How to avoid Lilo installation…

**marklin** · 02-02-2005, 07:59 PM

Hi,

I'm attempting to install Knoppix 3.7 on a hda2 partition. So, I'm interested in avoiding Lilo installation. I already has a boot manager installed and I would use it to init Knoppix instead lilo. I would not want to lilo damages it. How would I do that ?. Are there any tip or trick to knoppix installer be required to avoid Lilo installation ?. To tell us that I also interested in avoiding partition management step and due it I call knoppix installer with next sentence: IGNORE_CHECK=1 knoppix-installer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much,

Best regards.

Mark lin.

**Markus** · 02-02-2005, 09:55 PM

The installer should ask you if you want lilo in MBR or the root partition of your knoppix install. If you choose the root partition lilo will happily go there and stay there doing nothing.

**Harry Kuhman** · 02-03-2005, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by Markus

The installer should ask you if you want lilo in MBR or the root partition of your knoppix install. If you choose the root partition lilo will happily go there and stay there doing nothing.

Actually, it does not "do nothing". When installed on the Linux partition, the Linux bootstrap still does a lot; it is what actually loads the kernel and gets Linux started. A boot loader like SM or XOSL knows nothing about how to start specific systems, including Linux. But when put on the Linux partition Lilo does not need to present it's own menu or have to worry about any other OSs that might be installed, now or later. The difference is important, because some might think that if Lilo is installed on the Linux partition it will stay there doing nothing, then it doesn't need to be there at all, and it does.

**Markus** · 02-03-2005, 08:32 AM

As he stated he already has a bootmanager he wants to use to init knoppix I assumed he knows what he needs. Namely, if he already has lilo or grub he only needs to add lines for the knoppix install and the knoppix lilo wouldn't really do nothing. I know I was assuming things but as he felt no need to tell us which boot manager he has, I can only conclude it's capable of booting linux on itself. Otherwise were just guessing here. Or are you saying that even if he uses another lilo, the knoppix lilo would still be needed? Can't think of a reason for that.

**Harry Kuhman** · 02-03-2005, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by Markus

As he stated he already has a bootmanager ......... Or are you saying that even if he uses another lilo, the knoppix lilo would still be needed? Can't think of a reason for that.

If he has a boot manager like XOSL or Smart Boot Manager, it knows nothing about Linux (or any other OS). It just loads the boot manager installed in the Linux partition (usually Lilo) and jumps to it, then Lilo takes over and loads everything needed for Linux. If he actually has another Lilo installed in the MBR, then that Lilo would need to know things about this Linux install, which is why people need to keep editing config files and reinstalling Lilo into the MBR, so just installing Lilo to the Linux partition would not help in this case (as he would have to edit the MBR copy with the information that it needs). Hopefully he is using XOSL or SBM and your advice to put Lilo on the Linux partition makes sense. But it doesn't stay there doing nothing, it takes an active part in the boot process. Since this Lilo already has it's config information set up by the program that installed it and it only has to load Linux, not offer a menu of multiple choices, you may not know it's being run, but it is.