vector boot (lilo) problem
 

I install VL SOHO 5.1.1 today ona PC including SATA harddisk. In hda1 win xp exist and at hda2 VL is installed. Installation finished without problem, but PC does not boot. L of the "LILO" seem on the screen and everything is frozen after starting the PC. When I use VL cd with linux root=/dev/hda2 VL ban be started. I delete mbr using msdos flopy using fdisk /mbr win xp starts witout problem.
Why does not lilo work?

LILO did not "work" becuase you did not install the LILO boot loader into the MBR. From what you have written is seems that you had installed LILO onto the linux boot partition instead of the MBR. When you choose that option the windows boot loader starts looks for the windows MBR which is somewhere in the middle of the hard drive in most Win NT OSes. When you partitioned and then installed VL you probably over wrote the windows MBR in the middle of the disk (this is a very common problem BTW with single HD dual boot installs with a preexisting windows installation) which is why the boot up after your installation of VL "hung". When you fixed the MBR with the windows boot floppy you basically wiped out the LILO boot loader and restored windows.

I have some doubt on the accuracy of the description.

If Lilo has been installed into the root partition then MBR is untouched and Windows would boot.

Lot of L on the screen, so does lots of 99 means Lilo wasn't installed properly. It is very common nowaday. Lilo is not an easy boot loader to work with and a user often has to take the matter into his/her own hand.

Another important point is MBR is the first 512 bytes of the boot disk! It is never in the middle of a hard disk.

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Now the cure

You can restore Lilo any time you want as you can boot it with VL installation CD. Once inside VL and in root to restore Lilo back to the MBR is
The above command works only for IDE disk and hda must be changed to sda if the disk is a Sata. If you are not sure what disk you have and which partition VL residing type
should throw up everything.

More booting tips in my signature "Just booting tips", including the above.

If Lilo still doesn't work list VL's /etc/lilo.conf here