Re: [expert] Re: Repost: [newbie] Problems with boot disk.
Sorry, I should have replied earlier, but must have overlooked the thread until now. If you're not changing anything that has to do with Linux - other than Windows' nasty habit of erasing LILO from your MBR - then you can make a very simple boot floppy. # cp /etc/lilo.conf /root Now, change the first line in /root/lilo.conf to read boot=/dev/fd0 and run: # /sbin/lilo -C /root/lilo.conf Run the above with a floppy in the drive. Try to boot with the floppy in the computer. It ought to work fine. = What have we done? Firstly, we made a copy of /etc/lilo.conf, to avoid editing the "real" config file. Second, we changed the config file to tell LILO to write it's boot sector not to any hard disk, but rather to /dev/fd0's boot sector; the boot sector of the floppy drive. Third, we ran LILO to effect our changes. The "-C" option is telling LILO to use our changed config file instead of the default one (/etc/lilo.conf). Now, when you re-install Windows, and your MBR is wiped clean, your floppy disk will have a copy of it. You ought to be able to boot from this floppy without any problems. Try it first, before you actually wipe the MBR. Also remember that the only thing actually on the floppy is LILO. There's no kernel, no root filesystem. Nothing to load, so when you do boot, you'll have to watch carefully to see if it accesses the floppy drive. The speed of the boot should be equal to booting off the hard drive. If you know your way around lilo.conf, you might make a small change to it, as an additional test. For example, you might change the image label to "floppy-linux" and, when presented with the boot: prompt, press to see if the correct image name shows up. This will be a better test to see if it really is loading LILO off the floppy. This process will not touch any filesystem on the floppy. It only changes the boot sector. Thus, you can use any floppy you like, without risking information loss - unless it's already a boot floppy. Does this help? -Matt Stegman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Re: [expert] Re: Repost: [newbie] Problems with boot disk.
I must be the luckiest newbie alive. I boot with my floppy by choice and the rescue disk takes me straight to my CD. I don't have a perfect system--I wish I did. Pj [EMAIL PROTECTED] Piero wrote: > > On Wed, 03 May 2000, you wrote: > > No one answered my original query. Thought I would try again. > > > > - Original Message - > > From: Michael E. Shea <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 11:20 AM > > Subject: [newbie] Problems with boot disk. > > > > > > > I have Linux Mandrake 7.0 Complete installed on the following system > > > Athlon 500 MHZ > > > 64M ram. > > > 20G byte IBM hard disk. > > > > > > I have as a first partition an 8G fat32 partition with Windows 98. DrakeX > > > setup a swap partition, a /boot partition (hda5) and a root partition > > > (hda7). Boot loader is lilo. > > > > > > I need to reinstall Windows 98. I understand that if a do this Windows 98 > > > setup will remove lilo from the boot sector in favor of its own boot > > loader. > > > For this reason I am trying to make a boot floppy so I can mount the root > > > filesystem and reinstall lilo after I reload 98. > > > > > > I have tried created boot and rescue disks using both dos (writeraw) and > > > linux following the instructions from the documentation. The boot disk > > works > > > but whenever I select "rescue" from the "boot:" prompt and put in the > > rescue > > > diskette I get an error. I am not sure but I think the error message is > > the > > > same as below. > > > > > > I have also tried to use mkbootdisk to make a boot floppy. When I boot off > > > it says it is trying to load the root filesystem off of hda7, I then get > > an > > > "Error: 0x10" message. > > > > > > Any suggestions. > > > > > May-be somebody will give you a real bit of advice: let me just express my > sympathy. Boot and rescue disks seem to work only in a plathonic space of > ideal computers and virtuous users. If you installed Linux from a cd, you can > just allow Windows to destroy your boot sector, then make a fake upgrading of > Linux from your cd, during which you'll tell it "Oh, yes, I'd love to install a > loader! Lilo 'd suit me perfecly well" > > Nevertheless, If I were you, I would backup everything I 'd think valuable. But > I must say that I 'd do that only if I were you: beeing myself, I wouldn't > probably be so patient, and I 'd take the risk of loosing everything. Then I > would be desperate, and I would have to drink it away.
[expert] Re: Repost: [newbie] Problems with boot disk.
On Wed, 03 May 2000, you wrote: > No one answered my original query. Thought I would try again. > > - Original Message - > From: Michael E. Shea <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 11:20 AM > Subject: [newbie] Problems with boot disk. > > > > I have Linux Mandrake 7.0 Complete installed on the following system > > Athlon 500 MHZ > > 64M ram. > > 20G byte IBM hard disk. > > > > I have as a first partition an 8G fat32 partition with Windows 98. DrakeX > > setup a swap partition, a /boot partition (hda5) and a root partition > > (hda7). Boot loader is lilo. > > > > I need to reinstall Windows 98. I understand that if a do this Windows 98 > > setup will remove lilo from the boot sector in favor of its own boot > loader. > > For this reason I am trying to make a boot floppy so I can mount the root > > filesystem and reinstall lilo after I reload 98. > > > > I have tried created boot and rescue disks using both dos (writeraw) and > > linux following the instructions from the documentation. The boot disk > works > > but whenever I select "rescue" from the "boot:" prompt and put in the > rescue > > diskette I get an error. I am not sure but I think the error message is > the > > same as below. > > > > I have also tried to use mkbootdisk to make a boot floppy. When I boot off > > it says it is trying to load the root filesystem off of hda7, I then get > an > > "Error: 0x10" message. > > > > Any suggestions. > > May-be somebody will give you a real bit of advice: let me just express my sympathy. Boot and rescue disks seem to work only in a plathonic space of ideal computers and virtuous users. If you installed Linux from a cd, you can just allow Windows to destroy your boot sector, then make a fake upgrading of Linux from your cd, during which you'll tell it "Oh, yes, I'd love to install a loader! Lilo 'd suit me perfecly well" Nevertheless, If I were you, I would backup everything I 'd think valuable. But I must say that I 'd do that only if I were you: beeing myself, I wouldn't probably be so patient, and I 'd take the risk of loosing everything. Then I would be desperate, and I would have to drink it away.
