Dual booting: Lilo in MBR or not?

[Buffy]

I want to attempt my first Linux installation and I have been reading around quite a lot these days (which has confused me).

I have Windows XP installed on the first partition of my hard disk and I have another empty partition left to install Linux. I want to try Mandrake 9.0.

My question is: do I have to install Lilo in the MBR or in Linux' boot sector? I have seen different answers on this question for example:
* install Lilo in the MBR
* install Lilo on Linux' boot sector
* install Lilo on Linux' boor sector and edit the Windows boot.ini file
etc.

So confusion is now total!

Does it depend on the distro or on the version on Windows you are using? Apparently XP does not like it that Lilo is installed in the MBR. Or is it possible with Mandrake to install it in the MBR?

Thank you for helping me out!

Buffy

[z0mbix]

Just put it on the MBR, then during the installation Mandrake will detect your windows partition(s) and automatically setup dual-boot options. You can edit the windows boot.ini file but that is a lot harder to setup and far less flexible. I have Linux dual-booted with Linux on one of my pc's and have used both lilo on the MBR with no problems atall.

[Nu-Bee]

Originally posted by Buffy
So confusion is now total!

Lilo, in this case, is nothing more than a menu. It will simply offer you the option of loading either of the OS's.

In the future though if you want to remove it, some people may suggest "fdisk /mbr"....that will be a disaster with WinXP...don't do that.

There is a special way with Win2k & WinXP but other than that...no problem.

[Buffy]

Thank you J!

Do you know a way on how to remove Lilo from the MBR?

Buffy

[z0mbix]

the command /sbin/lilo -u as root should uninstall lilo

[jglen490]

There are also rescue tools in WinXP, such as fixmbr, that are the functional equivalent of fdisk /mbr for earlier versions of Windoze.

[Nu-Bee]

Originally posted by Buffy
Thank you J!

Do you know a way on how to remove Lilo from the MBR?

Buffy

See the replies following your question. It's not a big deal, you just need to remember that WinXP is not like Win98, etc....they boot a bit differently.

There's one way if you still have Linux...the first reply.

And, another if you have removed Linux...the second.

Of course the second will work in either case but you'll have to boot into Linux via floppy then.

No big deal, I always install to the MBR. I like the graphical LILO in Mandrake. I think LILO is a lot easier than GRUB...but that may be just because I am used to it. :)

I never have been able to figure GRUB out...

[mdwatts]

I always install my bootloader (Grub) in the /boot partition (never the mbr) and then make /boot the active partition.

That way reinstalling Windows will not overwrite the Linux bootloader.

No version of Windows installs it's bootloader in the mbr... only Linux has that option.