OK I will try and be as brief as possible as I know none of you want to read a lengthy post. So here goes:

I have a Dell Smartstep 200n laptop with the following os's :

hda1 - Linux Swap Partition
hda2 - Debian
hda3 - Windows XP
hda4 - Slackware

I have a Knoppix cd that I can boot to get into the system. However, I do not know how I need to setup my lilo.conf file to boot to give me a choice of which operating system I want to boot into. Right now I cannot get into any of them.

After I mounted the /dev/hda2 directory ( Debian) I copied the lilo.conf file so that I could post it so that it would make it easier for anyone willing to respond.

Here is my lilo.conf file :


# /etc/lilo.conf - See: `lilo(8)' and `lilo.conf(5)',
# --------------- `install-mbr(8)', `/usr/share/doc/lilo/',
# and `/usr/share/doc/mbr/'.

# +---------------------------------------------------------------+
# | !! Reminder !! |
# | |
# | Don't forget to run `lilo' after you make changes to this |
# | conffile, `/boot/bootmess.txt', or install a new kernel. The |
# | computer will most likely fail to boot if a kernel-image |
# | post-install script or you don't remember to run `lilo'. |
# | |
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+

# Support LBA for large hard disks.
#
lba32

# Overrides the default mapping between harddisk names and the BIOS'
# harddisk order. Use with caution.
#disk=/dev/hde
# bios=0x81

#disk=/dev/sda
# bios=0x80

# Specifies the boot device. This is where Lilo installs its boot
# block. It can be either a partition, or the raw device, in which
# case it installs in the MBR, and will overwrite the current MBR.
#
boot=/dev/hda1

# Specifies the device that should be mounted as root. (`/')
#
root=/dev/hda1

# Enable map compaction:
# Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single
# read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the
# map smaller. Using `compact' is especially recommended when
# booting from a floppy disk. It is disabled here by default
# because it doesn't always work.
#
# compact

# Installs the specified file as the new boot sector
# You have the choice between: bmp, compat, menu and text
# Look in /boot/ and in lilo.conf(5) manpage for details
#
install=/boot/boot-menu.b

# Specifies the location of the map file
#
map=/boot/map

# You can set a password here, and uncomment the `restricted' lines
# in the image definitions below to make it so that a password must
# be typed to boot anything but a default configuration. If a
# command line is given, other than one specified by an `append'
# statement in `lilo.conf', the password will be required, but a
# standard default boot will not require one.
#
# This will, for instance, prevent anyone with access to the
# console from booting with something like `Linux init=/bin/sh',
# and thus becoming `root' without proper authorization.
#
# Note that if you really need this type of security, you will
# likely also want to use `install-mbr' to reconfigure the MBR
# program, as well as set up your BIOS to disallow booting from
# removable disk or CD-ROM, then put a password on getting into the
# BIOS configuration as well. Please RTFM `install-mbr(8)'.
#
# password=tatercounter2000

# Specifies the number of deciseconds (0.1 seconds) LILO should
# wait before booting the first image.
#
delay=20

# You can put a customized boot message up if you like. If you use
# `prompt', and this computer may need to reboot unattended, you
# must specify a `timeout', or it will sit there forever waiting
# for a keypress. `single-key' goes with the `alias' lines in the
# `image' configurations below. eg: You can press `1' to boot
# `Linux', `2' to boot `LinuxOLD', if you uncomment the `alias'.
#
# message=/boot/bootmess.txt
prompt
timeout=150
# prompt
# single-key
# delay=100
# timeout=100

# Specifies the VGA text mode at boot time. (normal, extended, ask, <mode>)
#
# vga=ask
# vga=9
#
vga=normal

# Kernel command line options that apply to all installed images go
# here. See: The `boot-prompt-HOWO' and `kernel-parameters.txt' in
# the Linux kernel `Documentation' directory.
#
# append=""

# Boot up Linux by default.
#
default=Linux

image=/vmlinuz
label=Linux
read-only
# restricted
# alias=1

image=/vmlinuz.old
label=LinuxOLD
read-only
optional
# restricted
# alias=2

# If you have another OS on this machine to boot, you can uncomment the
# following lines, changing the device name on the `other' line to
# where your other OS' partition is.
#
# other=/dev/hda4
# label=HURD
# restricted
# alias=3
other=/dev/hda1
label="Linux Swap"

other=/dev/hda2
label="Debian"

other=/dev/hda3
label="Windows XP"

other=/dev/hda4
label="Slackware"

Thanks everyone for your replies :

Tony

In my experience lilo is incapable of handling more that two options. Grub seems to be able to boot any number of different operating systems. Give up on Lilo. Install Grub http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/...er06/grub.html

Alright - here is what I see.


.....but......

You are mounting your swap drive as the boot and root dev.
Try changing that to /dev/hda2, since that is where this lilo.conf resides.

P.S. LILO isn't that bad. Grub is good, but LILO is OK too Don't forget to run lilo after the save. I have not used Knoppix before, but I would hope that maybe you can mount /dev/hda2 as your root drive at startup. That way you can just run lilo. If that doesn't work, try /%path_to_hda2/sbin/lilo