i want to boot into linux without a boot loader
 

Is it possible?

The deal is, I'm trying to configure my system to dual boot windows/linux. I installed windows on the first partition, linux on the second, with lilo on the 2nd partition's bootsector. However, windows boot manager is of course not configured to boot linux (I just now installed linux) and so I can't boot into it.

Is there a way to boot into it using, say, a boot floppy or something similar? I just want to run my fresh install of linux, so I can then configure it to boot from windows boot manager.

You might use the installation CD.
 

To boot into my system right after installation I use the installation CD.

I don't know of other distros, but for Slackware (which I use) after the CD boots and asks for startup parameters I choose:

The bareacpi.i is the kernel to boot (you should know :)).
The root=/dev/hda3 is the linux root partition.
The ro is required for extX and reiserfs.
The noinitrd turns off the installation ramdisk. This is important!!!
The hdg=noprobe is for my system only, because it takes a lot of time for the kernel to see, that I don't have a secondary SATA disk. I have an ASUS nFroce MB. :(

Hope I helped.
For your distro, these might change a lot, because Slackware uses LILO, while other distros use GRUB. Sorry, I can't help you with GRUB.

OK?

Lachezar.

You can probably boot it with the installation disc.

yes you can boot using the installation cd or from a floppy disk. i'm just wondering why you want it that way? almost all distributions comes with a boot loader, mine use lilo. my system have 2 hard drive , each with four partions. i have XP and Slackware on the first two partions, one for the swap and one ntfs. on the onter i have another XP, fat32, and 2 ntfs partions. i can actually boot to any of it with lilo. so i'm just wondering?

You can open /etc/lilo.conf, and set the "default" to whatever you want (linux, windows...). Then delete the "timeout" and "prompt" options and add this instead:
delay 10

Then at boot, you'll be directed at your "default" OS, without seeing Lilo. But if you keep the "Shift" key pressed on boot, before the default OS is started, then Lilo will be displayed.

(note: after changing lilo.conf, you have to run lilo)

Yves.

Use the installtion CD / Live-demo CD like knoppix / Floppy based distro like Tom's rtbt to boot into linux. Then mount the boot partition (say hdxn) to some mount point. Then you can work along the lines of :

http://jaeger.morpheus.net/linux/ntldr.html

HTH.

Re: You might use the installation CD.
 

I use yoper, hopefully it wouldn't be too different from slackware in this instance. Should I know the kernel? Because I don't...would it be the same as the one you posted?

I think I see where you're getting, though, and I'll give it a try. Thanks!

The reason I need to do it this way, is because I installed linux, and I installed lilo on the boot sector of the second HD partition (the one where linux is installed). After I installed it, I of course had to reboot the computer, but since lilo is on the second partition windows doesn't even bother with it, and so all I can do right now is boot into windows.

You can boot from Slackware installation cd (#1) and when prompted
boot: Linux root=/dev/hdxx noinitrd ro (hdxx is your / partition)
As the system has booted, login as root and then you can edit your /etc/lilo.conf file by
pico /etc/lilo.conf
and edit the line
boot = /dev/hdxx to /dev/fd0
ctrl+x to exit and then choose "yes" to save
put a formatted floppy into the drive (if you don't have one, do that by "fdformat /dev/fd0").
the command
/sbin/lilo -vt
will check for possible errors
If you get no errors
/sbin/lilo
will write the the boot sector onto the floppy
Hope this helps
Ciao

PS pico is a very easy to use text editor, just move around the text by arrow cursors.

if you made a boot floppy when you installed linux, you could boot with that, or you can get knoppix. After you boot with any of these, you can then install lilo into the MBR (master boot record), also, you would need to configure lilo to boot both linux and windows (the forms have alot about how to).