I screwed up setting up LILO - how can I fix?

[Guest KShots]

Hi guys, I've got a problem with my Mandrake installation - I screwed up LILO and now my default boot-up goes to a place that doesn't really boot. Luckily, I did set everything else up right. Here's what happened:

 

I set up Windows 98 first (I like some of my old games and my DVD player can go full-screen in '98 ). Got it up and running relatively stable, and then:

 

I installed Windows XP - This is my main gaming system. Apparently, it detected Windows 98 and now has its own boot-up menu on /dev/hda1... while it's on /dev/hda5. OK, now comes the 3rd OS:

 

I set up Mandrake and told LILO that Windows 98 was on /dev/hda1, Windows XP was on /dev/hda5, and linux was where it just installed it :). Here's the rub: /dev/hda5 doesn't boot. I need to go to /dev/hda1, then the XP OS selection comes into play and I can select 98/XP, but guess what the default is? /dev/hda5! grr...

 

Anyways, in debian I had a lilo.conf file in /boot, but in mandrake there is no such file. How do I fix this?

[bvc]

I'm confused......fix the 'default' or fix booting XP? On ML, lilio.conf is in /etc.

[Pzatch]

From what I understand Xp has its own boot loader.

So when you loaded 98 first everything was fine.

When you next loaded Xp it detected 98 and gave you a boot loader so you could use each one. Thus your Hda5 does not have a boot loader like Xp needs since it was placed in Hda1 infront of the 98 OS.

Then when you loaded linux it placed its boot loader in and you made it point to each os eventhough it only needs to point to the new Xp bootloader and the linux Os.

 

From what I understand you can either remove the Xp boot loader(I couldn't begin to tell you how or if it can be done) or you can edit your lilo and remove the Hda5 Xp entry and rename the Hda1 98 entry to say 98/Xp instead of just 98.

 

I would do it the simple way and just rename the Hda1 entry.

[bvc]

It's called chainloading (chainloader). You can install another linux and at install put the bootloader in the /root partition and from your current mbr bootloader point it to the new linux's /root and it'll then pass control to that bootloader . Silly really, and I've never understood the point, except maybe for XP as it sometimes has probs with lilo (not usually grub). So, it may actually be a good thing if you want to use lilo. You can get to XP through win98.

[Guest KShots]

I'm confused......fix the 'default' or fix booting XP? On ML, lilio.conf is in /etc.

Thanks, that last bit was exactly what I needed. It's up and running correctly now :)

From what I understand Xp has its own boot loader. 

So when you loaded 98 first everything was fine. 

When you next loaded Xp it detected 98 and gave you a boot loader so you could use each one. Thus your Hda5 does not have a boot loader like Xp needs since it was placed in Hda1 infront of the 98 OS. 

Then when you loaded linux it placed its boot loader in and you made it point to each os eventhough it only needs to point to the new Xp bootloader and the linux Os. 

 

From what I understand you can either remove the Xp boot loader(I couldn't begin to tell you how or if it can be done) or you can edit your lilo and remove the Hda5 Xp entry and rename the Hda1 98 entry to say 98/Xp instead of just 98. 

 

I would do it the simple way and just rename the Hda1 entry.

You understood exactly what the problem was :). I knew that was the solution, I was just unsure of where the lilo.conf file was (or if something weird was in its place). Thanks for the assistance guys