Hmm, more Slack install questions

[Slackmonster]

Okay, I have hand burped my laptop with the basic install for Slack (A series only). Since it didn't give me an option to setup up lilo as my boot device I booted back up on my boot disk and then used the root disk as well. How the heck can I get lilo on my disk so that I don't have to dork around with these boot images? :) Thanks in advance.

P.S. I should add that for the next few hours I only have access to a machine running NT and a PCDOS 3.3 or something bootdisk that does work....Later on I will have more options hehe

[ 27 March 2001: Message edited by: singlemalt ]

[MBMarduk]

Strange, man. It gave ME an option to put LILO on HD, floppy or None.

First I told SETUP to put a standard kernel in /boot and put LILO on floppy (I prefer flop you might prefer HD)

Anyways, remeber you need to tell it to install lilo (the utility) on your HD, and I don't think it's in series A. ;)

-Mike

[Slackmonster]

I was doing the base text install. I think the example in the manual they give is for the graphical install because the screenshots looked nothing like mine! heh

Actually the package for lilo is included in set A8, I saw it on the CD. My problem now is that since I'm forced to use the damn image floppies I can't access things on my drive correctly. I even mounted the root partition and found where lilo was stashed but it won't let me run it. I type './lilo' and is says not found or something close to that....and that's even when I'm in the same directory it's in. Not sure where to go from here. I'm thinking of using my syquest drive to copy the CD to and just loading from there. That would be slow though! :)

[MBMarduk]

Yeah, after reading this i went to Slack's website and LILO WAS in A :o

Anyways, AFAIK you also need an "/etc/lilo.conf" so LILO knows what you want it to do. The manpage is -for one- not too difficult to read, but again I dunno if you have it available.

Here's my lilo.conf:

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
append="hdc=ide-scsi"
boot = /dev/fd0
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
timeout = 50
vga = ask
prompt
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda5
label = slak1
read-only

image = /boot/vmlinuz.slak2
root = /dev/hda5
label = slak2
read-only
append = "hdc=ide-scsi"

# Linux bootable partition config ends


It's not entirely "generated by liloconfig" 'cuz I've edited plenty inside ;)
The "boot=/dev/fd0" is so lilo puts it on floppy for you (Boots instantly unlike popular belief).
I don't EXACTLY know what it does if you e.g. type "boot=/dev/hda2".

Hope this helps you along.

-Mike

[bdg1983]

After you have modified /etc/lilo.conf to your satisfaction, run /sbin/lilo (as root) to write the changes to disk.

[Slackmonster]

I'm definately going to try your suggestion first. I installed Slack on my home pc and have it up and running but I wasted my whole day fighting a weird problem with my MS PS2 Intellipoint mouse. Finally hacked around that one long enough and got around it. Now I'll be able to use my pc to make all the necessary disks and stuff. Thanks again for all your help!

[jbstew32]

to put your lilo on a floppy just do a
/sbin/lilo -b /dev/fd0

[Slackmonster]

This may be a bit of a leap, but from there can I assume that I do the same command but replace the floppy device with the hard drive to install it on there? I wanted to avoid booting to a floppy.

[HarryGoiter]

after you boot into your system using your floppy, and once you have an /etc/lilo.conf, then just run ./lilo and that will edit your master boot record and you'll boot off the hard drive.

Hope thats what you were asking.

[Slackmonster]

Yep, that's what I was wondering! Thanks.