Re: trouble with the boot-block..
According to Bill Leach:
> The install and rescue floppies are indeed supposed to use the ramfs.
> Obviously the install floppy has to since at least most of the time
> there will be no other linux filesystem available. However, the rescue
> floppy does also because it has to be able to boot fully even if the
> root partition is corrupt (and allow you to attempt to repair same). So
> a boot floppy is yet a different critter and contains a kernel that has
> been patched (with rdev) to have your normal root partition set.
>
> When you boot the installation disks and answer the first few questions
> (color monitor, keyboard, etc), the hit an alt-F2 to access the second
> console.
All this makes sense, of course. What I don't understand is
how something got written to the MBR and why my floppy drive
is ignored now. To clear my SCSI drives 1 and 3, I'll have to
do a low-level format.
>
> type 'mount -t ext2 /dev/hda1 /target
> [replacing /dev/hda1 with whatever is appropriate for your configuration
> of course]
All right.
>
>
> Lilo can remove lilo but the installation disks do not 'know' that lilo
> was previously installed and thus take no action when you choose not to
> use lilo--so yes, if you installed lilo and did not do something like
> fdisk/mbr is DOS or explicitly replace the boot record using the lilo
> command then lilo is still present.
As I think I mentioned to Jean Pierre, my knowledge of
DOS could be stuffed into a thimble. At any rate, DOS
is gone, and /dev/fd0 is useless.
Last night I catenated /target/etc/lilo.conf to stdout
and saw something like what you've got below. But it
didn't do much good because I'm not familiar with the
file. Also, didn't find anything in the boot that came
with v1.3.
Can you tell me what to edit to what to get rid of lilo
from the master boot rec?
>
> A lilo config file looks something like this:
> bash-2.01$ cat /etc/lilo.conf
> boot = /dev/hda <- disk to boot from
> prompt <- prompt for boot choices during boot
> timeout = 50 <- continue boot with default if no response
> compact <- kernel is compressed
> install = /boot/boot.b <- location of the boot code
> map = /boot/map <- location of the system map file
> vga = normal <- vga display mode to use
> delay = 20 <- i don't remember
> image = /vmlinuz <- name & location of the linux kernel to load
> root = /dev/hda4 <- system root device to use
> label = Linux <- name for this instance of system
> read-only <- always initially mount root read only
> vga = 9 <- vga mode to use for this instance
> image = /vmlinuz.old <- last kernel
> root = /dev/hda4
> label = bklinux
> read-only
> vga = 9
> image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.0.27 <- a linux bo distribution system.
> root = /dev/hdb3
> label = olinux
> read-only
> vga = 9
> image = /vmlinuz.test <- a linux testing partition
> root = /dev/hdb5
> label = test
> read-only
> vga = 9
> other=/dev/hda1 <- an non-linux system
> table = /dev/hda <- location of drive structure
> label = DOS <- instance lable (and it is MSDOS)
>
>
> The lilo documentation is extensive and probably the about the best
> documentation in the entire Linux project but you do need to study it
> rather carefully if you want to be able to handle everything without
> problems. Most things can be given 'defaults' in the general section
> (the section before the first "image =" line and then overridden in the
> individual sections.
>
From what I've read so far, the Linux docs are great...and
I know how murderous writing techical documentation is.
The reason I want to go Debian over other Linux version
is that Debian seems to be the BSD of Linux. --Flames to
/dev/null, guys!-- Given its strengths toward quality-control
and attention to detail, hopefully Debian will be around for
a long, long time.
gary
> --
> best,
> -bill
> bleach@BellSouth.net b.leach@Worldnet.att.net
> b.leach@usa.net LinuxPC@Hotmail.com
> from a 1996 Micro$loth ad campaign:
> "The less you know about computers the more you want Micro$oft!"
> See! They do get some things right!
--
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to
debian-user-request@lists.debian.org .
Trouble? e-mail to templin@bucknell.edu .
Reply to: