LILO can't boot Win7?

atlantaswl · 11-17-2012, 01:59 PM

I loaded Slackware 14 on /dev/sdb1, Win7 was already on /dev/sda1 and was bootable before Slackware install using previous install of lilo.

Now, when I boot, Linux boots fine, Win7 reports BOOTMGR missing, ctrl-alt-del to reboot. lilo.conf contains:

boot = /dev/sdb
change-rules
reset
other = /dev/sda1
label = Windows
table = /dev/sda

image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/sdb1
label = Linux
read-only

Thanks in advance for assistance.

colorpurple21859 · 11-17-2012, 02:13 PM

What is the output of

Code:

fdisk -l

For a quick fix you can try to change sda1 to sda2 in the windows entry rerun lilo and see if that helps

markush · 11-17-2012, 02:23 PM

Windows comes often with a boot partition and some systems have also a recovery partition (all NTFS), you should have the windows-boot partition in your lilo.conf

Markus

atlantaswl · 11-17-2012, 03:05 PM

fdisk -l reports:

Disk /dev/sda: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders, total 488397168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xdfe23bdc

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 487372479 243686208+ 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 487372800 488392703 509952 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x2b411092

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 63 974745021 487372479+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 974745022 1952562607 488908793 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb3 * 1952562608 1953525167 481280 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Disk /dev/sdc: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00029ffd

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 2048 488390655 244194304 83 Linux
/dev/sdc2 488392065 517726754 14667345 82 Linux swap
bash-4.2#

I'll change lilo to point to /dev/sda2 and report shortly.

atlantaswl · 11-17-2012, 03:13 PM

Changing lilo to point to /dev/sda2 reports:

File: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Status: 0xc000000f
info: The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.

Thanks in advance.

markush · 11-17-2012, 03:14 PM

You have four Windows-partitions. Is Windows really installed on /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2? If it's installed on /dev/sda, the boot partition is probably /dev/sda2 because it's the smaller one.

Markus

markush · 11-17-2012, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atlantaswl

Changing lilo to point to /dev/sda2 reports:

File: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Status: 0xc000000f
info: The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.
...

Well, it would be good if you knew on which partition(s) your Windows is installed.

BTW: my lilo.conf looks like

Code:

# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/sda2
  label = Win7
  table = /dev/sda
# Windows bootable partition config ends

Maybe you'll change the entries for Windows in your lilo.conf.

Markus

atlantaswl · 11-17-2012, 08:39 PM

Fortunately, I do know where windows is installed, /dev/sda1, with the system reserved partition on /dev/sda2. Perhaps had you read my posts, you would have seen that. I do know why I would change the lilo.conf to agree with yours; is it because the label is different, or that they point to different partitions? Anyway, thanks for looking, wish it was helpful.

RoyaleWitCheese · 11-17-2012, 11:27 PM

Martinus2u · 11-18-2012, 07:11 AM

problem could be the BIOS device numbering at boot time. Maybe Windows remembers the numbering from when it was installed, or it has certain undocumented expectations. This theory can be tested by installing LILO in /dev/sda and changing the boot device in the BIOS.

Btw, are you sure you need the "change-rules reset"?

urka58 · 11-18-2012, 11:05 AM

Is your Win 7 installation using UEFI and GPT by chance? If it's an x86_64, very likely yes...
Have a look here in case
http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/index.html
Ciao

vdemuth · 11-18-2012, 11:24 AM

Determine the partition Windoes is installed on using parted. Then point LILO to the bootable partition.
Win7 normal install tends to create 3 partitions. A rescue partition (dev/sda1), a boot partition (dev/sda2) and a user partition (dev/sda3) Parted wil show what you have and which is marked bootable.

urka58 · 11-18-2012, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atlantaswl

I loaded Slackware 14 on /dev/sdb1, Win7 was already on /dev/sda1 and was bootable before Slackware install using previous install of lilo.

Now, when I boot, Linux boots fine, Win7 reports BOOTMGR missing, ctrl-alt-del to reboot. lilo.conf contains:

boot = /dev/sdb
change-rules
reset
other = /dev/sda1
label = Windows
table = /dev/sda

image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/sdb1
label = Linux
read-only

Thanks in advance for assistance.

Where did you install LILO? why on the first sector of the second disk? (boot=/dev/sdb)
Ciao

atlantaswl · 11-18-2012, 09:29 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. First, I was able to save the \Users directory onto USB drive. Then installed Win 7 onto an NTFS partition on another drive. When bootmgr came up, I selected the second Windows 7 entry and the original Windows 7 came up. Whew. Never saw installing lilo breaking an existing Win 7 installation, been using linux since 1.2.8. Turns out the original Win7 install was, in fact, on /dev/sdb2.