Is it possible at all ?

I had winXP and Fedora Linux in my PC
then I decided to put also Debian 3.0
created partition for root and swap
but now I am only able to boot to winXP and Debian, but not to Fedora

vasilakis; ah jealousy between os,s . read some where some linux os,s not
compatible. kernels differ slightly.

here are two possibilities:

1.)
if you are using lilo you can but one bootloader in the master boot record (mbr) of the first drive (hda) and a "second stage" bootloader (ex. for the second linuxsystem) in the second drive's mbr (hdb) or even into a partition on the first drive (ex. hda3).

examlpe:
hda is partitioned to hda1 (linux01) , hda2 (ms) and
hdb is partitioned in hdb1 (linux02)
then configure you first bootloader: (/etc/lilo.conf at linux01)

boot=/dev/hda
root=/dev/hda1
image=/vmlinuz <-- linux01 kernel
label=linux01
other=/dev/hda2 <-- ms
label=microshit
other=/dev/hdb <-- this is the second bootloader
label=linux02

and then boot into linux02 (root=/dev/hdb1) and change lilo.conf:

boot=/dev/hdb
root=/dev/hdb1
(disable prompting for input so lilo boots straight trough)

now both linux distributions are independent. this is not the case in the next example:

2.)
just use one boot-directory(partition) where you but kernels for both linux in (but you'll
likely have to manage this directory by hand).
be sure both lilo.conf tell the same -or- don't even mount the /[real]boot at startup then there will be no troubles.

use append="root=/dev/[1st linux rootpartition]" for one entry in your lilo.conf's image= and append="root=/dev/[2nd linux rootpartition]" for the other image.

if you're using another bootmanager this will afaik work quite similar, but i can't tell how :-)

sl mritch.

Mritch, I tryed the first of your examples

My hard disk is partitioned as follows: hda1, hda4 - ms
hda2- Fedora root
hda5 - Fedora swap
hda6 - Debian 3 root
hda7- Debian swap

I added in lilo.conf ( of Debian) as you told me this command :
other=dev/hda6
label=" Fedora Linux"

When I run lilo command it tells Fatal error that there is no bootable section in hda6
but before installing Debian I could boot from this section

My lilo menu still have only 2 options to boot : microshit and Debian

i'm little confused about your partition overview. this does not look right.

you wrote "other=dev/hda6" - should be "other=/dev/hda2" (i assume hda2=fedora) two typo's?

i forgot to say that lilo won't be able to install itself to an extended partition. maybe hda2 (fedora root) is no primary partition?
the error could also mean that you'll have to install lilo first in the beginning of hda2, then there will be a bootable partition there.
another issue could be that the partition is not marked as "bootable". take a look with "parted /dev/hda" or another partitioning-program like cfdisk and watch out for the bootable flag.

afaik this will not work with lilo if it's a extended partition.

hint: you may eliminate your second swap partition since you can use one for both
systems. be sure to format the swap with "mkswap -v1 /dev/hdax" to get the new swap-layout (should anyway be version 1).

sl mritch.

Huh? Lilo can not be installed on an extended partition? Strange, cause I have... I've both slackware and Debian on my computer, have lilo installed in slackware's partition (hda11). I chainload slackware with grub, works fine...

About primary and logical partitions: hda1 - hda4 is primary, hda5 and higher is logical.

I know it's quite a hassle to boot several linux's. I've done it with Red Hat 9 / Debian too...

Succes,

Corien

yeah- you're right. i was tangling 'bout logical and extended partitions. extended should work fine since there is a partition table to write to.

sl mritch.

You are right, it was my mistake.

my lilo.conf looks like this :

boot=/dev/hda
root=/dev/hda6

install=/boot/boot-menu.b
map=/boot/map
delay=20

prompt
timeout=150

default=Linux

image=/vmlinuz
label=Linux
read-only
image=/vmlinuz.old
label=LinuxOLD
read-only
optional


other=/dev/hda1
label="Windows XP"

other=/dev/hda2
label="Fedora "



Primary Partitions: hda1, hda2, hda4
Logical Partitions: hda5, hda6,hda7

Bootable: hda1,hda2,hda6

Now I think may be the problem is because before installing Debian I used GRUB to boot Fedora and Windows ?

the above lilo.conf is the debian's. and you can boot into debian and ms. right?

it shouldn't matter if you're using grub on the fedora (hda2 bootblock) and lilo on the debain (hda bootblock).

now you should boot into fedora (if you can't do that via the lilo just use a bootfloppy or boot with the fedora-cdrom) and configure grub to write itself into the bootblock of hda2. i don't know about the grub-configs; under lilo it would look like this:

boot=/dev/hda2
root=/dev/hda2
image=vmlinuz <- the fedora kernel

and run the grub installer.

finally boot into debian and add
other=/dev/hda2
label=fedora
to the lilo.conf.
run lilo and it shouldn't complain about a nonbootable partition there.

if this won't work consider using lilo under fedora too - since i know working systems with this configuration.

sl mritch.

Hi,

I dual-boot with Debian Sarge on /dev/hda1 (mounted as / for Debian) and Fedora 2 on /dev/hda2 ( mounted as / for FC2) I use a common swap partition /dev hda3 and individual /home directories on /dev/hda5 and dev/hda6. Grub is used to boot, installed on the MBR and controlled only by Fedora - i.e. it is the /etc/grub.conf on /dev/hda2 that contains all of the Debian and Fedora entries

If there is a kernel update with Fedora then the grub.conf file is automaticaly updated; if it's Debian, then I have to edit grub.conf myself.

It all works well - there are no incompatibilities or problems.

Why do I have both distros on the one PC? Why not - basically to compare them for my own interest.

Bob

bob-49; right on