Lilo.conf missing!

glaz · 01-26-2005, 10:06 PM

After installing Slackware 10, and doing the simple lilo installation, my computer just hangs up at the lilo screen saying "Loading Linux.............."
When i boot in rescue mode and look for lilo.conf in /etc/ there is no such file, even though lilo installation didn't give me any errors. What can I do to fix this lilo issue?

DaHammer · 01-26-2005, 11:08 PM

You're probably in a different root on the rescue disk, ie not the root of your linux install. Mount the drive that contains your root and your lilo.conf should be on it.

reddazz · 01-26-2005, 11:10 PM

Try booting into your system using the installation disk insted of doing a rescue and then check your /etc/lilo.conf. The instructions to boot into a Slack system are available when the installation disk boots.

glaz · 01-27-2005, 12:13 AM

well i made a temp file and mounted my /dev/hda2 on it and i found the lilo.conf however, when i try to run /sbin/lilo it gives me an error saying:
Fatal: Sorry don't know how to handle device 0x0100

any ideas?

tw001_tw · 01-27-2005, 12:24 AM

I think this should work for you if you booted to the CD and you mounted the drive.

lilo -b /dev/hda -c /path_to_mounted_drive/etc/lilo.conf

-b to install it on the MBR of your 1st hard drive

-c to use the lilo.conf from the hard drive

I am guessing, if you just typed 'lilo', it is trying to install itself on the device
you booted from (i.e. CD-Rom in your case)

Any questions type man lilo and look through your other options.

-tw

glaz · 01-27-2005, 12:35 AM

why doesn't lilo install correctly?
the first time i installed Slack 10, i had no problems, then i decided to reinstall and now lilo doesn't work the way it should. I've tried to re-install like 5 times already and each time lilo just hangs at the screen. Is it my partitioning?

d00msweek · 01-27-2005, 12:58 AM

Your harddisk ? Or update LILO ?

DaHammer · 01-27-2005, 01:29 AM

The error means lilo doesn't understand the disks geometry and can't get the info from the kernel. My guess is you have something wrong in your lilo.conf file. Post it, along with the output of "fdisk -l /dev/hda" assuming /dev/hda is the disk where Slackware is installed. You might also want to try placing the <i>linear</i> directive in your lilo.conf.

DaHammer · 01-27-2005, 01:45 AM

Looking up the device number, ie 0x0100, that's /dev/ram0.

I'm certain it is not your intent to install lilo to /dev/ram0. Make sure you mount the paritition that contains your lilo.conf file and chroot into it before running lilo. If /boot is not on the same partition as / then you'll also need to mount it. I described how to do this here.

electronique · 01-27-2005, 04:02 PM

Lilo is probably confused by your HD geometry... but then again LILO is quite antiquated when it comes to bootloaders... try using grub, it's what I use, and it works fantastically