Hi.

Some months ago I took off another 10 GB from my MS Windows partition
and created a second linux partition besides the one I already had
on my PC, and installed Mandrakelinux 10.1 there (the old one
was 9.1). But I didn't know all the things one has to be careful to
when installing a second linux operating system, (things I learned
later), so I did mistakes. Probably I installed the second linux partition
in the master boot record instead of the first sector of the root partition,
and also other mistakes. Anyway, after installing the second linux partition,
the old one wouldn't start any more, although I can access all its filesystem
from the new one.

Now I wonder if there is some rescue way to resuscitate the old partition
and make it start again.
Maybe in properly editing /etc/fstab and /etc/lilo.conf the possible solution?

Any suggestion highly appreciated, I can provide further details when asked to.
Thanks,
Rodolfo

you probably need to update your /etc/lilo.conf file and that will solve it.

what's the out put of fdisk -l and your lilo.conf file.

and also outline which os is on which partition.......

I have one MS Windows partition and six Linux now:

/dev/hd1 is the 20 GB Windows partition;
/dev/hda5 is the `master' linux partition (the one mounted in master boot record),
with 2.5 GB, Mandrake 9.1;
/dev/hda6 is the the swap linux partition;
/dev/hda7 is the old linux partition, the sick one, with 10 GB. It used to be Mandrake 9.1,
but now it's `mixed' 9.1 and 10.1;
/dev/hda8 is another linux partition, 2.5 GB, Mandrake 10.1;
/dev/hda9 is another linux partition, 2.5 GB, Mandrake 10.1;
/dev/hda10 is another linux partition, 2.5 GB, Mandrake 10.1.

It's 40 GB altogether. This is the output of `# fdisk -l' from the master partition:


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disc: 40.0 GB, 40027029504 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4866 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part1 * 1 2167 17406396 b Win95 FAT32
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part2 2168 4866 21679717+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part5 * 2168 2487 2570368+ 83 Linux
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part6 3464 3591 1028128+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part7 3592 4866 10241406 83 Linux
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part8 2807 3125 2562336 83 Linux
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part9 2488 2806 2562336 83 Linux
/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part10 3126 3463 2714953+ 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Do you want the lilo.conf of the master partition or the one of the sick partition?
The sick one:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# File generated by DrakX/drakboot
# WARNING: do not forget to run lilo after modifying this file

default="linux"
boot=/dev/hda7
map=/boot/map
keytable=/boot/it-latin1.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent"
read-only
other=/dev/hda1
label="windows"
table=/dev/hda
other=/dev/fd0
label="floppy"
unsafe
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-0.13mdk
label="old_linux"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.21-0.13mdk.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-0.13mdk
label="vmlinuz-2421-013"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.21-0.13mdk.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="alt_linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="2681-10"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="alt2_linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.27-0.pre2.1mdk
label="2427-0pre21"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.27-0.pre2.1mdk.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="quiet failsafe acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent devfs=nomount"
read-only
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The master one:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
default="linux1"
keytable=/boot/it-latin1.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux1"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount hdd=ide-scsi acpi=off quiet"
vga=788
read-only
other=/dev/hda7
label="linux2"
other=/dev/hda8
label="linux3"
other=/dev/hda9
label="linux4"
other=/dev/hda10
label="linux5"
other=/dev/hda1
label="windows"
table=/dev/hda
other=/dev/fd0
label="floppy"
unsafe
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount hdd=ide-scsi acpi=off"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-0.13mdk
label="old_linux"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.21-0.13mdk.img
append="quiet devfs=mount hdd=ide-scsi acpi=off"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=nomount hdd=ide-scsi acpi=off failsafe"
read-only
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thanks indeed,
Rodolfo

what's your /etc/lilo.conf then?

The first one I sent is the /mnt/linux2/etc/lilo.conf, the one from the `sick' partition,
and the second is the /etc/lilo.conf, the one in the master partition, which is `sane'.

Rodolfo

your problem is that you don't have a section for the linux on /dev/hda7 in the lilo.conf of your master boot record. understand what i mean? the lilo.conf on the 'sick' partion is not being accessed. but you can copy something from there to boot it. seems like you have a several kernel versions on there........


add something like:


image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="quiet devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent"
vga=788

It seems to me that a section for the linux on /dev/hda7 in the lilo.conf
of my master boot record is present: it's the two lines:

other=/dev/hda7
label="linux2"

that you can see above.
But now, after `cleaning up' a little the lilo.conf of the sick partition,
I manage to start it and to log into it. But something is still wrong with it.
In fact every operation, also the log in, is very slow,
and even the mouse is trembling and moving slowly.

Maybe the problem is kernel related. In fact, when I log in,
the system comes up as Mandrake 10.1 Community, but with the old 2.4.x kernel
(the one included in Mandrake 9.1). It's a sort of a monstruos (10.1)-(9.1) mixture.

Maybe the partition could be healed if I installed the new 2.6.x kernel?
I did: `# urpmi kernel-source-2.6', and the installation was performed:
a new directory /usr/src/linux-2.6.8.1-10mdk was created,
but now I don't know how to go on.

Here's my new lilo.conf of the sick partition: this way the partition
start and it's possible to log into it, but everything is very slow:

--------------------------------------------------------------
# File generated by DrakX/drakboot
# WARNING: do not forget to run lilo after modifying this file

default="linux"
boot=/dev/hda7
map=/boot/map
keytable=/boot/it-latin1.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=nomount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 splash=silent"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=nomount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe"
root=/dev/hda7
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="failsafe acpi=ht resume=/dev/hda6 devfs=nomount"
read-only
other=/dev/hda1
label="windows"
table=/dev/hda
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

. The lilo.conf of the master partition is still the one reported above.
Instead, adding to it the lines you suggest, the sick partition can't even start.

Rodolfo

yes but clearly those two lines aren't enought to boot a kernel.

i've given you the answer.........

... But those two lines are enough to boot the kernel of the other
three linux partitions, that work perfectly.

Thanks indeed for your answer,
Rodolfo