LILO doesn't boot Windows

Knaps · 02-04-2008, 11:56 PM

Hi!
I've installed Slackware 12.0 few days ago and i had a problem with LILO. During installation of LILO the error appeared, saying, that LILO can't be installed on MBR and it has to be done manually. I've run liloconf and tried to do something with this, but the same error appeared. Of course, after reboot only WindowsXP loads. I changed the bootable disk in BIOS and... LILO has appeared! There's Windows on the list, but when i'm selecting it, the system restarts and LILO appears again. It only boots Slackware. So when i want to boot Slackware, I have to switch the disk in the BIOS and the same thing with Windows.
Slackware and Windows are installed on different disks (Slackware on SATA, Windows on old "taped" one). My LILO configuration file looks like this:

Code:

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
lba32 # Allow booting past 1024th cylinder with a recent BIOS
lba32 # Allow booting past 1024th cylinder with a recent BIOS
lba32 # Allow booting past 1024th cylinder with a recent BIOS
boot="/dev/hdc"
message = /boot/boot_message.txt
prompt
timeout="1200"
# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
change-rules
reset
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
vga="773"
# Normal VGA console
# vga = normal
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# End LILO global section
# Windows bootable partition config begins
default=Windows

other = /dev/hdc5
label="Windows"
table = /dev/hdc
# Windows bootable partition config ends
# Linux bootable partition config begins

image="/dev/sda1"

image="/dev/sda1"

image="/dev/sda1"

image="/dev/sda1"
root="/dev/sda6"

image="/boot/vmlinuz"
root="/dev/sda6"
label="Linux"
read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

Bootable Windows C: partition is named as sda1
Linux bootable patition is named as sda6

I don't know what to do, how to configure Lilo to successfully boot windows and slackware from LILO (without any BIOS disk changes). Please help me!

shakezilla · 02-05-2008, 01:01 AM

First thing's first, since you can still boot both, if you have a floppy drive, make boot disks for windows and linux just to be safe. For windows make boot disk and ERD.

Windows boot disk
Windows ERD

In slack, the command I believe is makebootdisk
slack boot disk

Also, if you can burn, now would be a good time to backup anything you can't afford to lose.

With that stuff out of the way, the first thing I would do is go back into slack and rerun liloconfig, making double and triple sure that the answers you give are correct, also paying attention to make sure you tell it to write the MBR on the drive you plan on booting to from the BIOS every time. (Which one, either /dev/sda or /dev/hdc is up to you. I assume you know the tendencies of your own board.) Then of course run lilo to install it.

If that still doesn't get it, then please su into root and post the output of the following 3 commands:

Code:

cat /etc/fstab

Code:

cat /etc/lilo.conf

Code:

/sbin/lilo

and we'll try and help you from there.

Also you say your windows C: is on /dev/sda1, but your lilo.conf says it is /dev/hdc5:

Code:

# Windows bootable partition config begins
default=Windows

other = /dev/hdc5
label="Windows"
table = /dev/hdc
# Windows bootable partition config ends

If you are correct and your lilo.conf is wrong, you need to make sure and correct it the next time you run liloconfig.

EDIT
----
Btw, in case you don't know, when we talk about the "/dev" stuff:

/dev/sda is the drive on SATA 0
/dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, are the 1st, 2nd partitions on SATA 0, and so on
/dev/hdc is the drive on IDE Secondary Master
Same numbering as above (/dev/hdc1: IDE 2nd Master, Partition 1, you get the idea