Any Slacker running tripple boot?

Martinus2u · 06-09-2015, 03:51 PM

@OP: As others have pointed out, your problem appears to be a syntax error in lilo.conf.

With respect to booting MS operating systems, bear in mind they often boot only from the first primary active partition on the first BIOS device. This situation can be faked by certain lilo commands, like disk & bios, loader, table. Others are boot-as, master-boot or map-drive. Read the man page "lilo.conf" for details.

In hard cases, trying to multiboot operating systems with very different boot mechanisms, I have always been successful by chain loading the boot sectors ("two step approach"). Doing everything in a single step from a single bootloader turned out to be futile.

dugan · 06-09-2015, 03:51 PM

Have you considered setting all 3 OS' to boot in UEFI mode, and letting your motherboard manage the boot menu?

animeresistance · 06-09-2015, 04:30 PM

Hmmm ...

Where's your lilo.conf?

Have you tried something like this:

other=/dev/sdb1
label=win2
table = /dev/sdb

NightSky · 06-09-2015, 09:49 PM

Sorry animeresistance, for delay on this. Syntax error I thought had to do with having to choose video mode whenever I boot even though I had it set for 1028x786x32k, even changed it to normal but it didn't change anything, & yes I ran /sbin/lilo after each edit. Still slack.bmp with boot options run way fast with no time to read if windows is even an option. dugan, am googling UEFI to see what it is. Never knew it was an option. Thank you everyone

Code:

art@Wind>$ cat /etc/lilo.conf
# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/sda

#compact        # faster, but won't work on all systems.

# Boot BMP Image.
# Bitmap in BMP format: 640x480x8
  bitmap = /boot/slack.bmp
# Menu colors (foreground, background, shadow, highlighted
# foreground, highlighted background, highlighted shadow):
  bmp-colors = 255,0,255,0,255,0
# Location of the option table: location x, location y, number of
# columns, lines per column (max 15), "spill" (this is how many
# entries must be in the first column before the next begins to
# be used.  We don't specify it here, as there's just one column.
  bmp-table = 60,6,1,16
# Timer location x, timer location y, foreground color,
# background color, shadow color.
  bmp-timer = 65,27,0,255
# Standard menu.
# Or, you can comment out the bitmap menu above and
# use a boot message with the standard menu:
#message = /boot/boot_message.txt

# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append=" vt.default_utf8=0"
prompt
timeout = 3000

# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga = 790
# Normal VGA console
vga = normal
# Ask for video mode at boot (time out to normal in 30s)
# vga = 791
# 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
# ramdisk = 0     # paranoia setting
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda8
  label = Linux
  read-only  # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
#
# Windows bootable partition config begins
  other = /dev/sdb1
  label = WindowsXP
  table = /dev/sdb
  read-only 
#Linux bootable partition config ends
art@Wind>$

NightSky · 06-09-2015, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justwantin

Would this be of help?

I originally wrote it for a friend and later put it on a web page.... a long time ago. http://turtlespond.net/help/dual_boot.html . I never pulled it off the server because it often gets hits so maybe it is still usefull to some people.

Great thank you. I had collected alot of info. too but lost it over upgrades.

ReaperX7 · 06-09-2015, 11:17 PM

I triple/quad boot this way.

I have Windows 8.1 boot manager booting Windows and FreeBSD on my first disk.
I also have Slackware64-Current and B/LFS-dev-20150609 booting via Grub-2.02~beta2 on my second disk.

Didier Spaier · 06-10-2015, 12:45 AM

Here is the mistake:

Code:

# Windows bootable partition config begins
  other = /dev/sdb1
  label = WindowsXP
  table = /dev/sdb
  read-only

read-only shouldn't be there because this option exists only for Linux kernels, in sections that begin with "image ="

Just remove that line (and read "man lilo.conf" again) and this setting should work.

This is not a triple boot issue, furthermore your /etc/lilo.conf doesn't contain a configuration for a triple boot as it includes only two boot entries (also called lilo stanzas), but I assume that adding a third one will be your next step.
.
PS Probably this machine doesn't include an EFI firmware so UEFI is not an option in this case, but lilo should work.

oldtechaa · 06-10-2015, 06:57 AM

The Windows boot may not give you errors after you remove "read-only", but it still may not boot. This is because the BIOS still thinks that sda is the boot drive, but LILO wants sdb to boot. All you have to do is add this to the Windows stanza in lilo.conf (maybe where "read-only" was):

Code:

  map-drive = 0x81
    to = 0x80
  map-drive = 0x80
    to = 0x81

I have to do this every time I install Slackware and configure LILO, because the installer puts these lines in because I boot Windows off the second drive, but comments them out. Maybe some computers don't need it. I don't know. Anyway, if it still doesn't boot, this might fix it.

orbea · 06-10-2015, 10:27 AM

I have a triple boot with chainloading for slackware, vsido and sourcemage.

Code:

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append=" vt.default_utf8=1 quiet"
boot = /dev/sda
default = Slackware

compact        # faster, but won't work on all systems.
lba32

# Boot BMP Image.
# Bitmap in BMP format: 640x480x8
  bitmap = /boot/slack.bmp
# Menu colors (foreground, background, shadow, highlighted
# foreground, highlighted background, highlighted shadow):
  bmp-colors = 255,0,255,0,255,0
# Location of the option table: location x, location y, number of
# columns, lines per column (max 15), "spill" (this is how many
# entries must be in the first column before the next begins to
# be used.  We don't specify it here, as there's just one column.
  bmp-table = 60,6,1,16
# Timer location x, timer location y, foreground color,
# background color, shadow color.
  bmp-timer = 65,27,0,255

# Standard menu.
# Or, you can comment out the bitmap menu above and 
# use a boot message with the standard menu:
#message = /boot/boot_message.txt

# Wait until the timeout to boot (if commented out, boot the
# first entry immediately):
prompt
# Timeout before the first entry boots.
# This is given in tenths of a second, so 600 for every minute:
timeout = 300
# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
change-rules
  reset
# Normal VGA console
#vga = normal
# Ask for video mode at boot (time out to normal in 30s)
#vga = ask
# 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
# Linux bootable partition config begins
# Slackware Generic Kernel
image = /boot/vmlinuz-generic
  initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
  root = /dev/sda2
  label = Slackware
  read-only
  append="resume=/dev/sda1"
# Sourcemage
other = /dev/sda5
  label = Sourcemage
# Vsido
other= /dev/sda
  label=Vsido
# Slackware Huge Kernel
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda2
  label = Linux
  read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

bassmadrigal · 06-10-2015, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NightSky

Sorry animeresistance, for delay on this. Syntax error I thought had to do with having to choose video mode whenever I boot even though I had it set for 1028x786x32k, even changed it to normal but it didn't change anything, & yes I ran /sbin/lilo after each edit. Still slack.bmp with boot options run way fast with no time to read if windows is even an option. dugan, am googling UEFI to see what it is. Never knew it was an option. Thank you everyone

Code:

--snip--

If you want, you can simplify your lilo.conf substantially by removing most comments.

Code:

# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/sda
  bitmap = /boot/slack.bmp
  bmp-colors = 255,0,255,0,255,0
  bmp-table = 60,6,1,16
  bmp-timer = 65,27,0,255

# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append=" vt.default_utf8=0"
prompt
timeout = 3000
vga = normal
# End LILO global section

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda8
  label = Linux
  read-only  # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking

# Windows bootable partition config begins
  other = /dev/sdb1
  label = WindowsXP
  table = /dev/sdb

animeresistance · 06-10-2015, 01:21 PM

NightSky: (Sorry for the delay too, I was busy

)

Didier Spaier is right, the read-only line is giving you problems.

If still giving you problems, try what oldtechaa recommends.

NightSky · 06-10-2015, 03:53 PM

Guys thank you & don't worry about delay in responses as I know everyone is busy with their own work, lives. I appreciate what time you do put in to helping.
The Good:
1) The lilo syntax error is resolved thanks for explaining why "read only" was not appropriate for the Window's Stanza

2) Removed some extra Comment Lines. Replaced 1028x786x32k with 1028x786x16k as vga=789 so lilo stopped asking me to choose video mode at bootup.
3) Slackware Boot Screen provides the WindowsXP Option.

The challenge:
1) WindowsXP Boot Option takes me to WindowsXP loading... & blinking white cursor but windowsXP doesn't load.
Tried adding to the WindowsXP Stanza:
map-drive = 0x81
to = 0x80
map-drive = 0x80
to = 0x81
2) @Didier no I haven't setup Ubuntu as 3rd OS because I'm stuck at running 2nd OS & not sure how to proceed.
3) Looking to see if I have a UEFI Bios Option.

NightSky · 06-10-2015, 04:48 PM

@oldtechaa, when I use:
map-drive = 0x81
to = 0x80
map-drive = 0x80
to = 0x81
Screen goes to loading WindowsXP then black, no blinking cursor. Don't know if this means anything. Thank you for time.

Arcosanti · 06-10-2015, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NightSky

@oldtechaa, when I use:
map-drive = 0x81
to = 0x80
map-drive = 0x80
to = 0x81
Screen goes to loading WindowsXP then black, no blinking cursor. Don't know if this means anything. Thank you for time.

You are probably going to have to move XP to /dev/sda and Slackware to /dev/sdb in order to get XP to boot correctly. Windows in general doesn't support booting from anywhere other than the primary hard drive and the primary partition of that hard drive. Linux supports booting from anywhere. So it makes more sense to have XP on the primary drive and Linux on the secondary drive. With that said, is there any particular reason you are trying to boot XP off of /dev/sdb?

animeresistance · 06-10-2015, 08:30 PM

@NightSky

Usually 0x80 is the first disk, check your BIOS to see if the BIOS assigns this ID to the first disk.