Tinkster,

why is boot=/dev/hda and not boot=/dev/hda1 ????

and how to set my hda3 as the active partition?
currently my hda1(NTFS) partition is active because fdisk -l show
hda1 * .

i am still thinking of install my lilo into linux partition hda3. First thing i need to do is to make my linux partition active first. am i right? so that i can install lilo correctly and boot from hda3. From there i also can choose to boot to my Win2k (NTFS) partition. am i right?

Correct me if i am wrong. Thanks.

Please, anyone out there.....

my hda1 is NTFS (win 2k)(active partition). Do you think lilo can write to NTFS if i install lilo into MBR????

Thanks.

Because you want lilo in either your Linux
partition or in the Master Boot Record. If
you wrote it to /dev/hda1 windows probably
won't work anymore :}

Well, you can install Lilo to /dev/hda3 ...
but as Azmeen pointed out you'd need
some other chainloader to be able to
access Win and Linux alternately.


Cheers,
Tink

You can always just use the Windows bootloader like so:

During the install, choose to install lilo in the Root partition.

After the Slack install, either boot from the floppy, or boot the cd with the following option (at the boot: screen)...

bare.i root=hda2 noinitrd ro

It will look like this...

boot:bare.i root=hda2 noinitrd ro

Once the system is booted, login as root and do the following...

insert a blank floppy...then do...

mkfs.msdos /dev/fd0

Then do...

dd if=/dev/hda3 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1

Then do...

mcopy /bootsect.lnx a:

reboot into Windows, then copy the bootsect.lnx file from the floppy to C:\

Right click on "My Computer", click Properties, click the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery, click Edit, add the following on a seperate line...

C:\BOOTSECT.LNX="Slackware"

Save the file, reboot, then choose either Windows or Slackware. Anytime you recompile the kernel, or change Lilo, you'll need to follow the process again.

DaOne,

i couldn't find any edit button there????

Thanks for help.

It's there... right underneath the how many seconds box.

Well, anyway, if you used bootpart which I mentioned earlier. It will automate all of the instructions mentioned by DaOne.

Hi, DaOne , Azmeen

I am sorry to say that i 'm not using WinXP. The edit button only available for Win XP but not Win 2k.

Thanks for help.

I'm posting my lilo.conf from those who have multiple hard drives.

$fdisk -l
Disk /dev/hda: 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/hda1 1 4 32098+ de Dell Utility
/dev/hda2 * 5 8416 67569390 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda3 8417 9729 10546672+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5 8417 9729 10546641 b W95 FAT32

Disk /dev/hdb: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 2 4865 39070080 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hdb5 1915 4865 23703876 b W95 FAT32
/dev/hdb6 * 2 510 4088479+ 83 Linux
/dev/hdb7 511 1275 6144831 83 Linux
/dev/hdb8 1276 1784 4088511 83 Linux
/dev/hdb9 1785 1914 1044193+ 82 Linux swap

Partition table entries are not in disk order

This is what I my lilo.conf looks like and it works great.

boot=/dev/hda
lba32
prompt
timeout=50
root=/dev/hdb6

image="/boot/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.22"
label="2.4.22"
root="/dev/hdb6"
read-only

image="/usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage"
label="Linux_Compiled"
root="/dev/hdb6"
read-only
optional

other=/dev/hda2
label="NT"

image="/dev/hda2"
root="/dev/hdb6"

I think the best place to install lilo is the MBR of your hard drive. Lilo is capable of loading most of the OS-es, so if configured right, you won't have a problem in future.

If you'd like to install lilo in MBR, this is how to do it:
first of all it would be a good thing to clear the MBR, for that login as root, and do:
this would clear the entire contens of your MBR,
next(and last) thing to do, is to run liloconfig(as root), step-by-step configure lilo to correctly load any OS you got, and to install it into the MBR.
after this steps you should be good to go.

in case you would want to install lilo in the superblock of your linux partition, you would probably need to set that partition active. here's how to do it:
run 'fdisk /dev/hda'
then enter 'a', it will ask you which partition you want to set active, just enter your linux partition number.
save the changes, by entering 'w' and hit enter.
although i am not shure if you need to toggle your win partition flag, so it won't be active. (this is done the same way, as w/ the linux partition).


Hope this will be of any help
castor