redhat 9 install - won't boot from H-D

[null]

a few days ago I installed RH 9 over a mandrake knstall. During the redhat install, I chose to "remove all existing linux partitions" because I wanted my mandrake install completely wiped out. Also during the redhat install, I chose LILO rather than the GRUB default (and told the installer to put it in MBR). I created a boot floppy towards the end of the install.

 

Now it never has booted from the H-D, it appears to be not even trying. If I boot from the boot floppy, it boots fine, and my redhat system works fine. Yes, I have messed around with the BIOS settings - originally it was CD first, floppy second, and HDD0 third. I tried it a couple of different ways, but no affect on problem.

 

I like redhat so far and I'd like to play around with it for a couple of weeks, then I may try something else. I'd like to get this booting problem fixed though.

 

Here is a copy & paste of my lilo.conf:

 

prompt

timeout=50

default=linux

boot=/dev/hda

map=/boot/map

install=/boot/boot.b

message=/boot/message

linear

 

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-8

label=linux

initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.img

read-only

append="hdc=ide-scsi root=LABEL=/"

 

other=/dev/hda5

optional

label=DOS

 

 

so I need help why it won't even try to boot from the H-D. LILO with my prior mandrake install booted ok from the H-D.

 

thanks

[null]

guess I'll bump this back up...

 

All the facts are in the first post. Basically, I have to boot a new redhat 9 install from the floppy, but after that my system works great.

 

During install I chose LILO to be on MBR, but it just won't boot from the H-D. It just scrolls 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 across the screen.

 

So maybe I need to edit LILO ? But why doesn't it work after the install ? And what do I need to check in LILO ?

 

I found another post (on the LQ board) about this EXACT same thing... but it doesn't appear that it was ever answered completly... I didn't want to revive someone else's old post over on that board...

 

This machine is ONLY a RH machine - nothing else on it and no windoze

[jlc]

Once you boot from floppy, can you go into the menu's and switch from lilo to grub?

[bvc]

Try;

#initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.img

read-only

append="root=LABEL=/"

 

From man lilo 99 99 99=

99 invalid second stage index sector (LILO)

 

I agree you should try grub...there's a reason it's RH and Debians default :wink: (I use it)

 

Also, what's your hadware? New? KT400 chipset? You could also try

append="noapic root=LABEL=/"

[null]

yeah - GRUB was the default during the install. I changed it to LILO cause I was used to LILO under mandrake.

 

I don't no how to change to GRUB though... :? I am in my redhat system right now and everything is working ok. Just the boot problem is all that's wrong.

 

I'll try GRUB first. but how do I change LILO boot to GRUB boot ?

 

PS: this box is a few years old - no new hardware.

 

thanks

[jlc]

First, see if

 

# more /boot/grub/grub.conf

exist and has kernel entry's?

 

Then try:

 

# /sbin/grub-install /dev/hda

 

Keep that lilo boot disk handy and don't re-write it until your sure GRUB install's correctly & works!

[bvc]

rpm -q grub

should tell you if grub is installed. If it's not it say something like "no package named grub found" or something, if it is installed you'll get "grub-x.x.x".

 

You might want to uninstall lilo first, but grub 'should just overwrite w/o a prob

lilo -u

or

lilo -U

 

for info on grub;

info grub

[null]

thanks for the help.

 

rpm -q grub shows that grub-0.93-4 is installed.

 

here is the output from # more /boot/grub/grub.conf:

 

#boot=/dev/hda

default=0

timeout=10

splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-8)

root (hd0,0)

kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi

initrd /initrd-2.4.20-8.img

title DOS

rootnoverify (hd0,4)

chainloader +1

 

I notice that the first line boot=/dev/hda is commented out. Can I just remove the # ?

and then uninstall LILO ?

[bvc]

No,....

lilo -u

grub-install /dev/hda

[null]

says command not found when I do the lilo -u

 

I'm doing it as root from the root dir

[jlc]

RH makes the path's screwed up in my opinion!

 

Anyway, should be something like

 

/sbin/lilo -u

 

Remember if you can't run a command just do a

 

#whereis lilo

[null]

ok thanks. i'm at work now :? so I'll try that when I get home.

 

Last night, before I posted here, I did think that I probably needed to do the /sbin/lilo instead of just lilo, so I did a "locate lilo". But I had stuff to do last night (some college courses) and I didn't have time to mess with learning linux. So I did it the easy way (lazy way?) and posted the question here...

[null]

ok I just ran the /sbin/lilo -u and I got:

 

Fatal: open /boot/boot.0300: No such file or directory

 

 

Maybe lilo isn't installed, that's why it won't boot from H-D ?

[jlc]

Have you tried:

 

grub-install /dev/hda

 

yet?

[null]

ok I just did the grub install. It installed Ok, and then I did a reboot (without the floppy) and it booted great from the H-D. Thanks ! :D

 

BTW: when the grub gui came up, it gave me the choice of RedHat or DOS... :?

 

I formatted over the win98 partition a few weeks ago. And when I installed Mandrake 9.0, I told it to make a vfat partition, in case I wanted to share files with my win2k box. And then I installed RH 9 over my mandrake install, but I kept the vfat partition.

 

Is that why I get a DOS option at grub - because I have a vfat partition ? Or do I really still have DOS on here ?