Welcome to LQ!
A bootable partition is needed for Windows, but not for Linux.
Please post your /etc/lilo.conf here. Specifically, where is
LILO located? I would think with your internal drive being
/dev/hda you could setup /etc/lilo.conf something like this:
Code:
# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/hda
# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append="panic=15"
prompt
timeout = 50
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
vga = 791
# ramdisk = 0 # paranoia setting
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz-generic-smp-2.6.24.5-smp
initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
root = /dev/sda3
label = Slack-12.1
read-only # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/hda1
label = Windows
table = /dev/hda
# Windows bootable partition config ends
NB: The above assumes that you have a Windows OS on /dev/hda1,
and no clue what /dev/hdb is on your box. The framebuffer is a guess,
but it could be different if that doesn't work. This installs LILO to the MBR.
You can boot with Slackware CD1 and at the prompt enter:
Code:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda3 rdinit= ro
which should get you into your system and let you fix it. After you
edit /etc/lilo.conf you MUST issue "lilo" to write it again.
If you post output also give us "fdisk -l" and "mount" please.