Lilo Boot Problem - Very Strange
 

I am wondering if anyone can help me with a problem I have with Lilo. Currently when I try to select an option to boot into either Debian or Windows it comes up with Loading 'label for OS', then does nothing, but if I leave it to timeout it boots the default just fine???

I'm sure someone can help, but first you'll need to read this:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Thanks
 

Thanks yowi,

Thanks for the info, I take it from what I read that maybe my question seems too simplified or appears as if I am being lazy.

I am sorry if this is the case.

Basically I have went through lilo.conf with my Debian install and cannot see anything wrong with it, I usually use grub and understand the ins and outs of this file, so found Lilo quite self-explanatory. As I have an exam on Friday and needed to use VS2008 for some code checks in C#, I had to make windows the default and will have to use a live cd to get back at lilo.conf on the hard drive, but if somebody needs to see it to help me then I can get it.

I have read through the web for this problem from the Lilo Configuration guide to troubleshooting guides on the web with no luck.

Before I posted this, I tried IRC and nobody responded to me at all, I even went on the recommended newbie IRC's from DALNET and I think it was called UnderNEt?? - or something like this, going through channels called #linuxhelp, etc... I was able to use chatzilla installed as a plugin in firefox to do this so that was handy.

I really honestly can't see lilo.conf being the problem, but maybe I am wrong, I actually think it maybe a driver problem as I recently upgraded my bios to deal with a crash problem I was having not with linux, but it had shown its head similarly a long time ago in ubuntu. This time it was with a game I got. I updated the video drivers and everything in windows to help with this, with no such luck. So I looked into updating my bios as it was old (2005).

I have a SATA hard disk drive and do not know if this is affecting / causing the problem, but I cannot understand how if lilo.conf is incorrect that leaving it to timeout boots the OS, but selecting it does not - It is quite puzzling to me, as I cannot break down the behaviour to a specific piece of code, unless someone can advise me toward the differences in the code that runs between timeout and selection?

Any information would be appreciated,

Thanks,

G.

Is there a reason you're using Lilo?
Grub is much more forgiving, I ditched Lilo years ago.
If you must stick with it, post your lilo.conf.

Lilo
 

Yeah maybe I will to be fair I was quite happy with grub, although because I choose XFS for my filesystem, I was recommended to use lilo, as there could be problems arising from using grub with this - ah the irony lol

I wasn't pleased when the maintainers switched from lilo to grub - I had to learn about bootloaders all over again, but now I realise grub is indeed "better".
When I used lilo, I had to remember to run /sbin/lilo after any change to lilo.conf Did you remember to do this?

Otherwise, I think we need more information:
Please post the output of fdisk -l commented by yourself, so we know which partitions are what, and your lilo.conf file.

Thanks
 

I'll try and get back in to Debian, probably use a live cd to be fair to do this, then I'll post up lilo.conf and fdisk -l.

I did run /sbin/lilo, but had to remember to do that after the first time I made a change I realised I hadn't. But even after that it was strange.

Thanks for the comments guys appreciate it, and I'll try and get the stuff on here as soon as I can (got an exam to revise for so I might sneak it in tomorrow from boot up :D)

Thanks again.