EMERGENCY: Linux & windows 98!

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Hello, two weeks ago I installed linux mandrake 8.0 on my PC which also had windows 98SE. I install it, and linux was set to boot byt default. After using it a few days i realize that it isn't working properly, it freezes on my system and i can't get the network card and internet to work, so i decide to swith windows to default so i dont have to be stuck to the pc while it boots to switch. Btw, I am/was using LILO graphical manager. So today i go and check the little box that says set as default for my windows partition... the "mandrake control center" freezes and minutes later i get it to rreboot... and so it wont boot windows, it will only boot into linux. If i pick windows, the LILO freezes and nothing happens. So i then saym why not reinstall and so everything gets fixed... well i try and while preparing the partitions for linux it says it can't continue, a "mount error" or something. So now i am stuck without windows and my school work Can anybody help me out and tell me what to do? DO I HAVE TO FORMAT EVERYTHING AND REINSTALL WINDOWS (i will NOT reinstall linux mandrake for sure)? thanks in advance...

 

[DaveR]

I have Mandrake working fine, but anyway.... I believe you can do an fdisk /mbr

This will put your MBR back to normal and boot to Win98 as before. You DO have a dos bootable floppy don't you? Perhaps you can boot to dos with lilo, but be SURE to run fdisk from the windows fdisk and NOT the Linux fdisk!

 

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thanks, I was thinking about that, will try it out. thanks again!

 

[Priit]

Check your lilo.conf file in /etc folder. There's a line "default=linux-xxx" somewhere in the beginning of it. Change it to "defalult=win". Then you should have sth. like this for booting windows: "other=/dev/hda1
label=win". After you have corrected your lilo.conf, run "lilo" from command line and see if it puts out any errors. If it's ok, you should be able to boot windows by default without problems.