Re: lilo, linux and win95
lucier@.cow-net.com writes:
>
> howdy all.....:-)
>
> Just installed Debian linux and win95 on a system and wish to have dual boot
> system with LILO as boot manager.
>
> cfdisk shows:
>
> /dev/hda1 Boot Primary Dos FAT16 (has Win95 installed on it)
> /dev/hda5 Logical Linux
> /dev/hda6 Logical Linux Swap
>From the numbering above, I can surmise that you installed linux into an
Extended DOS partition.
>
> If I run LILO and tell it to generate a new /etc/lilo.conf and then answer:
>
> Install a partition boot record to boot linux from /dev/hda5? yes
> Install a master boot record on /dev/hda yes
> Make /dev/hda5 the active partition? yes
>
> then LILO will generate the following error message:
>
> 5: not a valid partition number (1-4)
>
>
> If I answer yes to the first two questions but no for the third the system
> can only boot with Win95........to boot linux I must use my emergency disk.
>
> Any suggestions on why this is happening?
>
>From the LILO manual....
...
LILO boot sector is designed to be usable as a partition boot sector.
(I.e. there is room for the partition table.) Therefore, the LILO boot
sector can be stored at the following locations:
- boot sector of a Linux floppy disk. (/dev/fd0, ...)
- MBR of the first hard disk. (/dev/hda, ...)
- boot sector of a primary Linux file system partition on the first hard
disk. (/dev/hda1, ...)
- partition boot sector of an extended partition on the first hard disk.
(/dev/hda1, ...)*
* Most FDISK-type programs don't believe in booting from an extended
partition and refuse to activate it. LILO is accompanied by a simple
program (activate) that doesn't have this restriction. Linux fdisk also
supports activating extended partitions.
It _can't_ be stored at any of the following locations:
- boot sector of a non-Linux floppy disk or primary partition.
- a Linux swap partition.
- boot sector of a logical partition in an extended partition.*
- on the second hard disk. (Unless for backup installations, if the
current first disk will be removed or disabled, or if some other boot
loader is used, that is capable of loading boot sectors from other
drives.)
* LILO can be forced to put the boot sector on such a partition by using
the -b option or the BOOT variable. However, only few programs that
operate as master boot records support booting from a logical
partition.
...
Now based on the above information, you need to run the _Linux_ version of
Fdisk (/sbin/fdisk) and make the extended partition (/dev/hda2) active. Other
members of this list use extended partitions for Linux. My personal perference
is to use primary partitions only. Without starting over from scratch, as
root, you should try tweaking the lilo.conf file by hand and running lilo
afterward. Reboot and check. As always, keep that bootable floppy handy just
in case 8-)
Perhaps others can offer tips on how you can configure the lilo.conf file for
your particular setup.
--
-= Sent by Debian 1.3 Linux =-
Thomas Kocourek KD4CIK
@_@tko@westgac3.dragon.com Remove @_@ for correct Email address
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