help with LILO [again]

[bob58]

Hello...I still cannot get a dual boot to work. I get error when IO re run lilo after making changes that says:

"hda1 does not have a valid boot signature"

I have 3 partitions on a small hdd. hda1 has linux [flavor 1] hda2 is swap & hda3 is linux [flavor 2]

My problem is I am confused with what to put in the lilo file to make the other OS boot. I can only boot 1 OS which is the last one I install which over writes the MBR. If I save lilo to root partition, I still get nowhere.
I need to know EXACTLY what to put in lilo about the other OS that wont boot. I dont think I am putting in the right info. Where it says "If you have another OS, remove hash marks and fill in with proper info" or something like that, I dont know what to put in here. I dont understand the lines for booting the other OS. People have been helpful but I still need more help cause i get the same error. If someone tells me what i need to put in lilo i can try to find it. The first few lines for both OS's seem to have varying items listed. What exactly do I need to know? How do i find out the exact way to type the kernel info? I think I have general idea but i am not typing it right. please help !!!!

[shah]

I guess you can boot to linux flavor2 because it was the last one you installed.
How about post your linux flavor2 and flavor1 /etc/lilo.conf here. That way I can show you how and which to cut and paste lilo.conf from flavor1 to flavor2.

[bob58]

Hi Shah...ok that sounds real good! I will do that tonite and re post this evening. I can boot the OS on my hda3 partition, and copy lilo.conf....but I will have to re install my OS on partition hda1 cause I cannot get into it because the OS on hda3 took over MBR. But its no big deal cause the OS on that partition is small and takes a few minutes to install. But I appreciate the help and will post later this evening...thank you bob

[baldyeti]

but I will have to re install my OS on partition hda1 cause I cannot get into it because the OS on hda3 took over MBR.

You probably don't need to reinstall. Boot your hda3-installed linux, type "mount /mnt/hda1". The two files you're interested in merging are /etc/lilo.conf and /mnt/hda1/etc/lilo.conf.

[bob58]

Hi Baldyeti.....OK that sounds like a plan....I still am wondering about the error that says "hda1 does not have a valid boot signature" when I run lilo -v after editing it from the 2nd LINUX installation, which is on hda3.

I am confused between the options of NOT installing lilo and installing to root partition. With a dual boot, wont choosing either give same results? I understand about merging the 2 files, but whats causing th error?

Is it because of not editing lilo correctly? I am not very good with this part of an OS. I dont quite fully understand the terms. Like "boot signature". Does that mean the mount point is NOT "/"? I really dont want to re install the OS on hda1 again if I dont have to. Its not a big deal cause its a small knoppix-type.

I looked at some sample lilo.conf files on internet. Some of them look so easy, that I dont know how I can not do it right! Its confusing, the lines like :initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.26" and the like......This is what I dont know how to get form the OS's to copy it to lilo. I would like to learn the structure ofthese lines so they make sense in case I need to do this again or want to put 4 OS's on computer in future!!!

I am trying to figure it out deductivly.....like the line "image=/boot/vmlinuz=2.4.26" and "initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.26" Both lines seem to contain the same kernal image number.......

But some samples I looked at dont even have the initrd line! ......OK well I will do as suggested above and post back later this evening...thanks for all your patience!! bob

[baldyeti]

Hi Baldyeti.....OK that sounds like a plan....I still am wondering about the error that says "hda1 does not have a valid boot signature" when I run lilo -v after editing it from the 2nd LINUX installation, which is on hda3.

Strange indeed. Yet, if you can mount hda1 from the booted hda3, both installs are probably fine, and we should be able to present them in the same lilo menu. Post your lilo.conf files, and we'll merge them.

But some samples I looked at dont even have the initrd line! ......OK well I will do as suggested above and post back later this evening...thanks for all your patience!! bob

Initrd is not always needed - it often is not. While booting, your kernel may not be able to access its root filesystem, eg if it is formated with a type only supported through a dynamic module (say xfs or reiser4), or lives on a scsi drive with no static support within the kernel for your SCSI adapter. These modules can then be provided through the mini-root FS contained within the initrd compressed archive. For the vast majority of IDE systems with no exotic need, this is simply not required.

[bob58]

Hello Baldyeti and others........Here is my Lilo.conf for my Morphix installation on HDA3:

boot=/dev/hda
root=/dev/hda3
default=Linux

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-xfs
label=Linux
read-only


Where it says default, I set it for my OS on HDA1 for default.

Now here is the lilo.conf for my Featherlinux installation on HDA1:

boot=/dev/hda
root=/dev/hda1
default=linux
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26
label=Linux
initrd=/boot/initrd.gz
read-only

I couldnt copy the actual files cause I had all kinds of trouble with doing it so this should be enough info i think....something is definitly messed up. I couldnt access hda1 from hda3 for some reason so I had to re install the OS on hda1 to get the lilo information. As you can see, this is really getting ridiculous!

It would be easier for me to just start from scratch and cfdisk the hdd, and go from there. I think each OS's lilo files have the same default or something....I still get when I type "lilo -v" when i am done editing the same error...."hda3 does not have a valid boot signature" .

Since I have the "image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26" for the OS in hda1 and I have the "image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-xfs" isnt that the important section?

I keep reading that all you have to do is fill in and uncomment the hash marks at end of lilo.conf which is what i have been doing with no luck. there seems to be a conflict somewhere. I need to be walked thru the lilo.conf and enter info where its needed. But with 2 OS's installed and only being able to boot one or the other....this is really a chore.

Should I first install the OS on hda1.....and This particular OS lets you either write lilo to MBR or not to.....the OS on hda3 will let you write lilo to either MBR or root partition or not at all.....

so you see I am up to my neck in a MESS!!!! I hate whining but this shouldnt be so hard. In each OS's lilo, the default line is the same....it reads: default=Linux. Maybe this is a problem....I dont know how to fix.

So I will start over, cfdisk, make a new clean hda1 hda2 and hda3......I dont know which OS to install on hda1 first. Like I said, FeatherLinux only lets you save lilo.conf to MBR or not to. And Morphix lets you save lilo to MBR, root partition or not at all. So the problems a compounded.....Well any advice short of just installing only 1 Linux on computer will be enormously appreciated!

[CrashedAgain]

Maybe this will help> I have three linux (one is a toHD install) plus windows on one HD:
win on hda1
knoppix tohd also on hda1
knoppix on hda5
kanotix on hda8
hda 6 is swap, hda7 is data
All booted by one lilo which was installed by the hda5 installation. Kanotix went on last, replacing a Mandrake 9.2 installation. When I installed Kanotix I put the bootloader (grub) on the partition so that it wouldn't mess up then lilo on the mbr, so I can now boot into kanotix 2 ways, either directly from the master mbr or boot as 'other' from the master lilo which will then boot kanotix through the grub on the partition.

Here is my lilo.conf:

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
vga=normal
default="Linux(new)"
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
#message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
lba32

# Boot Knoppix24 on hda5
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26
 label="Knoppix24"
 root=/dev/hda5
 initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.4.26
 append="lang=us apm=power-off ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init nomce quiet nofstab wheelmouse"
 read-only

# Boot Knoopix26 on hda5
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.6
 label="Linux(new)"
 root=/dev/hda5
 initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.6
 append="lang=us apm=power-off ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init nomce nofstab wheelmouse"
 read-only

# Boot Kanotix on hda8
image=/mnt/hda8/boot/vmlinuz
 append="lang=us apm=power-off hda=scsi hdb=scsi hdc=scsi hdd=scsi hde=scsi hdf=scsi hdg=scsi hdh=scsi quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix"
 root=/dev/hda8
 label="Kanotix"
 read-only

# backup boot Kanotix through grub on hda8
other =/dev/hda8
 label="Kanotix_"
 
  
# Boot Windows on hda1
other=/dev/hda1
 label="Windows"
 table=/dev/hda

# Boots Knoppix 'toHD' install on hda1
image=/mnt/hda1/bootlinux/isolinux/linux24
 label="backup"
 initrd=/mnt/hda1/bootlinux/isolinux/minirt24.gz
 append="home=scan myconfig=scan fromhd=/dev/hda1"

[baldyeti]

Assuming you stiil boot hda3 (since you re-installed DSL, maybe hda1 is now your active lilo ?!?), then (with /mnt/hda1 mounted) try adding this at the end of your lilo.conf:

image=/mnt/hda1/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26
    initrd=/mnt/hda1/boot/initrd.gz
    label=dsl
    root=/dev/hda1
    read-only

don't forget to run "lilo -v" ;-)

[shah]

I believed your main problem is having labels with same name: Linux.

default=Morphix
boot=/dev/hda 

root=/dev/hda3 
label=Morphix
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-xfs 
read-only 

root=/dev/hda1 
label=Feather
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.26 
initrd=/boot/initrd.gz 
read-only