Bootloader Error

[Neorion]

I re-installed mandrake 10. and i had an error on my bootloader which made it so i cant use a bootloader instead of totally killing the disk how can i make linux boot from a floppy. Or if possible is there a relatively easy way to fix my current bootloader any help is appreciated.

-Neorion

[liquidzoo]

You can try reinstalling the bootloader. Insert your first Mandrake cd and boot to it. When you get to the screen that says "Press <Enter> to install Mandrake, Press <F1> for more options" press F1 and type rescue

 

There will be a menu there, one of the options will be to restore or reinstall the bootloader. Try that.

[Neorion]

I have already done that. Everytime it has failed. I ended up putting the windows boot back on (running win and linux) i just need to figure out how to make a floppy boot loader that runs linux.

[liquidzoo]

There should be an option in the Mandrake Control Center (MCC) to create a boot floppy. I think it's in the boot section.

 

If you cannot get into Linux at all, we'll have to try something else. I hear there are some 3rd party bootloaders (BootMagic, for one) that support booting to a Linux partition, but I have never tested this myself.

[bvc]

you say 're-installed'....what does that mean? Upgrade Option? ..or a clean install? Do you have a separate /boot partition? Did you format it and other partitions? What is the errors? Details!

[Neorion]

Well i basically cant make a bootloader on my boot sector. If i could get into linux i could make a floppy but how can i make one like from windows since i cant get in Linux Mandrake. So i dont think re-installing or upgrading will work because i have already tried.

[fred_the_fish]

you can use your mandrake cd to boot linux still, but you need to know where to find the vmlinuz and initrd images... so get yourself something to read linux drives in windows, and have a look at where the /boot/vmlinuz and initrd for the relevant kernel are. you can then pass these into the prompt from your mandrake cd (I forget how I'm afraid, but its one of the options), and essentially do the same as grub / lilo would anyway, allowing you to get into your system and then creating a boot disk.

 

normally it would be something like (for grub)

kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda1 devfs=mount splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

[bvc]

What is the errors? Details!

:unsure:

[Ixthusdan]

Use MEPIS or Mandrake move to mount your existing partitions, NOT FROM INSIDE OF WINDEX!!

 

And yes, details please.

[Cannonfodder]

I would just reinstall and do a minimum install.. see if it resolves. If not, boot with a CD or floppy and go to your /etc folder and read the file /etc/lilo.conf and type lilo to get any error messages. You will probably have to type

 

chroot {whatever the path to your root directory}

 

before you try editing or typing lilo..

[Neorion]

Could i make a floppy that would boot directly. if so where can i find the baic outlay of it. I know the directories to boot from

[Guest evilregis]

I had a bootloader problem. I had a previous Mandrake installed using GRUB. Installed 10 and it used LILO graphic by default, and I forgot to change it. Well LILO overwrote my GRUB and the system would hang after selecting Linux from the boot menu.

 

This angered me. So I booted Slax, mounted, yada yada yada, tried to install grub from there and was unsuccessful. Slax didn't have sed installed. Or the locate command. So I was at a loss as to how to install sed. Noob.

 

I *reinstalled* 10 and selected GRUB as my bootloader. Yet when I booted back up after the install it was still using the graphical LILO. WTF.

 

Booted into rescue mode, tried to rebuild the bootloader. Still no dice.

 

What worked for me was (and this is likely huge overkill) fdisking my drive removing all partitions, fdisk /mbr and reboot with M10 and redo the install *AGAIN*. THe good news is that it worked. I'm booting with GRUB again, it boots up fine. No problems.

 

So if no one else offers anything that works for you, there's always that.

[Neorion]

I have done all that except fdisking my harddrive. I think i might do that even though it is a pain.

[bvc]

have you manually installed grub/lilo from rescue mode? Again, what were the errors?

[NymDeVir]

Ok as I see it Mandrake has a problem sometimes intalling a bootloader if Mandrake is not in the first or second partition of a hard drive and in the case of more than 2 hardrives it must be in the first/second partion of the first hard drive or if there is only one partition in the first hd then it must be installed in the first partition of the second.