I have problems booting WinXP with lilo. On the first partion /dev/hda1 there is a runnig copy of Slackware 10.2, on the second partiotion /dev/hda2 I have restored system backup image of winxp (made with Norton Ghost 8.0), then I have added

other = /dev/hda2
label = windows
table = /dev/hda

in my lilo.conf. After reboot, when I choose "windows" in the lilo boot menu, a message "loading windows..." appears on the screen, but nothing happens. Does somebody know, what should I do to correct this problem. Thanks in advance.

The three lines you showed look fine. Can you please post your whole lilo.conf and the output of fdisk -l and we will try to help.

One thing I would suggest checking is that you have /dev/hda2 marked as the proper partition type (same as whatever it was when you installed Windows in it, before you made the ghost copy- probably NTFS) and that it is marked bootable (with asterisk under the boot column in the header that fdisk -l shows.)

P.S. If you are multibooting with Windows, the best situation is that Windows should always be installed first, and should always be in the first partition. Then install lilo in the MBR.

I restored the backup once again and this time I restored the original disk signature and MBR, but it didn't work again. This is may lilo.conf:

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hda
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
prompt
timeout = 50
# 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
# ramdisk = 0 # paranoia setting

install=/boot/boot-bmp.b
bitmap=/boot/lilo2.bmp
bmp-table=478p,219p,1,15
bmp-timer=575p,445p,0,15,15
bmp-colors=15,0,0;0,15,15

# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda1
label = 2.4.31
read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking

other = /dev/hda2
label = windows
table = /dev/hda
# Linux bootable partition config ends




and the fdisk -l output:

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 1824 14651248+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 * 1950 7296 42949777+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda4 1825 1949 1004062+ 82 Linux swap

Partition table entries are not in disk order

I was just going at 2nd this...for some reason, Windows wants/has to be on the 1 partition and then Linux...and it should work out fine.

Affirmed. Windows NT variants (NT,2000,XP) HAVE to be first partiton of first bootable HDD (ie., /dev/hda1).

It's a Windows "Nothing else exists" mindset.

I don't know if it's impossible to boot win from a bootable partition which isn't first, and I can't afford to check it right now! But everybody agrees that the best scenario is Win in the first partition, marked bootable, and installed first.

Your partition table can't be correct as shown because you have hda4 showing actual data instead of "extended." If you are copying this by hand you will eventually screw something up. Cut and paste as much as possible!

The lilo.conf up to 22.3 (according to man) had the boot specification like you showed; after that you're supposed to say install=text (or install=menu or install=bmp) not install=path like you have. There is already enough confusion, try lilo as vanilla as possible and then start to add bitmaps after you can boot your system.

And, we are looking at your lilo.conf but I think it doesn't matter, because you said you restored your original MBR. Therefore LILO is not being used.

If you have a backup and you started moving your data around already, you have nothing to lose by straightening your partitions out- the partition table is a mess right now.

You should load a live CD and start fdisking.

How about:

/dev/hda1 * 1 5347 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda2 5348 7171 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 7172 7296 82 Linux swap

I would recommended a little different strategy, but I don't want to confuse things too much here.

And then for lilo:

# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hda
compact
prompt
timeout = 50
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
vga = 773
#
#install=/boot/boot-bmp.b
#bitmap=/boot/lilo2.bmp
#bmp-table=478p,219p,1,15
#bmp-timer=575p,445p,0,15,15
#bmp-colors=15,0,0;0,15,15
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda2
label = 2.4.31
read-only
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hda1
label = windows
table = /dev/hda
# Linux bootable partition config ends

To do this from a live CD you are going to have to mount /boot however you have it defined to lilo. That means what we have here in the lilo.conf probably WON'T work. Instead, you may have to do something like:

mkdir /mnt/hda2
mount /dev/hda2 /mnt/hda2

and change your lilo.conf to:

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /mnt/hda2/boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda2
label = 2.4.31
read-only

Then do install lilo in the MBR:

lilo -v -t -b /dev/hda # this is only a test

if it looks good:

lilo -v -b /dev/hda # update the MBR

I have Winblows xp installed on my girlfriends computer set on the last partition /dev/hda4, i had that problem but i noticed that it was becuse i forgot to set the /dev/hda4 partition as ACTIVE ( or boot ) i have never had a problem installing winblows on a different partition besides the first.

heres the layout on her box.

hda1 200MB RFS /boot
hda2 1024MB SWAP SWAP
hda3 57 GB RFS /
hda4 9 GB NTFS /winblowsxp [ACTIVE]

>> SLEEPY CORRECTED MISSING LETTERS <<

Ohh yea and i do remember i had problems with a clients winblows install, i did the ghost thing and i noticed the bloody winblows didnt work when i changed the partion from the original, his winblows partition was the first before the backup and the second after the backup.

im not 100% on this mates but i winblows might have stored something about what partition he is on, again i dont know since i dont use it.

cheers

After I restored original disk signature and MBR I have tried booting Windows without lilo, but it didn't work. Then I installed lilo again booting from the slackware installation cd and using the original lilo.conf on my hard drive and it didn't work again. I thought it would work, then before I had Win NT(first partition), 2000 Server(second partiotion) and XP(third partiotion) simultaniou. Then I was using the XP boot manager, so it doesn't need to be on the first partition. I think that "thewonka" is right, that somehow windows stores the information of the partition it was first installed on. But I can't afford to make clean Windows Installation, then I have discovered that the windows setup hangs, when it tries to read the partiotion table information and discovers unsupported file systems.
So I think I'll try VMWARE. Thanks to everybody for the help.

I have windows in another partition
hda1 linux
hda2 linux swap
hda3 * fat32
hda4 linux

I noticed that sometimes windows gets picky about the partition table, one way of doing it is creating the partition table during winblows install process, and then install linux on the desired partitions. that way xp is already in there on what ever partition you selected for it to run on, and just change the system ids to linux and linux swap on the others.

but then again... i like VMWARE more, except for the usb 2.0 limitations.

try this:
that should work, it does for me

Please let me know if it does work

Somehow this time I have managed to install fresh copy from the windows installation cd. Now everything works fine. It seems that windows does actually somehow works only with the configuration that was detected during the installation.

Randux wrote:
Thanks for the tip. I just followed the instructions from Shilo's Guide (http://shilo.is-a-geek.com/slack/). But everything works very well without the line.

raska wrote
Sorry, but now that everything works fine, I don't want to make further experiments. So I haven't tried your tip. Thaks for the try anyway.

Thanks for the help and Good Luck to everyone!

I thought as much, since i dont really use winblows i wasnt 100% on it mate, but goot to get my suspissions comfirmed. ^_^

L.L.I.B. .U.O.Y. N.M.A.D

lol cheers

Glad to know everything is working!