Lilo can't boot windows now?

[Pyrosophy]

Hello all. Been trying to fix this problem for a while now and getting a bit worried. I'm running debian woody and just upgraded to the 2.4 kernel. I did make-kpkg and dpkg -i and got the kernel deb installed. It asked me some questions about lilo -- which I declined all of, but replaced the symlinks correctly and all. I changed lilo.conf manually. So then when I rebooted with the new kernel, it wouldn't boot the new one -- kept getting 2.2.17.

I changed boot=/dev/hdb1 to /dev/hda1 in lilo (don't know how it got changed) and all of a sudden, the windows partition failed to boot. 2.4 worked, but I just get LILO 21.6 : Loading windows over and over again. I tried changing the boot= back to hdb1, but the same thing kept happening. I even tried restoring an old MBR with dd, but the same thing happens.

Now I haven't yet figured out how to install modules in the new kernel (and vfat was compiled as a module). Could this be the problem?

Every other time I lost windows, I could just change lilo.conf and get it back, but this strange behavior has me worried. I want to give up Windows, but not this soon... Also, I've checked the parition table and everything seems to be fine -- the vfat partition is in tact. Of course I can't mount it without loading the module... But it's like there's something missing from the /dev/hda1.

Thanks for your help...
Pyro

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You can never be strong. You can only be free...

-Guided By Voices

[digitalzero]

when u change lilo.conf u must actually save the file and then run /sbin/lilo again. I dont usually install kernels with packages, I didnt know u could do that. DOing it from source is really easy. Basically 6 steps
1. make mrproper
2. make clean
3. make dep
4. make bzImage
5. make modules
6. make modules_install
Good Luck!

[sincka]

Post your lilo.conf. I want to see something.

[Pyrosophy]

Thanks for the encouraging posts. I did run lilo again, which was what kinda got me into this problem... and unfortunately I'm away from my own computer so I can't post lilo.conf. Perhaps if you told me your hunch, sincka?

the relevant lines I remember are:

boot=/dev/hda1
install=/boot/boot.p (I think)

other=/dev/hda1
label=windows
alias=3

image=/vmlinuz
label=debian
[might be a read-only here, but this is working]
alias=1

image=/boot/vmlinuz.old
label=oldkernel
alias=2
optional

Any other lines that you need?

Pyro

[sincka]

Now sorry if I take that you don't know much about lilo.conf but I just want to make sure that you did some of this stuff.

ps. And yeah... don't forget to run lilo each time you change something.

My guess is that somewhere in lilo.conf you made a mistake. And I hope you will get back to your computer sometime soon... I really want to see your lilo.conf. It's hard to really discuss this without seeing it.

I'll just point out with <-- an arrow like that to some important parts of lilo.conf.

This is what you lilo.conf should look like:

---------------------------------------------
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+
# | !! Reminder !! |
# | |
# | Don't forget to run `lilo' after you make changes to this |
# | conffile, `/boot/bootmess.txt', or install a new kernel. The |
# | computer will most likely fail to boot if a kernel-image |
# | post-install script or you don't remember to run `lilo'. |
# | |
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+

# Support LBA for large hard disks.
#
lba32

# Specifies the boot device. This is where Lilo installs its boot
# block. It can be either a partition, or the raw device, in which
# case it installs in the MBR, and will overwrite the current MBR.
#
boot=/dev/hda <--

# Specifies the device that should be mounted as root. (`/')
#
root=/dev/hdc1

# Enable map compaction:
# Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single
# read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the
# map smaller. Using `compact' is especially recommended when
# booting from a floppy disk. It is disabled here by default
# because it doesn't always work.
#
# compact

# Installs the specified file as the new boot sector
#
install=/boot/boot.b

# Specifies the location of the map file
#
map=/boot/map

# You can set a password here, and uncomment the `restricted' lines
# in the image definitions below to make it so that a password must
# be typed to boot anything but a default configuration. If a
# command line is given, other than one specified by an `append'
# statement in `lilo.conf', the password will be required, but a
# standard default boot will not require one.
#
# This will, for instance, prevent anyone with access to the
# console from booting with something like `Linux init=/bin/sh',
# and thus becoming `root' without proper authorization.
#
# Note that if you really need this type of security, you will
# likely also want to use `install-mbr' to reconfigure the MBR
# program, as well as set up your BIOS to disallow booting from
# removable disk or CD-ROM, then put a password on getting into the
# BIOS configuration as well. Please RTFM `install-mbr(8)'.
#
# password=tatercounter2000

# Specifies the number of deciseconds (0.1 seconds) LILO should
# wait before booting the first image.
#
prompt <--

# You can put a customized boot message up if you like. If you use
# `prompt', and this computer may need to reboot unattended, you
# must specify a `timeout', or it will sit there forever waiting
# for a keypress. `single-key' goes with the `alias' lines in the
# `image' configurations below. eg: You can press `1' to boot
# `Linux', `2' to boot `LinuxOLD', if you uncomment the `alias'.
#
# message=/boot/bootmess.txt
# prompt
# single-key
# delay=100
# timeout=100

# Specifies the VGA text mode at boot time. (normal, extended, ask, <mode> )
#
# vga=ask
# vga=9
#
vga=normal

# Kernel command line options that apply to all installed images go
# here. See: The `boot-prompt-HOWO' and `kernel-parameters.txt' in
# the Linux kernel `Documentation' directory.
#
# append=""

# Boot up Linux by default.
#
default=win <-- (press enter at the prompt and boot windows by default)

image=/boot/bzImage <--
label=linux
read-only

image=/vmlinuz.old <-- (backup kernel)
label=linuxold
read-only

# If you have another OS on this machine to boot, you can uncomment the
# following lines, changing the device name on the `other' line to
# where your other OS' partition is.
#
other=/dev/hda1 **<--** (your windows partition)
label=win
---------------------------------------------

Anyway... compare your lilo.conf and I really wish you would just post it if you could... maybe it has nothing to do with the lilo.conf but I have a feeling it does.

Hope to somehow get to the bottom of this http://www.linuxnewbie.org/ubb/smile.gif


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Evil Is Good

[Pyrosophy]

Thanks for your help. The solution was quite strange. Apparently, one can install LILO to both hda and hda1. I removed lilo from hda and STILL got LIL when I booted up. In a fit of desperation, I typed "lilo -u /dev/hda1" and it didn't give me an error message. Reboot -- windows comes up! Apparently I had run lilo with both boot=/dev/hda and boot=/dev/hda1 in lilo.conf at separate times which installed it in both boot records. (make-kpkg re-wrote lilo.conf with the former, i guess).

Crazy, huh? Anyway, I guess I now know enough about lilo. I reinstalled it to /dev/hda and can now choose to my heart's content.

Pyro

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You can never be strong. You can only be free...

-Guided By Voices