During install I had to make a boot floppy as lilo would not install to mbr or partition.

I need to have lilo set itself up in the slackware partition so I can chainload the OS.How can i do this?

Thanks for any help.

It has been awhile but IIRC /sbin/lilo -b /dev/hdxy replacing x with the drive letter and y with the partition number this when booted into the install where you want to install in the / partition. Then you have to edit the other lilo.conf to add an entry for it and run lilo on your other install.

Hi,

What was the error. message?

You can write to the superblock for the slackware install. Just make the partition bootable using cfdisk or fdisk. You can then use another boot manager to boot lilo that was written to that superblock.

To write the lilo to your device;

lilo -v -t -b /dev/hda# # test the lilo

lilo -v -b /dev/hda# # this will write the boot

note; replace a# with your device.

Make sure that lilo.conf parameter boot= /dev/hda# is used. Since you created a boot disk with lilo.conf boot = fd0.


HTH!

This didnt work.Returned no file found.
The only lilo in the slackware partition is in fact in /sbin/lilo.There is no /etc/lilo.conf file.
There really hasnt been one yet.I did not think it would boot without a lilo.conf file so I havent tried to boot without the floppy.

Will the instructions you gave only setup lilo in the slackware partition if I replace a# only with the slackware partition info?

Thanks alot

During installation when you get an option to install lilo into partition and tried to install, what error did you get?

So your bootdisk works? You can review it's lilo config and chainload other os so that lilo boot disk boots other os too. Make copies of that bootdisk.
Why wont lilo install to mbr? what other bootloader are you using? If it is grub or lilo then slackware can be added there. See http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/...a/Chainloading in Linux. You can click on LQ tutorials instead of forums and Applications/GUI/Multimedia to find it also. Good luck.

I cant remember exactly.I think it was something about a partition it couldnt find as /.I got the same error when I tried to install lilo to MBR and to superblock of slack partition.
Yes it works well.(slowww).

I am currently chainloading 13 OS's via an etc/lilo.conf contained in my slax linux partition.
The individual os's use lilo,GRUB,and ntldr.I will need to let mandriva's GRUB take over the booting chores soon as I think I'm running out of usable lilo entries.

I just need the equivalant of issuing:
"root (hd1,12) setup (hd1,12)" from a grub shell for lilo if there is one.

I really dont know why slackware couldnt install lilo to the partition.Kate linux and several other distros that use lilo had no problem doing this?

Thanks

Well that is one hell of a setup, for lilo you would need the hd? /dev/hd?13 with the question being the drive letter a,b,c or d depending on where it is located on the IDE cables. Can you post the output of fdisk -l and the lilo.conf files you are using?

Sorry for the delay in my responses today.I've been very busy.

HappyTux(love the name)slackware is installed at hdb13.
Do I just open a terminal and type [lilo /dev/hdb13] ?

One more thing.Notice in the fdisk -l,under the boot column there is a * at hda1 and hdb3.What does this mean?

Thanks for your time.The outputs are below.


Disk /dev/hda: 82.3 GB, 82348277760 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 10637 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 2709 20480008+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 2710 10637 59935680 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 2710 5633 22105408+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 5634 6445 6138688+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda7 6446 6593 1118848+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda8 6594 10637 30572608+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/hdb: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 1 127 1020096 1 FAT12
/dev/hdb2 128 7602 60042937+ 5 Extended
/dev/hdb3 * 5055 6328 10233405 83 Linux
/dev/hdb5 128 254 1020096 83 Linux
/dev/hdb6 255 1273 8185086 83 Linux
/dev/hdb7 1274 1413 1124518+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hdb8 1414 2687 10233373+ 83 Linux
/dev/hdb9 2688 2941 2040223+ 83 Linux
/dev/hdb10 2942 3578 5116671 83 Linux
/dev/hdb11 3579 4852 10233373+ 83 Linux
/dev/hdb12 4853 5054 1622533+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hdb13 6329 7602 10233373+ 83 Linux

boot = /dev/hda
prompt
timeout = 5000
bitmap=/boot/splash.bmp
change-rules
reset
vga = normal
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = current
label = slax
read-write
other=/dev/hda6
Label=Mandy2006
other=/dev/hdb6
Label=Mandy2006.1
other=/dev/hdb5
Label=Puppy
other=/dev/hdb12
Label=mypupcd
other=/dev/hdb3
Label=Ubuntu
other=/dev/hda1
Label=WindowsXP
other=/dev/hdb2
Label=Hack95
other=/dev/hdb9
Label=DSL
other=/dev/hda5
Label=Kate
other=/dev/hdb13
Label=Slackware10.2
other=/dev/hdb11
label=Yoper
other=/dev/hda8
Label=Arabian

If you are running the slack install on the hdb13 install then you need to run /sbin/lilo -b /dev/hdb13 this should install to the / of this install. Now in your lilo.conf for that / you should have the boot=/dev/hdb13 as well and just a normal entry to boot a kernel like the first in your config that you have posted not like the ones with the other=.....
That means that the partition is set as bootable.

Thanks thats what I needed.

I'm still not sure about the bootable * in my partition table.Most all of them are bootable.I dont know how those 2 got flagged or why.Oh well I'll read up on it.Thanks again.

Your welcome, a partition having files in it that allow you to boot and the partition being marked bootable are two different things. The marked boot is usually done by partitioning software or by an OS install marking it as such during install.

Ohoh.
Ok I'm about ready to install again and try to fix the reason why the slackware installer can't install lilo to the hd.Maybe I'll have better luck doing that!

There is definately an /sbin/lilo file in hdb13 by the way.
It is like the boot floppy,when I try to view the contents konqueror shows the folders with cryptic symbols for names that I cannot read.

Heeey.I found this in #man lilo
Auxiliary uses:

/sbin/lilo -A - activate/show active partition
/sbin/lilo -E - edit header or update a bitmap file
/sbin/lilo -I - inquire path name of current kernel
/sbin/lilo -M - write a Master Boot Loader on a device
/sbin/lilo -q - query map
/sbin/lilo -R - set default command line for next reboot
lines 12-20

Is "/sbin/lilo -M /dev/hdb13" what I'm looking for?

Thanks

The error in the post above is telling you the file lilo.conf does not exist you should create one. If you want to install to the MBR then you need to have boot=/dev/hdb in the lilo.conf you create with the root=/dev/hdb13 and use the same command I have already mentioned with a /dev/hdb instead of the hdb13. Something like this for the lilo.conf should work.

Now that should install into the MBR of /dev/hdb with a command of while booted into the hdb13 install /sbin/lilo -b /dev/hdb then you would need to change the other=/dev/hdb for the Kate entry in your file you posted above and just run /sbin/lilo while booted into the install that has that as its lilo.conf. To use the above file as is with your existing install change to boot=/dev/hdb13 and use the -b /dev/hdb13 in the command. BTW you may need an initrd line if the kernel is using one. The /sbin/lilo is a binary file that is why you see the jumbled up numbers and symbols when viewing.