The install and rescue floppies are indeed supposed to use the ramfs. Obviously the install floppy has to since at least most of the time there will be no other linux filesystem available. However, the rescue floppy does also because it has to be able to boot fully even if the root partition is corrupt (and allow you to attempt to repair same). So a boot floppy is yet a different critter and contains a kernel that has been patched (with rdev) to have your normal root partition set.
When you boot the installation disks and answer the first few questions (color monitor, keyboard, etc), the hit an alt-F2 to access the second console. type 'mount -t ext2 /dev/hda1 /target [replacing /dev/hda1 with whatever is appropriate for your configuration of course] Lilo can remove lilo but the installation disks do not 'know' that lilo was previously installed and thus take no action when you choose not to use lilo--so yes, if you installed lilo and did not do something like fdisk/mbr is DOS or explicitly replace the boot record using the lilo command then lilo is still present. A lilo config file looks something like this: bash-2.01$ cat /etc/lilo.conf boot = /dev/hda <- disk to boot from prompt <- prompt for boot choices during boot timeout = 50 <- continue boot with default if no response compact <- kernel is compressed install = /boot/boot.b <- location of the boot code map = /boot/map <- location of the system map file vga = normal <- vga display mode to use delay = 20 <- i don't remember image = /vmlinuz <- name & location of the linux kernel to load root = /dev/hda4 <- system root device to use label = Linux <- name for this instance of system read-only <- always initially mount root read only vga = 9 <- vga mode to use for this instance image = /vmlinuz.old <- last kernel root = /dev/hda4 label = bklinux read-only vga = 9 image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.0.27 <- a linux bo distribution system. root = /dev/hdb3 label = olinux read-only vga = 9 image = /vmlinuz.test <- a linux testing partition root = /dev/hdb5 label = test read-only vga = 9 other=/dev/hda1 <- an non-linux system table = /dev/hda <- location of drive structure label = DOS <- instance lable (and it is MSDOS) The lilo documentation is extensive and probably the about the best documentation in the entire Linux project but you do need to study it rather carefully if you want to be able to handle everything without problems. Most things can be given 'defaults' in the general section (the section before the first "image =" line and then overridden in the individual sections. Gary Kline wrote: > > According to Jean Pierre LeJacq: > > On Thu, 26 Feb 1998, Gary Kline wrote: > > > > > According to Jean Pierre LeJacq: > > > > On Wed, 25 Feb 1998, Gary Kline wrote: > > > > > > > > > However, after installing Debian on my first and third SCSI > > > > > drives and *not* using LILO as the boot manager, I found that > > > > > I __always__ boot into Debian, into a RAM file system. > > > > > > > > > > After re-installing both OS's from scratch several times I've > > > > > come to the conclusion that something is causing the master boot > > > > > track to always throw me into the re-install RAM-fs of Linux. > > > > > > > > > Are you booting from the rescue floppy disk. If yes, then indeed you > > > > will be using the RAM-fs. You can either use the boot floppy disk or > > > > LILO installed on the hard disk. > > > > > > > Both the hard drive and the rescue floppy throw me > > > into the RAM-fs. (In fact, trying to re-install FreeBSD > > > from its floppy disk is impossible.) > > > > Does the same thing happen when booting from your boot floppy? Did > > you install LILO on the harddisk? If so, send me the /etc/lilo.conf. > > > > Yes, once I did install LILO to my harddisk; > then I brought up the menu again and chose > ``NO'' when asked. Evidently, once the loader > installs, it's <<forever>>! > > I'll have to check /etc/lilo.conf (if I can > get to it) tonight my time. Last night I > poked around using the ash shell but couldn't > make much sense of the fs layout. Would lilo.conf > perhaps be in /target/etc/lilo.conf? > > BTW, this (Debian + FBSD) is on a separate box. > Not yet linked to the rest of the world... . > > gary > > -- > TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] . > Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . -- best, -bill [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] from a 1996 Micro$loth ad campaign: "The less you know about computers the more you want Micro$oft!" See! They do get some things right! -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] .