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Getting lilo to boot W2K from hda3

Hi,

I've got a problem with lilo and windows. My linux system is on hda1 and hda2 and windows 2000 is on hda3. However it doesn't want to boot from there. I know that windows "wants" to be on primary master and first partition, but is there really no way to boot it?

This is what I have in my lilo.conf:

# Windows 2000 on hda3
other = /dev/hda3
label = W2000_hda
table = /dev/hda

When I select it in lilo it just sits there forever and nothing happens.

I had a problem like this after installing OpenBSD. I think your Master Boot Record (MBR) needs to be fixed.

1. In case Windows causes a problem, make sure you have a bootable floppy for your Slackware install. (Or the Slackware install CD). Back up any very valuable data onto removable storage (CD or USB Flash Drive).
2. Boot Windows 2000 using your Windows install CD.
3. Choose to Repair an existing install.
4. Choose "Recovery Console (Option C).
5. Did command "fixmbr"
6. Warns other partitions may be trashed, but I did it anyway. (You did back up?)
7. Do "exit" command.

Good luck.

Thanks for your help, unfortunately, it doesn't work. I did fixmbr in the recovery console, but I still can't get windows to boot. So this was probably not the problem. I think it's just windows not wanting to boot from any other partition than the first one.

I know that you can boot windows off other hdds than primary master using the "boot-as" option in lilo, is there maybe something similar for partitions? Making windows think it is on the first one?

Maybe it's also something else. Ideas anyone?

Where have you installed Lilo? MBR / Root partition?
hda3 has to be primary partition. Are you sure its not a primary partition? Please give output of fdisk /dev/hda
Also give your whole /etc/lilo.conf file

Lilo is in MBR. hda3 is a primary partition.

Quote:

Are you sure its not a primary partition?

See above, never said it's not a primary partition.

fdisk:

Code:

    Gerät Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System

/dev/hda1              1          7      56196  83  Linux

/dev/hda2              8        3315    26571510    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)

/dev/hda3            3316        4359    8385930    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/hda5              8        251    1959898+  83  Linux

/dev/hda6            252        374      987966  83  Linux

/dev/hda7            375        399      200781  83  Linux

/dev/hda8            400        1373    7823623+  83  Linux

/dev/hda9            1374        3315    15599083+  83  Linux

I don't know why hda2 is marked as a W95 partition here, thats an extended partition with all other Linux partitions inside. Doesn't matter in this case I think.

Lilo.conf:

Code:

# LILO configuration file

# generated by 'liloconfig'

#

# Start LILO global section

boot = /dev/hda

message = /boot/boot_message.txt

prompt

timeout = 1200

# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:

change-rules

  reset

# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256

vga = 773

# Normal VGA console

# vga = normal

# End LILO global section



# Linux bootable partition config begins

image = /boot/vmlinuz

  root = /dev/hda5

  label = Linux

  read-only

# Linux bootable partition config ends



# Windows 2000 on hda3

other = /dev/hda3

label = W2000_hda

table = /dev/hda

What is the

Quote:

# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
change-rules
reset

part for?

I don't know, I think that was created automatically or was preset in slackware

its not there in my Lilo. Try doing liloconf one more time and see if the same lilo.conf file is generated.

Tried that, the entry was created again. Then I tried a few other things and finally gave up and just tried installing Windows again (should have known it, if anything windows related doesn't work, just do it again or reboot and it may work). It seems to work now. Don't know why. God, I hope the day when I can finally trash windows forever is coming soon.