Lilo can't be changed
 

I have just recompiled the kernel and Lilo refuses to display the new kernel option. When I execute the lilo command after I edit the lilo.conf file, lilo updates itself but when I reboot the new option doesn't show up. In fact, two days ago, when I was fooling around with different OS's, Lilo refused to be uninstalled or updated. The only way to remove lilo totally was to do a low level format. How do I change the lilo boot up screen? P.S. - I don't have a floppy drive.

Could you post your lilo.conf file? Also what are the names of your two kernels?

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=menu
vga=normal
default="LinuxSMP"
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuzSMP
label="LinuxSMP"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="quiet devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
vga=788
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux-nonfb"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe"
root=/dev/hda5
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="failsafe devfs=nomount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
read-only
other=/dev/fd0
label="floppy"
unsafe

The original kernel is labeled linux and the one I just recompiled is LinuxSMP

As a follow-up, I even changed the lilo screen from graphical to text mode, linux confirmed that it was updated. When I rebooted, nothing was different. I think what is happening is that Lilo is being updated but for some reason the initial installed lilo isn't being affected.

Hi,
Root is being mounted on /dev/hda5 in your lilo.conf file. I notice that you have both RedHat and Mandrake listed as distributions. Are you dual booting? Do you have something on /dev/hda1 thru 4 with a lilo.conf file that is actually doing the booting?
I don't know how either distro works, but I am curious about why lilo can not be changed.
If this is such a newbie question that the answer is obvious, then nevermind.

One problem that I see is that you have specified vga= twice. The vga parameter should be among the global parameters at the beginning. I think that vga=788 being placed in an image section is an error but I don't know whether that problem is the main problem or a side issue.

How's about which drive is booting (if you have more than 1)? In your BIOS make sure you are booting from hda (Primary Master), and using fdisk -l confirm which partition is your bootable partition.

Cool

It is possible that the problem is in the /boot directory. Is /boot/vmlinuzSMP really the kernel called "LinuxSMP" and is
/boot/vmlinuz really the kernel called "linux". Maybe you have the same kernel installed twice under two different names. Maybe you have a symlink from one kernel name to the next. Are the two kernels in /boot both the same size? If so they are probably the same code.

Even if all those things were 'wrong' either lilo would complain and not complete installing to the MBR, and/or the screen would still change and list the new kernel, it would boot and all, just would be booting up the old kernel.

I'm a bit confused, but leaning towards drive configuration problem.

Cool

Only a guess - but personally I'd try putting these two directives in the image entry for your new kernel aswell

append="quiet devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
vga=788

(you can have a VGA mode in an image entry)

Also I'd try changing this line

install=menu

to

install=/boot/boot.b

Thanks guys. I managed to fix it. I was being lazy and using a GUI to configure Lilo so it was suppressing an important configure error. I used the console and realized what I did and fixed it right up.