I have just installed Arch Linux on partition hda3, I have edited lilo on my slack partition (hda2) but when I boot Arch it gives me this error:

Unable to open inital consol

Any ideas??

Incase it helps here is my lilo.conf (for Slack)

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
append="hdd=ide-scsi"
boot = /dev/hda
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
prompt
timeout = 300
# Normal VGA console
vga = normal
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# ramdisk = 0 # paranoia setting
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda2
label = Slack
read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking

image = /boot/vmlinuz.old
root = /dev/hda2
label = SlackOK
read-only


# Linux bootable partition config ends
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda3
label = Arch
read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# DOS bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hda1
label = Window
table = /dev/hda
# DOS bootable partition config ends


Thanks
Adam

Did you run 'lilo' after making your changes? Just editing the config file isn't enough.

Also, not sure about this, but haven't hda2 and hda3 both got the same image name (vmlinuz)? Does this matter?

Hey MichaelHall yeah I ran lilo first of all it didn´t want to work becase the image that was created when I installed Arch was called vmlinux-xxxx so I made a link to it vmlinuz, then lilo updated when I typed lilo.

I don´t fully understand the second part of your reply... they do have the same image name... the only one that is different is my orignal kernal from slack (That works fine)

Adam

perdon, amigo ....

I'm only guessing here (I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to lilo configuration).

But I would have thought that each lilo boot option should point to a different kernel, otherwise wouldn't the same kernel boot regardless of what you selected? Maybe they ARE different kernels (on two different partitions). I don't know enough about lilo sorry.

Doesn't arch give you an option to custom compile your own kernel during the install process? Am I thinking of another distro? I get so confused anymore.... I would tend to blame it on Lilo but I'm sure thats not the case. If it is, well, thats lilo for ya'..... I like to blame evrything on lilo, founded or not. I've gotten that same error with arch and it was because I either didn't compile devfs into the kernel or I was using a 2.6 kernel and didn't add a devpts entry to fstab...... It's all foggy... Sorry. If your booting a standard Arch kernel then forget I even posted.... My posts don't seem to be worth much tonite anyway....

Hey guys I am using a standard arch kernal from the 0.5 Version... its 2.4.x I have read about someone that has exactly the same problem but didn´t understand how to deal with it

I dunno if you guys can explain it more clearly to me

http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=2803

Adam

Hmm.. Well, that helps a little if you are having the "same" exact problems... Does it seem like it's trying to load different parts of each OS at the same time? I had this problem once with Mandrake ages ago. I forget the specifics... It's because I was following grubs way of doing things and just directly linking to the kernel image on a different partition instead of making a copy of it and placing it in my hosts /boot folder....

Can a Lilo fan please clarify this once and for all for me? Do you have to copy the bzImage to your hosts /boot folder for the initial kernel information? Then after it reads that, it's able to finish off with the vmlinuz on the other partition (by going to the next line of lilo.conf) ? I never bothered to continue using Lilo cause it seemed very limited in it's abilities... Am I right or am I wrong...?

I've just made this correlation with people having multi-boot problems and using lilo. I would try copying Archs' vmlinuz to Slacks /boot.. Rename it vmlinuz-arch. Adjust your lilo.conf to match. Rerun /sbin/lilo. Stand on your head, hold your breath and then count to 10. Do a little jig and then reboot. And for posterities sake, if that doesn't work, for the love of god man... Just use grub....

Hey jong357 I was one step ahead of you! I tried installing lilo from Arch as I thought it might be somthing to do with this devfs naming system thing and that lilo was newer or somthing with Arch... didn´t work.

So I read a little bit about grub on the net and installed grub instead... configured it all and everything is sweet!

The reason I didn´t have grub before is because it looked BLOODY complicated about 4 months ago when I started using linux! Lilo was easier and sort of got the hang of it.

Now today I tried grub again... and a few little things I had to think about (especially with devfs naming) but it ROCKS not really any problems understanding how everything works and wicked if you make a mistake how you can just choose the right boot paramaters at the grub boot menu anyway!

A day a go I though I would never touch it and today I love it!

Thanks anyway!
Adam