help with dual booting 2 kinds of linux

[bob58]

Hello.....I have an IBM 233mhz desktop with 64M ram. HDD is 3.5GB.
I want to install knoppix on one partition and another Knoppix based distro called "feather linux" on a 2nd partition. I have been trying for 2 days but cannot get both to boot. I know its a boot loader [lilo] problem. I need some help. Does it matter which linux I install first?
I set the drive up like this:

hda1 is the bootable partition containing knoppix. Size is 2050Gig
hda2 is the swap partition, size is 128MB
hda3 is the other partition with the other linux distro on it. Size is remaining free space.

So regardless of which OS is used, either can use hda2 as swap.

Both OS's when you install them ask if you want to install LILO to the MBR....here's where i get mixed up.

I cannot get the LILO boot screen to come up, it either boots one OS only. I tried to edit LILO.CONF by editing it by putting this at end:

other=/hda3
label="feather linux"

That didnt work. So I am all out of ideas....please help!

Thanks..bob

[shah]

For example, we will use knoppix and feather linux.
The scenario:
You install knoppix after feather is installed and knoppix's lilo takeover feather's lilo.....and you can boot to knoppix but not to feather.

Boot to knoppix and edit knoppix /etc/lilo.cfg by copy & paste feather's lilo.cfg. Try look in feather's partition. Don't copy all, just the one that will enable you to boot feather.
Ex:
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.3-feather
label="FeatherLinux"
root=/dev/hda2
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.6.3-9feather.img
append="devfs=mount splash=silent acpi=ht"
vga=791
read-only

After finishing with editing, run :lilo -v

:D :D

[bob58]

OK Shah, I will try that tonite when I get home. So actually I have to start from scratch cause I have both OS's installed but can only boot one of them. Therefore I cannot get into Feather to copy its LILO.CONF file. So what I should do is re load Feather Linux first, and make a copy of its LILO.CONF. Then Re load Knoppix.....Now like you said, at this point I can only bring up Knoppix only. But now since I saved a copy of Feather's LILO.CONF I can copy the section you highlighted and paste it into Knoppix's LILO.

I do have my other computer, a 900mhz desktop with 640MB ram, which is a much faster machine. I have a dual boot system, but it was easier to set up cause I have 2 hard drives, not 1 like my IBM machine.

I don't remember having this much trouble setting up a dual boot on that machine with the 2 HDD's. I have Knoppix on one drive and WINxp on the other. Well OK i will post back if I have any problems.....thank you...bob

[shah]

So what I should do is re load Feather Linux first, and make a copy of its LILO.CONF. Then Re load Knoppix.....Now like you said, at this point I can only bring up Knoppix only. But now since I saved a copy of Feather's LILO.CONF I can copy the section you highlighted and paste it into Knoppix's LILO.

Actually I don't understand this lines.
What you need to do is boot to Knoppix, that the only option you have. From within knoppix you can mount feather's partition and look for feather's lilo.cfg.

:D

[bob58]

OK I understand you now....but I was thinking of another scenario......I was debating whether or not to put DOS on my other partition.....There are still alot of things I like to do using DOS. How would dual booting work with that? Should I install DOS first then Knoppix? And I would have to edit lilo also.....how would I go about inserting a reference to DOS so I could boot it? I dont really understand the MBR and how it works.

[Harry Kuhman]

OK I understand you now....but I was thinking of another scenario......I was debating whether or not to put DOS on my other partition.....There are still alot of things I like to do using DOS. How would dual booting work with that? Should I install DOS first then Knoppix? And I would have to edit lilo also.....how would I go about inserting a reference to DOS so I could boot it? I dont really understand the MBR and how it works.
My usderatanding is that it can be done with LILO, but you might want to look at a fantastic little utility called XOSL (eXtended Operating System Loader). It's free, can do this and lots more.Really a nice way for managing things when you want to build a multi-boot system.

[shah]

Sure you can use dos...or any other OS. What you need to do is add lines to lilo.cfg so that OS can boot...and run lilo -v after every editing.
Ex:
other=/dev/hda1
label="dos"
table=/dev/hda

other = /dev/hda2
label = "Win95"
table = /dev/hda

other = /dev/hda3
label = "OS/2"
table = /dev/hda

other=/dev/hda4
label="WindowsXP"
table=/dev/hda

other=/dev/fd0
label="floppy"
unsafe


My advice to you is to install dos first or any other OS and install knoppix last. The reason is to let lilo in knoppix to try to detect all partitions and OSes in your pc and automatically add to lilo.cfg.

:D :D

[bob58]

Hello....i have tried everything and still cannot get it right! I had no trouble doing this on my other computer that has 2 hard drives. I do not seem to understand what the mbr's for each OS is doing. If I install one OS, it asks if I want to install the MBR and I say YES.....now when i install 2nd OS, i get same message and if i say either yes or no, i get same problem.

I am making 3 partitions, hda1 is bootable with first OS
hda2 is swap
hda3 is for 2nd OS

I have edited LILO.CONF like SHAH said in last post......but computer ignores what i have edited. It is still saved in lilo but does not work. I dont know why this is giving me such a hard time. Maybe in the lilo.conf of both OS's, the main label for both is "Linux" and it is getting confused. I really do not understand MBR at all. It seems both OS's are writing thier own MBRs anyway.

[shah]

It seems both OS's are writing thier own MBRs anyway.

It's not the OS, but Lilo that write to mbr. It need to be in mbr so it will be the first thing to boot before others follow.


Maybe in the lilo.conf of both OS's, the main label for both is "Linux" and it is getting confused.

You should not label 2 different OS with same name. The label can be anything you like but in single word.
ex: Knoppix linux **won't work
KnoppixLinux **will work

Anyway, when you did lilo -v in root konsole, does it report that it's adding menu ( depends on the label )?

:D

[alex+]

You could save yourselves a lot of problems by using GRUB instead of LILO. GRUB is easier to configure and although KNOPPIX has LILO as a default booter, GRUB can easily take over the booting task.

I have two MS Windows and six Linux systems (two Knoppix, 3.3 & 3.6) and GRUB handles them, no problem

Check it out at:

http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial_s&hl=en&q=replace+lilo+with+grub&btnG=Google+Search

[bob58]

I did look at the GRUB info but I still am confused. Should I start from scratch? Again I have my first Linux OS installed on hda1.....my swap file on hda2.....and free partition is hda3. Should I install my SECOND Linux OS on hda3 and reboot and try to figure out GRUB? I am totally confused on how to edit GRUB as far as putting in the boot information of my second Linux OS.

I remember seeing GRUB once but couldnt get it to do anything. If I install GRUB, how can I get the information I need to edit it to be able to boot both OS's if I can only boot into one of them? Will GRUB let me access both linux partitions and get the info i need? I understand about not having labels the same. It should be quite simple, there is an OS on partition hda1 and an OS on partition hda3 and a swap partition on hda2. Thats it...thats the way i set drive up to keep it less confusing.

OK so tonite I will download and install GRUB. I will attempt to boot the program and get it to dual boot. I will post back tomorrow with reults...thank you for helping me...bob