Hello All,

I just upgraded my slack 10 installation to slack 10.1. I have a dual-boot machine with win XP. My XP partition is installed on hda2 and lilo is installed to the superblock of my slack root partition which is hda4. I followed the directions in the UPGRADE.TXT document included on the 10.1 install disk. Everything seemed to go okay, but lilo is screwed up. I can boot with a boot disk and everything is fine, but when I try to boot off my HD lilo hangs at Loading Linux................
and I get a blinking cursor just below that line. I've reinstalled lilo, checked and rechecked my lilo.conf, but can't seem to figure it out. I've searched this site, but haven't found a fix. Here's my lilo.conf. Any help is appreciated. Oh yeah, I'm using the default bare.i kernel.

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
append="hdc=scsi"
boot = /dev/hda4
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
# 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
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hda2
label = Windows
table = /dev/hda
# Windows bootable partition config ends
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda4
label = Linux
read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

make that boot=/dev/hda if you want lilo in mbr.

I'm not 100% sure, but if my memory serves me correctly, the WinXP bootloader doesn't support linux, and WinXP automatically installs it's bootloader on the MBR (Master Boot Record). So you need to install lilo on your MBR (i think this can be done with the lilo executable without resorting to the setup-program again), effectively replacing the WinXP bootloader. Then, reboot...and vóila, a true dual boot system.

P.S.: your BIOS may have a feature that makes it hard writing to the MBR (mine did), if it does, you should disable it before you do anything else, then enable it afterwards when everything is working.

you must have lilo in the MBR and use chain loading to load WinXP
check the howto at www.tldp.org

Thanks for the replies. Why must lilo be installed to the MBR? I've had a dual-boot with slack and XP for quite a while. I had slack 9, 9.1, and 10 with lilo installed to the superblock of hda4 and it booted slack with no problems. I get a choice at the XP boot screen. If I want to boot to XP, I do so from there. Otherwise, I choose slack and it always passed on to lilo at that point and booted slack. I could always boot and use either OS, so I always did have a true dual-boot machine. I would prefer to keep lilo installed to the superblock of hda4.

in that case you'll have to copy your bootsector to a file on the win-disk's root dir.
( just like you did before... )

egag

I did that too egag. Made a new bootsect.lnx and copied it to the root of the XP partition, but the problem persists. This is the first time I ever tried an upgrade instead of doing a fresh install. I guess if I can't get it working I'll wipe hda4 and do a fresh install of 10.1. I bet lilo will work in the superblock then.

...i would just try again.

-install lilo in hda4
-copy bootsector hda4 to file and move it to win-part.

that simply must work.
( well i guess the " loading linux...... " message came from the win-bootloader,
and not from lilo . )

egag

I'll try reinstalling lilo and making and copying the bootsect file again tomorrow. However, the Loading Linux........... then hanging-- happens in lilo after the win bootloader passes off to lilo. I get the red lilo boot screen with the choice to load linux. and I choose linux, and that's when it happens.

oh....if lilo loaded the kernel-image at that point, it is not a lilo error.
i think your kernel-image is corrupt then, as it hangs while decompressing.
try to reinstall the kernel.

egag

Well, I tried reinstalling the kernel, reinstalling lilo, etc., etc. Ended up reformating and am now setting up slack 10.1 and reinstalling applications. Problem solved. A clean installation and lilo is booting from the superblock of hda4 again. So much for upgrading. Had I known, I would have put this off a bit longer, but I sort of expected that I might have some problems doing an upgrade.