Re: lilo problem after kernel install: LIL-

[ktb <ktb@nixnotes.org>]

On Mon, Jun 11, 2001 at 04:54:04PM +0000, Anthony Fairchild wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I recently upgraded all packages necessary to install a 2.4.x kernel on my
> Debian 2.2 laptop. After downloading, compiling, and installing the 2.4.5
> kernel I rebooted and was greeted with a screen reading only "LIL-".
> 
> I have a boot floppy made when I originally installed and was able to reboot
> the machine using that and re-ran lilo after editing lilo.conf to use the
> older (2.2.17) kernel, but this didn't fix the problem. I would just boot off
> of the floppy and be done with it but unfortunately the kernel on the floppy
> does not support my pcmcia ethernet adapter. Now I am in the unenviable
> position of running Win2k on an old laptop (painfully slow) so I can get a 
> network connection.
> 
> If anybody knows how to fix this problem I would appreciate the help. Here is
> some further information about the setup if any of it is useful.
> 
> Dual Boot Windows 2000 Pro. - Debian GNU/Linux 2.2
> 
> Windows boot manager gets control first, hands it off to lilo if you choose
> Linux
> 
> Linux boot device is /dev/hda2

>From /usr/share/doc/lilo/Manual.txt.gz 

 LIL-   The descriptor table is corrupt. This can either be caused by a 
    geometry mismatch or by moving /boot/map without running the map 
    installer. 

I'm hesitating a bit here because I haven't worked with Win2k yet but if this
were a Win98 box I would try booting with a windows boot disk containing 
fdisk and run -
fdisk /mbr 
which will rewrite the code for you're mbr.  Then boot back into debian
with your boot disk and rerun /sbin/lilo.

If that doesn't work you could totally blow away your your boot-block 
with -
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1
under debian.
Then use "fdisk /mbr" again and then try installing lilo again.

I want to stress I can't guarantee the results of this.  Make sure you 
have a backup of you're info on your Windows side before trying.
hth,
kent

-- 
 From seeing and seeing the seeing has become so exhausted
     First line of "The Panther" - R. M. Rilke