/GRUB or whatever bootloader is there for Linux has a tendecy to goof up M$ bootloaders. The exact same thing happened with me because I listened to some so-called Linux users and installed LILO on mty MBR. I ended up reformatting my C: and lost precious data.
I can only sympathize with you skubik.

:)

I have yet to find a way to even install windows without removing a linux bootloader so it isn't exactly a one way proccess.

reformatting is not necessary. The Win2k CD has the option to boot into the Repair console from where you can repair the bootloader and make at least NT/2k/XP boot again. Been there done that. Was a PITA but it still works.

I have yet to find a way to make Lilo my main bootmanager so that it can dual boot Linux and Win2k.

After all the trouble I've been through much like you, too, I chose the way of the floppy disk. LILO resides on that and when the disk is in I boot Linux and when not it's windows time. (The floppy stays in most of the time ;) )

ok, ok, one thing at a time. Let's keep the religious discussion to another group.

I boot NT with lilo all the time, and yes, I used to go the other way for a while, but in the end it's easier to use lilo to boot Windows than the other way around.

Except for a lttle complication, maybe, it's quite straightforward, let lilo write to hda's MBR, and add

other=/dev/hda1
optional
label=Win2000

other=/dev/hde1
optional
label=WinXP

to the bottom of your lilo.conf. Then rerun lilo.

The complication may be that your linux boot partition is on the Promise controller. You don't have the option of making the PDC driver a module, but can only compile it into the kernel. I don't actually boot from a Promise controller, but I faintly recall that there were particular settings required with DMA etc. Just google around a bit.

Don't get discouraged, it's actually not very complicated. The Windowses install their "real" loader in the boot record of the partition rather than the MBR, and the MBR just holds a little piece of code that directs the bios to that loader in the partition. That's how the above entries work -- "please transfer control to the boot record of hda1 (or hde1, respectively)".

I did some posts recently directing people to a rescue disk that comes in handy to resolve all these issues if you can't boot your system any more,
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/~purschke/RescueCD/
which is something you should have in your toolbox.

Just as a reference, here's my lilo.conf

M.