Post Hdd install boot (lilo) question

**bigjohn** · 09-28-2003, 08:27 PM

Having just finished doing the hard disc install, I followed the instructions at the FAQ's and most things have gone well.

So far the only major thing that I can't do is boot it with lilo. Below is the extract that dealt with the debian install that I have installed the knoppix 3.3 over the top of.

image=/debian/vmlinuz
label="debian"
root=/dev/hda4
initrd=/debian/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
vga=normal
read-only

Apart from the label and root directory, can anyone tell me what I need to change or modify to get it to boot the knoppix install please?

Many thanks.

regards

John

**Stephen** · 09-28-2003, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by bigjohn

image=/debian/vmlinuz
label="debian"
root=/dev/hda4
initrd=/debian/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
vga=normal
read-only

Change to:

Code:

image=/vmlinuz
	label="debian"
	root=/dev/hda4
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
	vga=normal
	read-only

**bigjohn** · 09-28-2003, 10:57 PM

Cheers for the pointer Stephen,

I changed it to be the same as per your post, the only difference is that I left it as

image=/boot/vmlinuz

Which started it, but dropped me into a command prompt, level 2 or is it 3?

so I logged in, and tried the "kdm" but had to su to root, and then it wouldn't start kde or kdm.

Have you any other suggestions that I might try? Oh, and I can still boot into debian/knoppix with the floppy, but when I try to see if anything on the floppy might help, I get /mnt/floppy file or directory no longer exists.

regards

John

**bigjohn** · 09-28-2003, 11:15 PM

Well,

I just went back and changed it to

image=/vmlinuz

to see if that made any difference, but no.

One thing that I did notice, was that when it was booting (having selected debian) It seemed to be trying to boot the mandrake kernel version - and gave loads of errors refering to that.

Though when I boot with the floppy, it seems to boot correctly.

Any idea's what I need to do??

regards

John

**Stephen** · 09-28-2003, 11:36 PM

Originally Posted by bigjohn

Well,

I just went back and changed it to

image=/vmlinuz

to see if that made any difference, but no.

One thing that I did notice, was that when it was booting (having selected debian) It seemed to be trying to boot the mandrake kernel version - and gave loads of errors refering to that.

Though when I boot with the floppy, it seems to boot correctly.

Any idea's what I need to do??

regards

John

You could just chainload to your knoppix install use:

Code:

other=/dev/hda4
        label=Knoppix

in your Mandrake lilo and after having booted from the floppy /sbin/lilo -b /dev/hda4 to write lilo to your / partition instead of your MBR then when you select Knoppix from your Mandrake lilo you will get another lilo to boot the actual install. Alternatively you could copy vmlinuz from your /dev/hda4 root Knoppix directory to your Mandrake / and it will use that kernel image to boot with instead of trying to use your Mandrake kernel to boot the knoppix root you will most likely need to rename it something like vmlinuz-knoppix to stop it from overwriting your Mandrake one.

With the floppy error you should try to access it by just /floppy that should be there or if not then /dev/fd0 that is guarenteed to exist.

**oscar** · 09-29-2003, 12:40 AM

Originally Posted by bigjohn

Cheers for the pointer Stephen,

I changed it to be the same as per your post, the only difference is that I left it as

image=/boot/vmlinuz

John

image=/boot/vmlinuz ?

look into your boot directory, knoppix kernel
is something like

vmlinuz-2.4.20-xfs

then
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-xfs

**bigjohn** · 09-29-2003, 02:45 AM

Edited due to total "balls up"

**bigjohn** · 09-29-2003, 06:22 AM

well, after 8 or 9 hours of messing about, it still won't boot from the hard drive.

I have reburned the disc, re-installed about 4 or 5 times, and have managed to get things back to "square 1"

The only difference being, that last time I re-installed, I managed to install a boot loader with the knoppix.

I then checked the /etc/lilo.conf and got the details that should have been in the mandrake bootloader in the first place.

I have then re-installed the mandrake bootloader and modified the knoppix entry to read

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22-xfs
label="Knoppix"
root=/dev/hda4
initrd=/boot/initrd.gz
append="hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off"
vga=normal
read-write

and as far as I can tell, this entry should be correct.

But it still won't boot the knoppix install.

The only apparent way of booting into knoppix is with a boot floppy.

I can only presume that there is more to it than what I have managed to find out (which isn't much!).

Does anyone have any other idea's please?

regards

John

**Stephen** · 09-29-2003, 06:27 AM

Have you copied the vmlinuz and possibly the initrd.gz of knoppix to your mandrake install that is where it will be looking for it and have you tried just chainloading it like I suggested above?

**bigjohn** · 09-29-2003, 02:43 PM

could you elaborate on that please Stephen, i.e. how would I do that?

regards

John

p.s. Sorry if it sounds like a stupid question, my linux/mandrake/debian/knoppix knowledge is that vast, I could write it all on the back of a very small postage stamp