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linux/win2k/win98, can't load linux w/ win2k bootloader -Solved-

S

skyz

Junior Member
I have all the operating systems set up and now the only problem is I can't seem to successfully load linux with the win2k bootloader. Each os works and I can use the win2k bootloader to start 98, but after I modify it to start linux my system hangs (I get a prompt blinking on the top left). Here's what I did:

*In linux (Red Hat 7.1)*
// looked at lilo.conf and os is mounted at hda5 so...

%dd if=/dev/hda5 of=/linux.bin bs=512 count=1
%mcopy /linux.bin a:
%/sbin/lilo -U

*now reboot to win2k bootloader, choose 98SE and press F8, go to 'safe mode command prompt'*
c:\copy a:\linux.bin c:\
c:\edit boot.ini
*add in c:\linux.bin="Red Hat Linux 7.1"*

When I restart the system and choose 'Red Hat Linux 7.1', my computer hangs....I've used the linux boot disk to run lilo and restore lilo to the mbr. I can get to each operating system, but its really annoying that I have to go through lilo. I've added win98 and win2k to lilo, but I would really appreciate any ideas on how to get the win2k bootloader working properly.

Thanks in advance,
Skyz


***Solution, using win2k bootloader***
I tried bootpart and it had the same problem :frown:. So I removed lilo again and started fresh (using the startup disk for the third time). This time I played around with the lilo.conf and targeted /dev/hda5 instead of hda and I change the timeout to 0. Then I added lilo back in (/sbin/lilo) and made the linux.bin file. Then I removed lilo again :Q and rebooted (this gave me the win2k loader). Finally I added the linux bin file to the win2k loader and presto it worked. I'm not sure why it worked when I retargeted lilo, but I have no complaints. Thanks for all the help...I should have checked my mail and then I could have just used lilo.

Thanks,
Skyz
 
Its annoying because I have to use two screens to load. One for linux, win family. Then a second for the windows family (2k, 98, and soon to be XP). Before someone says "lilo can load more than two os's", lilo can't do that for me because I have a large harddrive and not all the os's are at the start of the disk. And lilo can't boot an OS from a partition that is located beyond the 1024th cylinder of the drive (or at least I think so). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks,
Skyz
 
Well I think you messed up when you did that /sbin/lilo -U that way you uninstalled lilo
from you linux partition!! We need lilo to boot into linux!!!

Your only way in now is a boot disk or a rescue disk or a cd with those in it!!

something from where you can type linux root=/dev/hda5 rw at the LILO prompt,
then reinstall lilo by doing /sbin/lilo and redoing that job of copying the boot sector
to the w2k partition....

Just don't uninstall it again!!!!

Good Luck!
 
Didn't see that second post....well since version 19.x that lilo can handle big drives/partition
provied you bios does!!!!

I'm running a few distro well above those 1024cyl barrier myself!!
 
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