Mandrake 9.1 automatically modifies master boot record.

[Guest kingul]

I have used a system for years and worked fine on all Mandrake versions up to 8.1.

Mandrake 9.1 appears to modify the master boot record by default during its operation or at shutdown.

I have always used Boot Magic to multiboot operating systems.

I place Boot Magic 8 on a common Windows logical drive.

This provides access from Win XP and Win ME.

I never lose any system if I have to re-install one of them.

The boot record is usually intact but now 9.1 disables Boot Magic 8.

It is best if you view what I do here:

http://home.kooee.com.au/kingul/xp.html?

I usually set Lilo to zero seconds so that it does not come up.

I now have to use Boot Magic rescue disk to re-enable BM every time I use 9.1

Any solution or suggestion is appreciated.

[Ixthusdan]

I'm just guessing here, because I have always used lilo (or grub) and have not ever encountered problems with dual booting os's. I also have never messed with mixing any ntfs partitions with a linux system.

 

It just seems like if you don't install lilo, and then tell boot magic where to find linux, it should work. Maybe the problem is installing lilo in the first place.

[bvc]

BootMagic has to know where Lilo/Grub are. It's a changing of the guard, so t speak (a hand off). I always used grub with BT without any problems. All I can suggest is to verify that lilo is installed to /boot, if you did it as the link says, or where ever. You could try to install lilo in /root and see if that helps.....don't know why it would though. Or, uninstall the lilo.mdk.rpm and install lilo from a tarball. The reason I suggest this is because I've installed rh.rpm's (to get the animated lilo) that rendered mcc>Boot>Boot Config pretty much useless, though all the function still worked from the commandline. Maybe, if mdk is doing something through a script or modified lilo, it'll stop if it can't find the mdk.rpm.

 

BTW, welcome! :)

[Guest kingul]

Thank you for both replies.

I always install Lilo on /boot and in this instance, it is hde9

Have always done that and it always worked.

I was unaware that Lilo was not needed so will see If I can initiate 9.1 direct from boot magic.

I can visualise that Mandrake have modified the system to ensure that it boots up even if Windows overwrites the master boot record or something like that but in this case, it is modifying the master boot record, even though I selected not to place Lilo on the master boot record.

Looks like some more study with respect to both your suggestions.

Thanks, Frank.

[Guest kingul]

Well, I thank you again, I ran the repair and it wanted to set Lilo on the root partition. I let it go and it works great. It supported all my Hardware with a tiny bit of help from me.

Dlink DFM-56E external modem, ATI 7000 Radeon AGP Video card 64 MB DDR Ram. Creative Live Soundcard. Even a Canon Scanner N650U.

Again I have Boot Magic plus Lilo running great.

I think the time has arrived where Mandrake Linux has become the operating system that replaces Windows and frees us from Microsoft.

[Cannonfodder]

Another way to backtrack in this situation would have been to open a command-line and type

 

lilo -U

 

or

 

lilo -u /dev/hde9

 

It should restore the prior MBR to its previous state.

 

You got lilo because you installed it. Where you install it doesn't change the fact that the MBR has to point to it. (I believe) :roll:

 

Just out of curiousity, Why do you use a boot manager to point to a boot manager (lilo)? Is there an advantage to using boot magic other than you are used to it? I ask because a year or so ago when I got into linux, I had System Commander which helped me boot multi-os systems and partition my hard drive graphically.

 

However, once I got into linux, I would have similar issues with lilo taking over. I would reinstall System Commander and be able to boot to lilo. But then I started losing everything on my one and only hard drive. It was because System Commander didn't understand linux extended partition table entries. I kept rendering my partition table useless until I figured out what was going on. Eventually I bought a second drive.

 

Unless there is a something that lilo can't do for you or your linux installation is temporary, I feel that the extra boot manager simply complicates things and often introduces fatal errors :)

[bvc]

Personally, lilo and BTMagic didn't get along. I kept getting the li screen. So I started using grub without fail for around a year or so. I just grew tired of seeing 2 bootloaders is all, and didn't see the point....didn't have a reason for using BTmagic and don't know that there is any reason, other than a sense of security, or a comfort zone. Which is cool....whatever floats your boat :wink:

[Cannonfodder]

What would float my boat is a suitcase with 2 million bucks in it :)

[johnnyv]

What would float my boat is a suitcase with 2 million bucks in it :)

 

Greedy! i'd settle for a plastic bag with 2 million in it :P