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Re: Installing lilo in Squeeze after booting from the Lenny installer CD.



On Tue, 2 Feb 2010 20:48:46 -0500 (EST), PETER EASTHOPE wrote:
> How does this sound?
> * Boot from the Lenny installer CD and go into rescue mode.
> * In the page entitled "Rescue operations" do "Execute a shell in /dev/hda1".
>   (The system on /dev/hda1 is Squeeze as described previously.)
> * apt-get install lilo
>   I've never installed it.  With any luck installation to the MBR 
>   & configuration will be automated processes.
> * Reboot.
>

I've never actually done this exact thing under these exact
circumstances; so I'm going from memory,
but here's what I'm thinking.

Ideally you want to boot from a rescue CD that runs the same
kernel release as a kernel installed on your hard drive, so that
modules for your running kernel can be found in /lib/modules/
after the switch from the initial RAM file system as / to
the permanent root file system as /.
I'd try the Squeeze/Sid installer or the "daily build" installer
to try to get a kernel match.  And you want to specify the root file system
as the same partition as what would normally be mounted as root.

Something like

   Rescue root=...

If you can't get a kernel match, then run the installer in expert mode
up to the point where you partition disks, invoke a shell, mount the
normal root file system somewhere, then do a chroot to that place in the
file system.  For example, if you mount it on /mnt, then do

   chroot /mnt

to get a nested shell that treats the "normal" root file system as
the root partition.  Then do your "apt-get install lilo"  After
installation, check out /etc/lilo.conf and compare with the documentation

   man lilo.conf

Once you've got your config file tuned up, issue the command

   lilo

with no operands to rewrite the MBR.
 
> Can the grub packages be left installed?

Yes.  However, I recommend that you purge them for the following reasons:
(1) It's broken anyway.  That's why you're installing lilo, right?
(2) If a kernel upgrade subsequently occurs, the post-install scripts
might get confused as to what boot loader to run
(3) You can always install it again if you need to

> Any corrections or tips?

Anybody else out there have any corrections or tips?
Did I overlook something?


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