Start the d-i (maybe the ubuntu livecd can do too!) and get to a shell. There, mount in rw your / partition and chroot into it: # chroot /where/you/mounted now mount all of your partitions, I guess a # mount -a should do, and then issue # ybin -v That should do the trick. I had to do it a couple of times (my fault in writing yaboot.conf) and worked quite well.
Okay, that's what I tried with the ubuntu live-cd. Next time I'll try the d-i.
I really hope we can get Grub or an equivalent very very soon, as I hatelilo/yaboot.
Yeah, me too.