Ok, I tried installing Slackware 9.0 and it installed fine. I even did a full install just for the hell of it. But then I ran into problems with LILO. When I first installed it with just Linux (I didn't know it just installed Linux until I first restarted my computer) it went fine. But when I found out that it just did Linux, I got a bit worried so I ran liloconfig in the command line. I did the expert setup and worked on trying to get everything in order for a good 20 minutes but then it wouldn't install properly. So then I had to go back and put Mandrake 9.1 on my computer so I can just dual boot with that and Windows XP. Now, I'm wondering, if I can just skip the LILO install with Slackware and just go into Mandrake 9.1 and configure the current bootloader I have ( I think it's LILO with an eye candy graphical interface) so that it can boot Slackware along with the others. Now that I'm just going to leave Mandrake 9.1 in, I resized the partition so that there is about 9 GB free for Slackware.

Another problem I had was with the partitioning, I didn't know which partition to use (either logical or I think it was standard, can anybody confirm that?). I'm thinking 9 GB would be fine for a short time user while I'm switching between distros and I can always set aside another small patition for Slackware on a new hard drive I will be buying soon.

So my question and purpose for this topic is: Can I skip the LILO install from Slackware and just use the one from Mandrake so that I can set it to boot Slackware are well as Mandrake and Windows XP? I guess I should read up more on what I'm going to go through next time I try a different distro.

LILO is LILO, shouldn't really matter if it's installed by Mandrake or by Slackware?

Could you specify just how it went wrong...error messages etc? If you run liloconfig in "expert mode" you can set it up exactly the way you want it, and unless you have a really strange computer I don't see why it shouldn't work - all you really need to know is the booting partitions of the OS'es. But then again, I'm just a Linux newbie, so I could be missing something.

Hello Ekim

All HDDs have space for 4 primary partitions, the fourth one of which can then be sub-divided into logical partitions as an extension. Personally I reckon 9GB will be fine considering that Slack takes maybe 3.5GB all told. FWIW, I have been running a full RH 8.0 installation with lots of programs and mp3s and image files on an 8GB Seagate. 9GB is really lots of space.

So which partition should I use for my 9GB one? Should I just make it one big logical one or what?

As for the LILO problem, after I went through the expert setup in the terminal, it just stayed at Installing Linux Loader... for about 20 minutes before I stopped it. That was the second installation, not the first. During the first, it took like a minute to install, maybe less, I can't remember that well. I guess I'll try to do this again later when I get the answer for what type of partition I should use for the Slackware one.

Ekim
Perhaps you could supply a bit more info first: you sound like you have a couple of distros, and I don't know what your configuration on your HDD is yet, so rather than just blindly giving advice, can you tell us:

1. What is the total size of the HDD you are using
2. What do you already have installed and how much space do they use up
3. What you are wanting to do with this 9GB that you mentioned

You may also want to consider preliminaries such as: have you backed up data from other installations (didn't you mention a Windows install?)

Ok, here's what I've got so far:

My C drive is for Windows only, a total of 30 GB.
My D drive is partitioned, I have 55 GB for windows becuase I'm not the only one using the computer. The total size of it is 90 GB which I'm going to use with Linux. I'm going to resize my partitions now because I see that I don't need a 20GB partition for Mandrake. So then I'll have about 30 GB for Slackware or any other distro.

Ekim: you are looking at installing Slack 9.0 and MDK ? on drive 'D', which will also be running Windows, is that correct?
Hmm - okay. First things first:
1. I understand for a dual boot (i.e. Windows + any other non-Win distro), I think - subject to correction/confirmation from other sources more knowledgeable than myself - that Windows likes to hog space and think that it is the only show in town/on your HDD (mind you, that is true for the company as well as its software!!! ), so that would ssuggest that it should have the first partition. My advice would be to read up about the process involved in setting up a dual-boot, because having never done it myself I am reluctant to proselytise and give you a wrong steer. Therefore - go to the Linux documentation project or try downloading these tarballed and other docs:



1.1. http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/doc...TO-html.tar.gz

1.2. http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/doc...TO-html.tar.gz

1.3. http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/doc...TO-html.tar.gz

1.4. http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/doc...mpt-HOWTO.html

1.5. http://www.zdnet.com.au/itmanager/te...0265546,00.htm

1.6.
http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue38/veselosky.html

1.7.
http://jaeger.morpheus.net/linux/ntldr.php

So ... lots of reading here!!! Aaah the wonderful world of Linux

2. Once you've read through some of the above (skim-reading should suffice until you find specifically what you want), you can begin to experiment with your rig: NB: BACK UP your data, because there is always a chance that you'll hose your drive!!
Also, the reading will help define your questions more specifically.

3. Last, but not least, do yourself a favour - possibly before you even read the foregoing HOW-TOs, etc and surf over to jet_blackz's site at http://jetblackz.freeservers.com - I highly recommend this site and referenced it in at least a couple of other posts. JB has put a lot of effort into this site and it is pretty comprehensive.

I know that there is a lot of reading here, don't be put off by it though.

Good luck Ekim.

Ekim - another site for you to squizz at for info:

http://linux-newbie.sunsite.dk/lnag_lilo.html

HTH

Hi,

To answer your first question, you definitely can install Slack without reinstalling LILO and then add an entry to your existing LILO configuration file that points to Slack's kernel and root partition. You don't need to reinstall LILO during Slack's installation.

I underwent a similar process except with Red Hat and GRUB. GRUB was installed as the bootloader when I installed Red Hat. When it came to installing Slackware, I installed to a free partition and just added an entry to my existing GRUB config that created an entry for Slackware and pointed to Slack's kernel and root.

Sorry I can't give you the exact settings for LILO, but I think you can find plenty of threads here that should be able to help you figure out how to do it for your own LILO setup.