AG wrote: > Could be my lack of clarity in writing and precision in terminology :-) > > I was installing Deb testing over a previously installed Slackware > system due to a number of hardware restrictions. First I downloaded a > new version of vmlinuz and initrd.gz and moved those into a directory > called /boot/newinstall. I then changed lilo.conf to point to > /boot/newinstall (I backed up the original lilo.conf first). I had the > USB stick with an *.iso loaded from Debian and rebooted the laptop, > which booted into the new installation. The installation programme > kindly scanned all of the drives, located the *.iso and loaded it. The > installation process was without issue, I allowed the installation to > tasksel and once the packages started being downloaded, I left to do > other things. When I returned the installation process was at the > tasksel screen again, and I had to abort the installation. > > Now the machine won't boot, and I cannot get into lilo.conf to edit it. > A new kernel has been installed and lilo is still the default boot > loader. I don't have any floppy drive onto which I can load a new > install programme to boot from the laptop's floppy drive; the CD is > kaput - spins but no-one's home; and the third boot option in the BIOS > is the hard drive, which is as good as inaccessible. I have no way of > checking just what's on there and I can't get at it remotely.
I think this is where you went wrong. I personally would have choose to a debootstrap install from within slackware. There are number of ways to come up with a partition.. ie using swap, resizing something etc. Also going this route you could have continued with a dual boot setup until you were sure Debian was up and running properly. If space only permitted a standard bare bones system, you'd have access to the core utilities to manipulate things. But we're past that now. :) Perhaps the local library would have old enough machines to write floppies? Is there a LUG nearby that could write floppies for you? -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org