Problems on Dual Boot

jbraum · 10-26-2003, 04:27 PM

Just loaded Mandrake with XP. When I reboot I get the Mandrake Linus login screen with options that include linux and windows. When I select windows I get Loading Windows with a small line of characters below. It just sits there until I press a key then it reverts back to the login screen.

DarknessX · 10-26-2003, 04:53 PM

This is just idle speculation, but make sure your boot loader is pointing to the right place....

Also, there should maybe be a log from your boot loader, depending what it is and what your configuration is, that you can read to figure out more information. Look in /var/log/

Skyline · 10-26-2003, 05:21 PM

Can you boot into Mandrake? - if so - can you post the contents of lilo.conf and fdisk

su to Root user on a command line - then

cat /etc/lilo.conf

post the results.

also post the output of:

fdisk -l

(l = small L)

DarknessX · 10-26-2003, 05:47 PM

Make sure he's using lilo first

GRUB's stuff wouldn't be in /etc/lilo.conf

fdisk is a good call though

jbraum · 10-26-2003, 05:55 PM

Sorry guys this is my moments with Linux. Green as can be so you'll need to bear with me. I found the partitions in my control module. Looks like this.

Device FS type Size Free Size Mount Ops

/dev/hda5 ext3 5899 mb 4354 mb noatime linux partition

/dev/hda7 ext3 57783 mb 7783 mb noatime linux partition

/dev/hda1 vfat 14194 mb 14194 mb iocarset=iso8859-1, code page=850, unmask=0 I assume that's windows

/dev/hda6 swap defaults

Don't know if this helps. I looks like windows is not there???? If so can I reinstall windows with linux in the box?

DarknessX · 10-26-2003, 06:03 PM

Windows sure is there. ext3 is a linux filesystem, vfat is windows. Windows is there.

Reinstalling windows with linux in the box will give you the same exact problem, only you won't be able to load linux, only windows. Plus you'll have gone through the crap of reinstalling, which is always annoying.

Restart and see if you can find what boot loader you're using. You need to be specific about it. You're [most likely] using either lilo or grub. Figure that out, tell us which it is, and we'll tell you what to stick in, and where to stick it.

Skyline · 10-26-2003, 06:06 PM

Was there a problem posting the contents of your bootloader configuration file?

As Root user on a command line

for LILO

cat /etc/lilo.conf

for GRUB

cat /etc/grub.conf

post the contents

jbraum · 10-26-2003, 06:27 PM

Lilo/Grub

cat /etc/lilo.conf space between the t &/ correct?

Nothing for both

Boot loader: Lilo 22.4.1 boot

Skyline · 10-26-2003, 06:35 PM

Yep - space between the t and the forward slash - again as Root user in Konsole:

kedit /etc/lilo.conf

Do you remember where you installed LILO to when you installed Mandrake?

DarknessX · 10-26-2003, 06:38 PM

okay, here are a few things to try

as root, see if you have 'liloconfig'. Try running it.

If not, make a new file called lilo.conf [I can't imagine you don't have it, make double sure]. Add this to it:

Code:

boot = /dev/hda7
message = /boot/boot_message.txt
prompt
timeout = 1200
change-rules
  reset

vga=769 #You might want to change this, it's the lowest possible value
             # Look around man lilo or other docs to figure out what the best value is
             # I have a modern box with good hardware and use 791

other = /dev/hda1
  label=Windows
  table=/dev/hda1

After this run 'lilo' as root and see if there are any errors. (Which there very well might be, I just wrote this off the top of my head referencing my own lilo.conf a few times).

If not, you should get a "Added Linux" and "Added windows".

If so, I'm sorry, post'm and someone will fix'm.

jbraum · 10-26-2003, 06:39 PM

kedit /etc/lilo.conf

kedit /etc/lilo.conf -kedit
window with nothing.

jbraum · 10-27-2003, 05:51 AM

I wasn't able to do the lilo.conf like DarknessX
showed I'll try when I get some time. The wife and baby are coming back from a mother-in-law visit so I need to tend to them. Although I might just go a single OS-Linux on this machine. Its my laptop and I don't really need Windows on it that much. But I would like to resolve this issue.

Just a few before I leave. My school district runs a Novell network. Is there away to login to the network? I checked Novells site and wasn't able to find a client to download. Finally a good site for modem drivers. Thanks you guys have been very helpful. Oh Linux is running like a champ.