Need to edit LILO

PapaSmurf88 · 05-17-2005, 03:28 PM

Hey guys I had to reinstall my Windows XP over the weekend and now my boot.ini file is controlling my boot, and I cant access Mandrake 10.1. I dont know how I can set it back up to use LILO to select my OS i want to boot into. I am trying to run Windows XP and Mandrake 10.1 on a singel boot. I have a Knoppix live CD but im not sure if that would be the best way to edit it or what. Plz respond if you have any ideas. Thanks in advance.

iwpcs · 05-17-2005, 03:43 PM

Presumeably you had lilo set up before, so you won't need to edit the lilo.conf file.

Boot up with the knoppix disk. When you get the boot prompt, type ' linux root=/dev/hda4 ' or wherever your Linux is. This should load your Linux instead of knoppix. Then type lilo as root & reboot.

Or run knoppix, mount the linux root partition of the hard drive somewhere, chroot to this place and run lilo.

Reboot and you should get your lilo menu back.

PapaSmurf88 · 05-17-2005, 05:39 PM

Okay now Im lost. I tried to do both the commands that you said and niether of them worked. I booted up knoppix and checked QTparted to find my partitions and heres what i got.

/dev/sda1 NTFS
/dev/sda2 extended
/dev/sda5 ext3
/dev/sda6 linux-swap
/dev/sda7 ext3

I tried to boot knoppix with the

Code:

linux root=/dev/sda5-7

evertime they kept just booting into regular knoppix. Then I tried to mount sda5 and run

Code:

chroot dev/sda5

as root and got this error

Code:

chroot: cannot change root directory to /dev/sda5: Not a directory

then I tried doing

Code:

chroot /mnt/sda5

and I got this

Code:

bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
bash: /dev/null: Permission denied
bash: /dev/null: Permission denied

I then went through and tried the same thing with sda7 and both time got the Not a directory error. I tried to mount sda6 my linux-swap partition but could not get it to mount and there for could not try it.

I am completly lost with no clue what to do from here. PLZ help me out I am a compleat linux

so if you could give me step by step instructions it would make it much easier for me. Thanks in advance.

sgrayban · 05-18-2005, 12:53 AM

start knoppix -- look at lilo.conf and find what root=/dev is to boot then reboot with knoppix and type:

linux root=/dev/what-lilo.conf-shows

or ------

start knoppix -- look at lilo.conf and find what root=/dev is.
then look at the mount points that knoppix mounted the partitions and find the mount point for the root from the lilo.conf

then type:

chroot /the/mount/path/from/knoppix
example ---> chroot /mnt/dev/hda

then type:

lilo

and reboot

iwpcs · 05-18-2005, 12:58 AM

Hmmm - I just tried my first method and it didn't work - used to....

So here's step by step instructions for the 2nd method:

Boot knoppix, open a console.

Enter the following :

Code:

su

mkdir /mnt/root

mount /dev/sda5 /mnt/root

chroot /mnt/root

lilo

halt

Just tested this on my box - works for me...

sgrayban · 05-18-2005, 01:05 AM

mount /dev/sda5 /mnt/root

Only good if sda5 is his root. All we know it could be sda7.

PapaSmurf88 · 05-18-2005, 01:18 AM

Sda7 is my Home folder for my User. Im gonna go try ur second idea iwpcs. Thanks for your guys help

sgrayban · 05-18-2005, 01:21 AM

welcome

PapaSmurf88 · 05-18-2005, 07:10 PM

Sry it took me so long to respond I just tried what you said iwpcs and when I entered the command

Code:

lilo

I got this error

Code:

Unrecognized token "! Please edit /etc/lilo.conf before running lilo!" at or above line 20 in file '/etc/lilo.conf'

I went to take a look at the lilo.conf but couldnt understand what it ment so I didnt want to mess with it. Any ideas what it means

sgrayban · 05-19-2005, 01:03 AM

paste lilo.conf here

PapaSmurf88 · 05-19-2005, 05:27 AM

Okay here's my lilo.conf

Code:

# File generated by DrakX/drakboot
# WARNING: do not forget to run lilo after modifying this file

default="linux"
boot=/dev/sda
map=/boot/map
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="linux"
	root=/dev/sda5
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6 splash=silent"
	vga=788
	read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="linux-nonfb"
	root=/dev/sda5
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6"
	read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8.1-12mdk
	label="2681-12"
	root=/dev/sda5
	initrd=/boot/initrd-2.6.8.1-12mdk.img
	append="acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6 splash=silent"
	vga=788
	read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="failsafe"
	root=/dev/sda5
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="failsafe acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6 devfs=nomount"
	read-only
other=/dev/sda1
	label="windows"
	table=/dev/sda

Hope that helps you out. Again thanks for all your help

iwpcs · 05-19-2005, 06:18 AM

As a troubleshooting exercise, hash out the lines you probably don't need, so it looks like the one below, then run lilo again.

Please post the contents of your /boot directory

Code:

ls -l /boot/

Code:

default="linux"
boot=/dev/sda
#map=/boot/map
#keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
#message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="linux"
	root=/dev/sda5
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6 splash=silent"
	vga=788
	read-only
#image=/boot/vmlinuz
#	label="linux-nonfb"
#	root=/dev/sda5
#	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
#	append="acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6"
#	read-only
#image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8.1-12mdk
#	label="2681-12"
#	root=/dev/sda5
#	initrd=/boot/initrd-2.6.8.1-12mdk.img
#	append="acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6 splash=silent"
#	vga=788
#	read-only
#image=/boot/vmlinuz
#	label="failsafe"
#	root=/dev/sda5
#	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
#	append="failsafe acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6 devfs=nomount"
#	read-only
other=/dev/sda1
	label="windows"
	table=/dev/sda

sgrayban · 05-19-2005, 06:32 AM

hmm i dont see anything wrong there in his lilo.conf

but it looks like its crapping out at:

Code:

image=/boot/vmlinuz
        label="linux-nonfb"
        root=/dev/sda5
        initrd=/boot/initrd.img
        append="acpi=ht resume=/dev/sda6"
        read-only

PapaSmurf88 · 05-19-2005, 12:56 PM

Okay guys sry bout this but heres the deal. My friend came over last night with his copy of Mandriva 2005 LE. So I just upgraded from Mandrakelinux 10.1 to Mandriva 2005 LE. Thanks for all you help everyone, and im sry I wasted your time

iwpcs · 05-19-2005, 01:10 PM

No probs - that's the other way of doing it

Chris