[TheMad]

Well, I've got questions concerning the slackware 8.1 install. More specifically, about lilo.

I've got 3 hard drives on my computer, and I'm using the second one to install linux on (hdb) and, at the moment, have got 4 partitions on it. 1 NTFS partition, 2 ext3 partitions, and one linux swap partition. Now, I've installed Slackware to the two ext3 partitions. However, when I go to configure lilo, it does not work and, in fact, returns an error.

Now, I was running Mandrake 9.0 before slackware. Before installing slackware, I got rid of the partitions that contained Mandrake and remade them. I then installed slackware onto the new partitions. However, the automatic lilo configuration fails (I have tried installing lilo into the root directory and into the master boot record, both to no avail) and whenever I try to boot from the hard disk, it brings up Mandrake's lilo with the options for mandrake and XP. Now, I thought I had completely erased Mandrake, but some vestige of it still manages to live on somehow (albeit just barely). Not that thats really the issue, though.

In any case, I need to figure out a way to get lilo working and boot both Windows XP and Slackware. Any help in this area would be most appreciated.

TheMad

[codejockey]

The error during the slackware installation of lilo is probably what allows Mandrake lilo to live on (in the MBR, I suspect). Some things to check:

(1) where Mandrake lilo is installed (/dev/hda? /dev/hdb?)
(2) where you intend to install slackware lilo (presumably /dev/hda)
(3) what partitions are active on each drive?
(4) what specific error do you receive when you attempt to install lilo?

You should be able to create a lilo configuration file (typcially /etc/lilo.conf) that tells lilo how to boot both XP and linux. The lilo.conf man page gives an example of a multi-boot configuration, which should be close to what you want. Another good source of information is /usr/doc/liloXX.X/doc (mine is /usr/doc/lilo22.2/doc), which contains the users guide and associated files. The /usr/doc/lilo/XX.X/sample directory also has samples of lilo configuration files that you could work from.

Note that you can use lilo -t -v 5 to show what lilo would do without actually doing anything -- very useful. You can also create a boot disk and install lilo there, before trying to install on your hard drive.

If you post (or email) your lilo.conf file and more specific error informaiton, maybe we can get a bit farther.

Hope this helps.