Hello, i am a linux gumby that is ready to start learning.

Here is my setup and how far i've gotten.

hda1=windows (installed 1st)
hdb1=Mandrake 10

After mandrake install i get a lilo error "L 01 01 01 01" repeated.
I figure i need to edit lilo.conf but what do i change? I found the file at /mnt/etc/lilo.conf so how will the system find this when booting up?

I would use some tools on the cdrom if there are any but i cant seem to get THAT to mount now either. At least i am learning from the bottom up. If someone can babysit me thorugh this i will slowly be able use unix more and more and make the swap before to long.

Are you sure that you are giving lilo the right partition info? If you aren't sure, post your lilo.conf file and the output of fdisk -l /dev/hda && fdisk -l /dev/hdb so we can help you.

jrtayloriv

did you install your lilo on the mbr or on the initialization sector of the primary hard disk (or none)?
it may be that the initialization sector of the partition where lilo is installed is not active..

Thanks for fast replies. I will try to post my 'lilo.conf' and the other one you said. No idea how but i will poke around.

JoannesX, when the mandrake install asked i chose the default which was to write it to the MBR i think. Lilo.conf is not on hda though. I found it at /mnt/etc/lilo.conf which i am pretty sure is the linux harddrive (hdb) with no active partitions (unless mandrake sets them active. I used the custom partition maker during setup and chose to automate it.

ok i have the info.

This is my fdisk report on hda and hdb.

Device boot start end Id System

/dev/hda1 * 1 765 b W95 FAT32
/dev/hda2 766 1246 f W95 Ext'd

/dev/hdb1 * 1 12190 83 Linux
/dev/hdb2 12191 79656 5 Extended
hdb5 12191 13205 83 Linux Swap
hdb6 13206 43707 83 Linux
hdb7 43708 79656 b W95 FAT32

This is my LILO.CONF

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
default="linux"
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux"
root=/dev/hdb1
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hdb5 splash=silent"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hdb1
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hdb5"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe"
root=/dev/hdb1
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="failsafe acpi=ht resume=/dev/hdb5 devfs=nomount"
read-only
other=/dev/hda1
label="windows"
table=/dev/hda
other=/dev/fd0
label="floppy"
unsafe

Usually, that Lilo error (L 01 01 01 etc) means that either you're trying to boot from the wrong drive, or that your MBR is hosed.

Check to make sure you're booting from your primary master drive - the one with Windows on it.
If you're booting from that drive and the problem persists, you need to re-install Lilo. You can do this from the rescue program on CD1 of your install CD's.
If you boot CD1 normally, and then press F1 for 'expert' options, it'll give you the boot paramters there to boot to the rescue program. It's then just a case of following the program through to re-install your bootloader to the MBR.

Yeah ... it would nice if that was all it took. I get an error when trying to reinstall lilo from the rescue menu. I am thinking about trying to use grub ... any opinions on it?

Managed to reinstall lilo but still the same lilo error. attempted to install grub too but have not had any luck with it. Cant get any of the commands to work.

If i boot from a grub disk i get a grub command prompt but i know nothing about it.rpm -q grub says i dont have it installed.

Thanks for your help kind people. Turns out the BIOS was not detecting the second hard drive. A setting change in there to autodetect drives fixed the lilo error.