Bug#64823: incorrect LILO automatic placement on i386
> Package: boot-floppies
> Version: 2.2.13-2000-05-04
> Severity: critical
>
> Hello,
>
>
> I have a disk ``factory clean'' with no MBR.
> No primary partition on the disk, only logical. / = /dev/hda6
> I plan to install LILO on the MBR. The install procedure will not let me
> do that, It give me only the option to install LILO somewhere it can't be
> reached.
> ==> System won't restart.
>
> Here is what I did :
>
> The disk is formatted like this :
> Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 1027 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/hda1 1 1027 8249346 5 Extended
> /dev/hda5 1 31 248944+ 82 Linux swap
> /dev/hda6 32 298 2144646 83 Linux
> /dev/hda7 299 541 1951866 83 Linux
> /dev/hda8 542 784 1951866 83 Linux
> /dev/hda9 785 1027 1951866 83 Linux
>
> I choose "make linux directly bootable from hard disk"
>
> Then a dialog box says my disk is factory clean.
> Then a dialog box asks for an MBR. I answer no
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I guess I simply don't understand. If you don't want an MBR installed,
don't whine because it does not install one.
> then another dialog ask for where to put lilo. I answer on the MBR.
> Then a dialog says to me I have to install on /dev/hda1, and it does install
> on /dev/hda1. The message goes like this :
>
> The boot partition is a logical partition. It can't boot from there, so you
> must install the MBR in one of the following extended partitions. Please
> select the partition to use.
> /dev/hda1
>
>
> This is very bad because :
> 1) I have no MBR
> 2) even if I had one, /dev/hda1 is not marked as bootable, and it is
> not automagically marked as bootable. I could not make /dev/hda1
> bootable because cfdisk did not show the extended partition.
>
> The system did not reboot. that's why I though the severity should be
> set to critical. I had an "insert system disk" message from the PC bios.
>
> I manage to finish the installation like this : I reboot with the boot
> floppies, typing "linux root=/dev/hda6" at the boot prompt. After system
> installation complete, I edit lilo.conf to install LILO on the mbr :
> boot=/dev/hda. I run lilo and everything goes well.
Please enlighten the with the above comment.
I'm willing to work on the bug, but first I need to understand the
bug.
Regards,
Joey
--
The good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.
-- Andrew S. Tanenbaum
Oldenburger LinuxTag 2000 http://oldenburger.linuxtage.de/
Please always Cc to me when replying to me on the lists.
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