I am going to try to explain this the best way possible. I decided to install slack on my windows machine ( since I liked it soooo much, I have another machine just w/linux),
I made a partion in Windows using partition magic. I assigned 20 gigs for the new linux partition. Fine....
Installation went well until....LILO configuration.
Computer boot up only in SLACK, a friend told me to insert the XP cd and use the recovery consol to fix the MBR...which I did.. command fixmbr in windows recovery console...
BUT when I reboot, no slack, no windows...BOOT FAILED message.
SO I reinstalled Slack, reconfigured LILO, everything appeared fine again.
LILO boots. I see BOTH my OS. LInux & XP. so I choose XP and guess what...
NO BOOT>
then I reboot, and choose SLACK..it does BOOT!
atleast one of the two OS works.
SO finally my question is can I reinstall windows on the other partition without messing up my slack installation?
and how can I fix this? I do need windows on this machine for other people in my house who think that anything besides windows is alien.....
So PLEASE, PLEASE...can anyone help me out.

Thanks...
CP

You're going to need to help us out by posting what you have in your /etc/lilo.conf

I suggest running lilo from when you boot off of the CD. For some reason LILO doesn't install properly when I try to install it when I boot off of my hard drive.

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hda
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
prompt
timeout = 50
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
vga = 791
# 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
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# Windows bootable partition config begins

other = /dev/hda1
label = xp
table = /dev/hda
# Windows bootable partition config ends

if worst comes to worst, can I reinstall windows xp, and use a floppy to boot slack (which I heard is slower), without having to reinstall linux?

thanks...

I believe Windows should be on hda1 and Slack should be on hdb. Can you also post your /etc/fstab ?

Disk Drive: /dev/hda
Size: 40037760000 bytes, 40.0 GB
Heads: 255 Sectors per Track: 63 Cylinders: 4867

Name Flags Part Type FS Type [Label] Size (MB)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
hda1 Boot Primary W95 FAT32 (LBA) 21188.33
hda2 Primary Linux ext2 9903.24
hda5 Logical Linux swap 1044.62
hda6 Logical Linux ext2 7896.27

this is my partition table. WIndows is on hda1.

Hello does anyone know how to remedy this??

I am on the verge of desperation.

Thanks

CP

Your lilo.conf looks okay. Here's what I suggest doing, since I have the same problem as you, or so it sounds:

Boot from your Slack9.1 CD, if you still have it. When it gives you any options as to what kernel or whatever, use bare.i (or is it barei.i?) and make sure that you set the proper partition as your / partition. I leave off the RO tags, so I end up getting errors, but that's the only way I've figured out how to get this to work properly. Once you're booted up with bare.i and have the proper partition mounted automatically (Key thing, when I try to run LILO with the -C flag, it doesn't like my partitions, saying something about an invalid partition or something, but as long as you get the root partition properly mounted right away, you shouldn't have any trouble). Anyway, once everything gets booted up, log in as root and issue lilo. Reboot, and viola, it should work.

Thanks for your help guys with the dual boot issue.

I read online on another linux forum to use the xp cd and run the command fixmbr in the recovery console, but it jacked up things more.
so I just reinstalled XP, then I used the slack cd and did the entire installation without formating my linux partitions (which left my KDE intact with all my own personal docs) and reinstalled LILO, Ta-da ! it worked now I have my dual boot system, and everyone else in my house is happy because now they have their XP back.

Thanks again for your help guys, sometimes the answer is obvious,. but noobs expect the answers to problems in Linux to be far more complicated, but they are not...

Thanks
CP