need a lilo.conf which does not mess up existing linux / partition

[James Sinnamon <sinnamon@usq.edu.au>]

Dear Debian users,

WhenI ran lilo yesterday, it somehow change an existing (Mandrake) linux
root
partition and made it unworkable.  For some reason modprobe went looking
for

     /lib/modules/2.2.18pre2.1

instead of

    /lib/modules/2.2.17-21mdk/

so my Mandrake root partition became unworkable,.

Would somebody be able to kindly have a look at my existing lilo.conf,
and suggest
how it incorprated into a Debian lilo.conf file, so that I can boot up
to either my Debian or
Mandrake Linux  systems.?  ( I had no problem booting up to Windows)

On my current system, the root partitions are:

    /dev/hda1 :    Win95
    /dev/hdb1:     Mandrake Linux ver 7.2

At the moment, I have a Debian partiton on /dev/hda8, but for now, have
use a floppy to boot to Debian Linux.


(I have already read the lilo.conf
manpages  and all th edocumentation I could find, but I can't find any
clues as
to the the cause of the problem I described, or how to avoid it.)


I would be grateful for any suggestions.

TIA,

James


===== Here's my current (Mandrake 7.2) /etc/lilo.conf on /dev/hdb1 :

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
vga=normal
default=linux-up
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw

image=/boot/vmlinuz
        label=linux-up
        read-only
        root=/dev/hdb1
image=/boot/vmlinuz-secure
        label=linux
        root=/dev/hdb1
        vga=788
        read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
        label=failsafe
        root=/dev/hdb1
        append=" failsafe"
        read-only
#image=/boot/vmlinuz
#       label=/debian
#       root=/dev/hda8
#       read-only

other=/dev/hda1
        label=dos
        table=/dev/hda


=====  and here's the current skeleton of the Debian /etc/lilo.conf

boot=/dev/hda8   # Why isn't it boot=/dev/hda ???!!!
root=/dev/hda8
compact
install=/boot/boot-menu.b
delay=20
map=/boot/map
append=""
vga=vga
read-only
image=/vmlinuz
    label=Linux
image=/vmlinuz.old
    label=old

===============================================


--
James Sinnamon  sinnamon@usq.edu.au

ph +61 7 46311490, +61 412 319669
PO Box 517 Darling Heights QLD 4350