Hello, everybody!

I've recently installed Slackware 10 on my computer's primary master HDD, with my old Windows XP Professional installation on the tertiary master HDD. The problem I've been having is that I can't boot into the Windows drive while my Slackware drive is plugged in. When I select "Windows" from the LILO menu, it just hangs indefinitely. Here is my "lilo.conf" file:

# 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
# 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/hde1
label = Windows
table = /dev/hde
# Windows bootable partition config ends
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda1
label = Linux
read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

My Windows drive is on an add-on PCI IDE RAID controller (/dev/hde). I am able to mount it and read it from Slackware without any problems. I can also boot into Windows XP just fine when I unplug the "/dev/hda" drive.

Before I installed Slackware 10, I had Mandrake 10 Official installed in exactly the same configuration (as far as I can tell), and it was able to boot alright into both Linux and Windows using LILO.

Please let me know if there are any suggestions you can think of as to how to solve this problem. Thanks a bunch!


--Dane


P. S. I've tried installing LILO to both the MBR and the partition table of the primary HDD. Same results.

-----------------------------------------
"I've been converted!"

If you install LILO in the MBR, isn't that on /dev/hde rather than /dev/hda?

Hmmmm... That may be. I *thought* that the active MBR is stored on the primary master, but I could be wrong.
I did, however, just hear about Windows being particularly funky about wanting to be the primary master. Is there a way to tell LILO to make Windows temporarily think that it's the primary master until it's done booting?

Thanks for your post!

--Dane

Try:
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hde1
label = Windows
table = /dev/hde
boot-as = 0x80
# Windows bootable partition config ends

Try:
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hde1
label = Windows
table = /dev/hde
boot-as = 0x80
# Windows bootable partition config ends

Excellent! That worked perfectly. Thanks for all your help.

--Dane