At least my old linux will be gone

I have been using a hd install of knoppix 3.3 installed debian style. After the umpteenth program griped about lack of kernel source headers while trying to compile it, I decided to install the source BTW I appended it to make it a "new kernel" I didn't really want to boot it, liked my old config just fine and what I installed today was just to be able to compile a program. Everything went lovely until after dpkg and the post install script asked about Lilo. I messed up. I don't know how much except I messed up good... I get this message from lilo: Warning: COMPACT may conflict with LBA32 on some systems
Warning: /dev/hdb5 is not on the first disk
Fatal: open /vmlinuz: No such file or directory

I have NOT rebooted. I want my old boot back to my old patched and lovely mixmatched kernel. I know Lilo keeps a backup but I don't know how to put it back. My configuration: 98SE on hda. That is where the mbr was/is. Linux on hdb with root on hdb5.

But I have to reboot, I have work to do and it has to be done in windows. I have made three rescue floppies at various stages in my linux education. I don't think I will have any problem bringing up the old linux boot - and if I do a fdisk /mbr I won't have any trouble bringing up 98. But I want it all back... please help a desperate idjot that should've known better. I need a magic wand to restore lilo and my boot. Again, the mbr is on hda and root and the lilo config on hdb(5). Thank you from the bottom of my heart if you can help me.

Hi nishtiya....

I'm not a pro, but have been tru things like this. u can try my solution. if you have a knoppix CD, then boot off the CD. run fdisk on both ur drives. I presume there are two. get the partition information using 'p'. this will help while u are editing your lilo.conf file. now, go to your root partition of knoppix (your other root must have been loaded by knoppix, if not mount it) and open up the lilo.conf file of the active system. it must be in /etc.

you need to edit this file to reflect your boot partitions and run lilo to install the new boot map.


below is a sample lilo.conf file....

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
lba32
default=linux

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.0-0.43.6
label=linux
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.0-0.43.6.img
read-only
root=/dev/hda5

other=/dev/hda1
label=dos

************

add ur linux partition to the list. 'image' and 'initrd' should point to your boot and root mount points with respect to your knoppix root(ur active linux root) and the 'root' should point to the partition( i think /dev/hdb5 in your case) in which u have installed the root.

eg:

image=/mnt/oldknoppixroot/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22
lable=old_linux
initrd=/mnt/oldknopppixroot/boot/initrd-2.4.22
read-only
root=/dev/hdb5

after ur done editing, run lilo, this should set up the lilo for u properly.

hope this helps.....


DaVenom
-------------------------------------------------------
"Excellence is never an accident"

awwww davenom..want to thank you for replying to my post. As a linux noob myself I have replied on a couple of occasions when the experts can't really, well really, get down to the noob level

Way I fixed it, after copying over crucial data figuring I was heading for another reinstall, I searched and found a lilo.0. Opened that baby and it looked suspicously like my old lilo .conf Did a windows trick as root, swapped that and the new lilo.conf that I knew was no good. Ran lilo with that new "old" config. Had a good swill of vodka and rebooted.
All is well.

I was never more than a minute or two away from my windows drive since I use 98 and ol fat32, fix mbr would've had me back there. But I have worked so hard on my knoppix/debian configuration and just would've hated to lose it. Was the business about boot sectors and "active" that threw me for a loop in the post install on the kernel compiling. I confused it with bootable flag or some such that windows deems important but linux doesn't really give a flying fig about. I am not sure if everything is hunkydory - windows boots when I want it to and knoppix boots by default and is using the kernel I prefer. I guess a girl can't ask for anything more

All is well, that ends well.


DaVenom
------------------------------------
"Excellence is never an accident"