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Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?

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Old 11-10-2003, 08:08 AM   #1
bulb
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Registered: Nov 2003
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Exclamation can't install lilo, mbr not compatible


I have 2 windows and 2 linux distributions.
Las time I installed few linux distributions.
After I installed Debian 3.0 with Grub Bootloader on my mbr I can't start windows anymore.
I have problem with lilo as well. After I configured /etc/lilo.conf, run lilo command and restart the system I have still grub on my mbr.
I can remove grub from mbr with fdisk /mbr but I can't install any lilo or windows bootloader. I can install on mbr only grub.

during windows installation I get the message mbr is not windows-compatible.

Do you have any ideas how to fix my mbr?
 
Old 11-10-2003, 08:57 AM   #2
usergthesecond
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Registered: Nov 2003
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what is wrong with grub? why do u want install windows?
when u ran /sbin/lilo did u get any complaint from lilo? did u do it as root?
do u know what is the windows partition name like ...hda1 or hda3 etc?
u did create a boot disk, didn't you?
i use a knoppix cd to boot and recover (chroot)
if u have a windows 98 cd boot from it and choose to boot with no cdrom support
when u r at the shell fdisk the mbr again and try to transfer the system to the windows partition, if u have windows 98 or is trying to install it, at the shell type sys c: if u get the message system transferred remove cd and boot ... if windows is not installed yet you will see the windows boot logo pretty fast and then down to the dos shell.
now boot from the windows cd and install windows.
if it's windows xp or 2kpro just boot from the cd and pick the non linux partition to format as ntfs (if u have redhat 9 u need to install the ntfs driver so that u can see the windows partition from linux and it't read only http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/info/redhat.html ) windows xp and 2k will erase lilo ... at least it never happened with me.
use the linux boot disk to boot to linux and add the windows partition:
other=/dev/hda1
optional
label=dos (or nt or windows or your cat's name...etc)
or just boot to linux with the boot disk and run the grub install again and edit the grub.conf file by hand. and make sure is looking for wdows on the right place
good luck.
 
Old 11-10-2003, 09:20 AM   #3
bulb
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Thank you for our last email.

I have to disks.

first disk:
1st partition (hda1) windows boot partition FAT32.
2nd parition (hda2) windows XP NTFS
3rd partition (hda3) redhat9 EXT3
4th parition (hda4) swap

second disk:
1st partition (hb1) suse8.2 EXT3

I installed grub from suse8.2, that's mean my first disk is hd1 and my second disk is hd0.

After I erase mbr with fdisk /mbr and try to install grub with the command grub-install (hd1), nothing occurs. It works first when I use e.g. the boot configure tool included in webmin.

I tried as well use manuall comand to install lilo and grub and the suse config tools to change the bootloader. It doesn't work.

I never had problems like this with the windows installations.
what does it mean when I get the message "mbr is not windows-compatible", it happens as well after i did fdisk /mbr.

Dose exist any other way to change my mbr?

MBR on my first disk has size 9642
and on my second disk 6150.

The status for the moment is: after configuration of menu.lst for grub when I choose windows too boot from grub menu I will directly passed to grub shell. I don't get any error messages.

Regards
 
Old 11-10-2003, 10:13 PM   #4
usergthesecond
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Registered: Nov 2003
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1st partition (hda1) windows boot partition FAT32.
2nd parition (hda2) windows XP NTFS
3rd partition (hda3) redhat9 EXT3
4th parition (hda4) swap


so /dev/hda1 for windows 9x
/dev/hda2 for windows xp
/dev/hda3 redhat9
/dev/hdb1 suse8.2

this is my lilo.conf:

prompt
timeout=50
default=linux
boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
#message=/boot/message
#linear
lba32
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-20.9
label=2420209
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-20.9.img
read-only
append="hdc=ide-scsi root=LABEL=/"
vga=792
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-8
label=linux
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.img
read-only
append="hdc=ide-scsi root=LABEL=/"
vga=792

for your windows u should do

image=/dev/hda1
optional
label=9x
image=/dev/hda2
optional
label=xp


this is grub.conf (i use lilo with no windows)

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda3
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=1
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,1)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-20.9)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-20.9 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-20.9.img
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-8)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8.img
title nt
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

see if this helps ( i don't know how 'cause your prob is the mbr and lilo and grub)
u should pick one of the distros and remove the others (coment out) on grub.conf one at a time and like it says dont rerun grub after changing it see if u can get at least xp to boot right and get rid of the others.
and for your own sanity.... PICK ONE PLEASE i would go for either mandrake or red hat.
oh and please chek out gentoo linux http://www.gentoolinux.com
good luck.
 
  


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