2.2: MBR install whacks my system boot

["Paul D. Smith" <pausmith@nortelnetworks.com>]

I've installed Debian on a lot of systems, and this is the first time
it's ever done this.

I'm installing 2.2 from a DOS partition on a 200MHz ppro, with 64M ram.
It has a 3c595 Vortex 10/100 autoselect enet card, and an Adaptec
AHA-294x Ultra SCSI card.

The SCSI card has one disk (/dev/sda), which is a Seagate ST32430N 2G,
and one CDROM.  There is also a floppy.

That's it: no IDE disks, etc.

The partition table for this system looks like this (from fdisk):

  /dev/sda1             1        26    208813+   6  FAT16
  /dev/sda2   *        27       261   1887637+   5  Extended
  /dev/sda5            27        46    160618+  83  Linux
  /dev/sda6            47       142    771088+  83  Linux
  /dev/sda7           143       155    104391   82  Linux swap
  /dev/sda8           156       261    851413+  83  Linux

Don't ask me why there's only one primary partition and everything else
is in the extended partition; it was configured like this before I got
it.  It had RedHat 6.1 on there and booted fine.  The previous install
booted into Linux (/dev/sda5 is the root partition), with an optional
boot into DOS (/dev/sda1).

When I installed Debian I had it overwrite the data in all the Linux
partitions.

When it asked me about installing the MBR, I took all the defaults.
After it installed (or tried to install) an MBR for /dev/sda, it gave me
a screen about how the boot partition was on an extended partition, so
it needed to install into /dev/sda2, and I again took the default (OK).

Now when I boot the system it prints "MBR", then does a hard hang.  I
can't even C-A-D or use the reset button, I have to power off/on.

If I hold the SHIFT key down, it prints "MBR 2AF", then does the same
hard hang.

I can boot off of my boot floppy and it comes up OK, though.

What should I do?  I'd hate to have to reinstall, and it used to boot OK
so it must be possible with the above partition setup.

/etc/lilo.conf says:

  lba32
  boot=/dev/sda2
  root=/dev/sda5
  install=/boot/boot.b
  map=/boot/map
  delay=20
  vga=normal
  default=Linux

  image=/vmlinuz
        label=Linux
        read-only

  image=/vmlinuz.old
        label=LinuxOLD
        read-only
        optional

Help!

-- 
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 Paul D. Smith <psmith@baynetworks.com>         Network Management Development
 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
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   These are my opinions---Nortel Networks takes no responsibility for them.