hey carboncopy..thanx for that cute code..i'll try thay out..and let u know

root@dheeraj:~# lilo
Warning: /dev/hdd is not on the first disk
Fatal: open /dev/vmlinuz: No such file or directory

i typed lilo alright.but this is the output...what to do..theres no hdd directory on my system .what to do?even..vmlinuz is not present on /dev/do i need to create a new vmlinuz file in the /dev/ directory??

U might correct following lines from the muster posted by carboncopy above, if it not worked.
Add/edit ur /etc/lilo.conf according to wut necessary, then type:
# lilo -v -v
If no error, lilo will tell u at that .., if any error just grab them here ..

Note:
Installing on MBR is secure enough, wut hairy is when u installed corupted image/vmlinux there, then it may cause u not be able to boot it. But with the above config, u have 3 alternatives in this worse case. U will still be able to boot windows or ur floppy (this can be ur linuxBootDisk as well as bootable msdos or window95/98 diskett. If u dun like lilo, u can boot with ur msdos/w95/w98 rescue diskett, then just type in command prompt "fdisk /mbr", then lilo will be away from ur mbr. U can also clean mbr from within linux with the command "dd if=/dev/null of=/dev/hdd bs=512".
Check the manual for "dd" in this case, am not sure with the bs=xxx, since I've very seldom have to do it, am happy enough with lilo ..

-----
Out of LILO topic, performance on installing IDE-devices:

ide-channel1 on linux referred as /dev/hda & /dev/hdb
ide-channel2 on linux referred as /dev/hdc & /dev/hdd

In channel1 /dev/hda is the master & /dev/hdb is the slave.
In channel2 /dev/hdc is the master & /dev/hdd is the slave.

ide channels (1 & 2) can work independently because they used different cables.
But those master & slave of each channel share the same sequence of cable,
so if one is transfering data the other has to wait, therefore u should always put the faster device on master n the slower on slave.

Harddisk Data Transfer throughput is in megaBit/s, cdrom is in kiloBit/s, so cdroms are far slower than harddisks. Therefore if u have to share them in the same channel, then u will put cdrom as slave harddisk as master. If u dun have more then 2 devices, then put them on their own channel (both as master), that is faster.

Conventionally the fastest harddisk will be installed on /dev/hda, the slower in /dev/hdc, cdrom in /dev/hdd. If u have the 3 HDs then the 2nd fastest in /dev/hdb, the slowest in /dev/hdc, n cdrom in /dev/hdd.

So u can see that u have not installed ur hardisk n cdrom optimaly ..
I suggest, u just feel free try to play anything around with ur installations, make backup of ur data in windows n linux. If u have them all, by next installation I suggest reinstall ur harddisk n cdrom, ask someone with knowledge, bcoz u might have to configure ur harddisk n cdrom to be master or slave with jumper, and to stick ur harddisk cable over ..

After that install ur windows OSes first b4 install Linux, if u want to have windows on ur compi. By next time installing slack, try to configure lilo, at the end of setup, after u have created ur bootdiskett as u has done it b4, just use the default option if u don't know things there. If thing goes wrong u know u can boot with diskett, then compare/edit /etc/lilo.conf , run lilo -v -v. If not worked post into here ..

Grab the output of following commands into here:

# ls -Al /boot

# fdisk -l /dev/hdd

# cat /etc/fstab

OOT question:
Can u boot into windows ? Just gonna get confirmed whether ur bios is configured to boot from HD in hdc/hdd.
U seemed to have ur harddisk on /dev/hdd, that is out of normal practice, who have installed ur compi for u ?
I don't know for wut that jumper "cable select" on harddisk, cdrom good is ? Any one knows ? Wut is the jumper configurations of ur Harddisk n CDROM, forget it if u don't know ..

root@dheeraj:~# ls -AI /boot
.AbiSuite/ .kde/ .xsession-errors
.DCOPserver_dheeraj_:0@ .kderc Abyss/
.DCOPserver_dheeraj__0 .kpackage/ Blue/
.ICEauthority .mcop/ Desktop/
.Xauthority .mcoprc FallOER2003.pdf
.bash_history .metacity/ GNUstep/
.esd_auth .mozilla/ Mail/
.fullcircle/ .mplayer/ Mplayer/
.fvwm/ .nautilus/ Software/
.gconf/ .pine-debug1 Wallpapers/
.gconfd/ .pinerc Wallpapers1024.zip
.gnome/ .qt/ crclient.conf
.gnome-desktop/ .recently-used gaim-0.70/
.gnome2/ .thumbnails/ install_flash_player_6_linux/
.gnome2_private/ .wmrc kplayer-0.3.1/
.gstreamer/ .xfce/ loadlin16c.txt
.gtkrc .xfce_bkup/ mail/
.gtkrc-1.2-gnome2 .xinitrc mplayer*
.gtkrc-kde .xinitrc-backup recos/



root@dheeraj:~# fdisk -l /dev/hdd

Disk /dev/hdd: 20.0 GB, 20020396032 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2434 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdd1 * 1 510 4096543+ b Win95 FAT32
/dev/hdd2 511 2433 15446497+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hdd5 511 991 3863601 b Win95 FAT32
/dev/hdd6 992 1472 3863601 b Win95 FAT32
/dev/hdd7 1473 1481 72261 83 Linux
/dev/hdd8 1482 1519 305203+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hdd9 1520 2433 7341673+ 83 Linux


root@dheeraj:~# cat /etc/fstab
/dev/hdd8 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/hdd9 / ext3 defaults 1 1
/dev/hdd1 /win-c vfat defaults 1 0
/dev/hdd5 /win-d vfat defaults 1 0
/dev/hdd6 /win-e vfat defaults 1 0
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,owner,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0


ok..javer..these are the outputs ...first i will try that code of yours.....

this is my newly modified lilo.when i did lilo -v -v at the prompt,every thing is runnin fine but a syntax error is occuring ..i have given the details below.....


LBA32
boot = /dev/hdd #write to MBR
append = "hda=ide-scsi" #for your cd-writer
timeout = 300 #timeout before default is choosen
vga = 791
image = /boot/vmlinuz
boot = /dev/hdd9 # / partition
label = slack.old
read-only
other = /dev/hdd1 # windows
label = windows

now when i compiled the lilo........................


root@dheeraj:~# lilo -v -v
LILO version 22.4.1, Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger
Development beyond version 21 Copyright (C) 1999-2002 John Coffman
Released 27-Jan-2003 and compiled at 19:45:45 on Mar 9 2003.

raid_setup returns offset = 00000000 ndisk = 0
Reading boot sector from /dev/hdd
Warning: /dev/hdd is not on the first disk
Using MENU secondary loader
Calling map_insert_data
Secondary loader: 16 sectors (0x3000 dataend).

Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-ide-2.4.20
Setup length is 10 sectors.
Mapped 2288 sectors.
Added vmlinuz *

Syntax error at or above line 10 in file '/etc/lilo.conf' ----------------what is this???????????????
Removed temporary file /boot/map~
root@dheeraj:~#

"# ls -la /boot" looked something like this, those above is the content of yer home directory. Try this "# cd /boot; ls -Al". Then edit the above post. Btw, have u got lilo run ? Wut "lilo -v -v" said ?
Have configured RAID (saw from the output of lilo), I've no experience with it ..

change your label for slackware from
label = slack.old
to
label = slack-old

Error will appear when you use certain character in label such as "."

this is the output when i did ls -la /boot


root@dheeraj:/boot# ls -la /boot
total 1748
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 14 10:31 ./
drwxr-xr-x 21 root root 4096 Oct 9 00:26 ../
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Oct 9 05:23 System.map -> System.map-ide-2.4.20
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 563791 Mar 18 2003 System.map-ide-2.4.20
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 17 Oct 9 05:23 config -> config-ide-2.4.20
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 36222 Mar 18 2003 config-ide-2.4.20
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 18 Oct 9 05:23 vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-ide-2.4.20
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1170308 Mar 18 2003 vmlinuz-ide-2.4.20
root@dheeraj:/boot#

also when i did ls -Ai
the output is

655627 System.map@ 655625 config-ide-2.4.20
655624 System.map-ide-2.4.20 655629 vmlinuz@
655628 config@ 655626 vmlinuz-ide-2.4.20

so what to do?i have changed slack.old to slack-old.still the error at line 10 is showing up what todo?
i will reboot the system and we'll c what will happen..

# mv /etc/lilo.conf /etc/lilo.conf.saved
<write the code above to /etc/lilo.conf>
# lilo -v -v

If not worked, try
# lilo -v -v -M /dev/hdd ext
or
# lilo -v -v -M /dev/hdd9 ext

Or consult "# man lilo" and searching this forum or the web for installing lilo on superblock , good luck ..

when i compiled the lilo ....i found that the same error is occuring..now its in line 14..what to do?is there anyone out there??

other = /dev/hdd1 # windows
label = Windows
table=/dev/hdd other=/dev/fd0
label=floppy
unsafe

changed to

other = /dev/hdd1
label = Windows

other = /dev/fd0
label = floppy
unsaved

Note:
Make sure you put in your boot floppy before you run lilo -v -v
table = /dev/hdX always gives me problem. When I removed it. It is fine.

i think the problem is not with the table.however,i tried compiling lilo after modifying the content and removing the table part.nothing changed..i have read some document or something to get this..or may be some h/w configuration of mine is not favourable for loading lilo....

hey can anyone gimme some tutorial or something to read on related to lilo?is there any site or something where all the info about linux is available?i have already tried slackware.com but therez not much written abut lilo there.please help me out.....

My system is 9.1, these are on the local installation:

/usr/doc/Linux-HOWTOs/LILO
/usr/doc/lilo-22.5.7.2
/usr/doc/lilo-22.5.7.2/sample/lilo.sample.conf

I'm trying to findout how to swap the hdd to be hda or hdc (visa versa), bcoz I saw on one of the previous error stating, that problem with not able to install lilo on MBR, btw have tried to install lilo on superblock (boot=/dev/hdd9) ?

It is possible for swaping hda with hdb, but dun know about hdd, read /usr/doc/lilo-22.5.7.2/sample/lilo.sample.conf , I found a little description about bios there.
Try this out:
If this worked, it still suggest u to change ur hardware installation like mentioned on my 2nd post, some time later. It is just not clean installation ..