Mandrake won't load!

[daragh]

Hi,

 

I installed Mandrake 9.1 on my Windows XP (NTFS) box after creating space for it using PartitionMagic 8. I got 9.2RC2 as soon as it was available, and when 9.2 Release was available, I installed that on top. Everything worked fine - my biggest issue was RPMS (plf keys) and trying to decide between KDE and Gnome.

 

Then, after looking real hard at how I can share files between Windoze and Linux, I found out that neither can write into the other's partition, and I had to create a FAT32 partition, which I did with PartitionMagic. Knowing that it's not fair to pull the rug out from under someone (especially anal OSs), I resized the Windows partition and created a FAT32 partition. It put it in the extended area before Linux ext partitions, but worked fine from Windoh!s.

 

Now Mandrake won't load. I see LILO and the initial screen, but quickly it complains about not being able to mount the filesystem.

 

When I try to delete the FAT32 partition from PartitionMagic, it says something about an unsupported OS version (no indication if it's talking about Mandrake or Window$)

 

[i also have a related question about uninstalling LILO without reinstalling everything - My last option is moving Linux to a differerent box, and leaving this box for the multimedia (video, photo) work for my family - the XP wizards are compelling!]

 

HELP!!!!

[bvc]

Welcome!

An easy fix is to try an Upgrade, not Install, with CD1. Sounds like when you created the fat your partitions were renumbered so /etc/lilo.conf and /etc/fstab are wrong. You can boot to CD1>press F1 at the splashscreen>type rescue <press Enter> >choose Mount your partitions under /mnt>watch for errors and post them here. If / is not mounted and you know which partition / is you can choose Go to Console and mount it yourself

 

mount /dev/hdaX (where X is the partition # for /)

 

then edit /etc/fstab and /etc/lilo.conf and run lilo -v afterward. Reboot and see if she fly's.

 

Rescue mode/CD1 is also how you can restore the mbr and uninstal lilo. Lilo will not reinstall this way and the Upgrade may not work for the same reason. Your partitions have been renumbered and fstab and lilo.conf are written. You'll have to fix them.

[Cannonfodder]

for more info on this, do a search above on

 

fstab lilo partition

 

Basically your boot loader was expecting the partitions to have a certain number. When you made new partitions, you altered the order of the partitions so that partition 1 became partition 2 so on..

 

Now the lilo.conf file describes where to find each partition. Running lilo program will execute any changes you make to bring things back in line.

 

You can boot off of Mandrake CD1, hit F1, and type rescue to get to your linux system.

[bvc]

oops...forgot chroot /mnt

 

You can boot to CD1>press F1 at the splashscreen>type rescue <press Enter> >choose Mount your partitions under /mnt>watch for errors and post them here.

If / does mount then do

 

chroot /mnt

 

and you'll be in

/

just as normal.

[daragh]

Hi,

 

I managed to make Mandrake bootable again by deleting the FAT32 partition which was a LOGICAL partition in the same extended space as the Linux partitions, and then making it a PHYSICAL partition. Gotta love PartitionMagic. Of course, it wouldn't be a problem if I could commit to being 100% Linux on this machine...

 

Cheers,

 

and THANK YOU for the quick responses!

 

Daragh