I have linux slackware 13.37 already installed and I'd like to install
windows xp.
Therefore I would install windows after linux. Windows installing
process would screw everything up, writing the MBR, erasing lilo and
the possibility to boot linux.
I know is an old issue, but I looked for documentation with google and
I could not find anything suitable.
I mean, what I found looks outdated, not useful for me.
As a first step, in Slackware Linux Essentials I found loadlin, whose
use is explained in the following link:
http://www.slackbook.org/html/booting-loadlin.html Textually I read: "During the installation process, LOADLIN will be
copied to root's home directory as a .ZIP file."
However I could not find it, even though I installed all the packages.
I think, if I well understood, the problem would be solved making a
bootable disk, floppy or cdrom, with the kernel image.
Then simply running 'lilo' as root at the prompt once I loaded the
kernel image to reinstall the linux loader in the MBR.
At this point I don't know how to proceed... I remember older version
of slackware gave the possibility to create rescue disks at the end of
the installation process.
Fangorn <fangor...@yahoo.it> wrote:
> Windows installing process would screw everything up, writing the MBR,
> erasing lilo and the possibility to boot linux.
The easiest way to fix your MBR after a Windows installation is probably
to boot from a live CD or the Slackware installation CD. Then mount your
root partition at some place and run lilo, something like this:
mkdir /tmp/mnt
mount /dev/sda1 /tmp/mnt
/tmp/mnt/sbin/lilo -r /tmp/mnt
The above assumest that your /boot directory also lives in your root
partition, otherwise you will also have to do something like:
mount /dev/sda2 /tmp/mnt/boot
...before running lilo. In the examples above your root partition is
/dev/sda1 and your boot partition /dev/sda2, you will probably have to
adjust those command lines to match your partitions.
Once your MBR is fixed to boot Linux it will no longer boot Windows. The
easiest way to fix that is to boot into Linux and edit lilo.conf to also
have lilo to boot Windows.
regards Henrik
-- The address in the header is only to prevent spam. My real address is:
hc351(at)poolhem.se Examples of addresses which go to spammers:
root@localhost postmaster@localhost
On Tue, 3 Apr 2012, Fangorn wrote:
> Hi everybody.
> I have linux slackware 13.37 already installed and I'd like to install
> windows xp.
> Therefore I would install windows after linux. Windows installing
> process would screw everything up, writing the MBR, erasing lilo and
> the possibility to boot linux.
> I know is an old issue, but I looked for documentation with google and
> I could not find anything suitable.
> I mean, what I found looks outdated, not useful for me.
> As a first step, in Slackware Linux Essentials I found loadlin, whose
> use is explained in the following link:
> http://www.slackbook.org/html/booting-loadlin.html > Textually I read: "During the installation process, LOADLIN will be
> copied to root's home directory as a .ZIP file."
> However I could not find it, even though I installed all the packages.
I'm still using 12.0 but doing a "locate loadlin" there is /root/loadlin16c.zip and /root/loadlin16c.txt I don't know if that's changed in the more recent release.
> I think, if I well understood, the problem would be solved making a
> bootable disk, floppy or cdrom, with the kernel image.
> Then simply running 'lilo' as root at the prompt once I loaded the
> kernel image to reinstall the linux loader in the MBR.
It can't be a floppy, the kernel got too large.
What I've done at times, worried about something I can no longer remember, was put lilo on a floppy disk, and then set the computer to boot from the floppy disk first. Slackware's setup program has a point where it asks if you want to install lilo, and certainly in the past gave the option to save to a floppy.
> As far as the making of a bootable cdrom is concerned, I found the
> following:
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=21756 > However I could not find any initial image (initrd.img.*)
> At this point I don't know how to proceed... I remember older version
> of slackware gave the possibility to create rescue disks at the end of
> the installation process.
People are booting with USB flash drives, if your computer can boot from one, that might be the way to go now (those CDROMs always seem so slow booting). Douglas Mayne has put the whole distribution on a USB flash drive, he has a page about it but I don't have the URL handy, but that might help provide steps. Of course, there are instructions on the Slackware DVD about booting from USB flash drive, at least in recent distributions.
Fangorn <fangor...@yahoo.it> wrote:
> Hi everybody.
> I have linux slackware 13.37 already installed and I'd like to install
> windows xp.
> Therefore I would install windows after linux. Windows installing
> process would screw everything up, writing the MBR, erasing lilo and
> the possibility to boot linux.
> I know is an old issue, but I looked for documentation with google and
> I could not find anything suitable.
> I mean, what I found looks outdated, not useful for me.
> As a first step, in Slackware Linux Essentials I found loadlin, whose
> use is explained in the following link:
> http://www.slackbook.org/html/booting-loadlin.html > Textually I read: "During the installation process, LOADLIN will be
> copied to root's home directory as a .ZIP file."
> However I could not find it, even though I installed all the packages.
> I think, if I well understood, the problem would be solved making a
> bootable disk, floppy or cdrom, with the kernel image.
> Then simply running 'lilo' as root at the prompt once I loaded the
> kernel image to reinstall the linux loader in the MBR.
This is the right idea I think. I have once or twice set up a system
using lilo to give a "dual boot" allowing booting of Windows or
Slackware. It's been a long time since I did it, so I'm not sure how
it is done now or even if it can be done.
Right. I don't know how to make anything I would consider a useful
boot disk using a floppy.
> As far as the making of a bootable cdrom is concerned, I found the
> following:
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=21756 > However I could not find any initial image (initrd.img.*)
GNU Legacy Grub (stage2_eltorito) can be used to make the CD bootable. Slackware's mkinitrd will make the initrd.gz. You need a kernel, but
that is in your installation.
> At this point I don't know how to proceed... I remember older version
> of slackware gave the possibility to create rescue disks at the end of
> the installation process.
In short, you ...
1. Use mkinitrd to make the initrd.gz.
2. Use mkisofs to put stage2_eltorito, initrd.gz, and your kernel into
a disk image.
3. Burn the image to a CD with cdrecord.
Now you have a boot disk. It assumes a label on your root partition. Call it "useJBD".
To use the boot disk (JBD) you need to make two changes to your
installation...
1. Modify your installation to have an fstab file that refers to your
root partition as "LABEL=useJBD".
2. Run e2label to label your root partition as "useJBD".
...and one change to your computer's BIOS...
1. Change the boot order if needed to boot first from your CD drive.
Hope I got it right. The details are in my website
If you can hold on a bit, I hope to upload a 13.37 JBD to SourceForge
sometime this month. If not, perhaps the above information or the
details in the website will help.
Note that this gives you a way to boot your installation regardless
where it lives. It could be in your computer or on a drive in a USB
enclosure.
With a JBD you don't need to run lilo. Running lilo risks messing up
the MBR. At least, I consider it a risk. Your mileage may vary.
You still get a dual boot. To boot XP, just remove the JBD from the CD
drive and boot.
>I have linux slackware 13.37 already installed and I'd like to install
>windows xp.
>Therefore I would install windows after linux. Windows installing
>process would screw everything up, writing the MBR, erasing lilo and
>the possibility to boot linux.
Assuming you put Slackware on /dev/sda2 and windows on /dev/sda1:
Boot from the Slackware install CD/DVD
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt # mount slackware partition
lilo -r /mnt # rewrite MBR to give slackware boot control
reboot # boot into slackware
login as root
vi /etc.lilo.conf # edit lilo.conf to add windows boot section:
other = /dev/sda1
table = /dev/sda
label = WinXP
:wq
lilo # run lilo again to add WinXP boot option
No, wrong track, that's for real mode windows with ms-dos underneath
>Textually I read: "During the installation process, LOADLIN will be
>copied to root's home directory as a .ZIP file."
>However I could not find it, even though I installed all the packages.
No, no longer relevant...
>I think, if I well understood, the problem would be solved making a
>bootable disk, floppy or cdrom, with the kernel image.
>Then simply running 'lilo' as root at the prompt once I loaded the
>kernel image to reinstall the linux loader in the MBR.
After modifying lilo.conf to allow booting windows, see above.
...
Grant.
> Fangorn <fangor...@yahoo.it> wrote:
> > Windows installing process would screw everything up, writing the MBR,
> > erasing lilo and the possibility to boot linux.
> The easiest way to fix your MBR after a Windows installation is probably
> to boot from a live CD or the Slackware installation CD. Then mount your
> root partition at some place and run lilo, something like this:
> The above assumest that your /boot directory also lives in your root
> partition, otherwise you will also have to do something like:
> mount /dev/sda2 /tmp/mnt/boot
> ...before running lilo. In the examples above your root partition is
> /dev/sda1 and your boot partition /dev/sda2, you will probably have to
> adjust those command lines to match your partitions.
> Once your MBR is fixed to boot Linux it will no longer boot Windows. The
> easiest way to fix that is to boot into Linux and edit lilo.conf to also
> have lilo to boot Windows.
If I run lilo as you explain, I suppose lilo looks at the default
configuration file, that is /etc/lilo.conf (in my case /tmp/mnt/etc/
lilo.conf)
My /etc/lilo.conf ends with the following lines:
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/sda1
label = Windows
table = /dev/sda
# Windows bootable partition config ends
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/sda8
label = Linux
read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends
It preserves the boot for windows because I installed slackware after
having completely erased and re-parted my hd, which previously had
also windows (once I had windows and installed linux after it).
At the end of the last slackware installation process (at the time I
did not have the win installation cdrom) simply lilo installed itself
with a new config file preserving the boot option for windows. I don't
know how it could be happened, because the root directory changed...
Will, with your method, launching lilo with the option -r, make a new
configuration file with the entry 'root=/tmp/mnt' (overwriting the
existing config file) or lilo will preserve my actual lilo.conf
installing itself following its directives (The path has changed, it's
no more /etc/lilo.conf but /tmp/mnt/etc/lilo.conf)? I think the latter
is the right answer. At that point, at the end, I even would not have
to modify lilo.conf... Unless, launching lilo, I have to specify its
config file with the option -C.
> On 3 Apr, 20:56, Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqv...@deadspam.com>
> wrote:
> > Fangorn <fangor...@yahoo.it> wrote:
> > > Windows installing process would screw everything up, writing the MBR,
> > > erasing lilo and the possibility to boot linux.
> > The easiest way to fix your MBR after a Windows installation is probably
> > to boot from a live CD or the Slackware installation CD. Then mount your
> > root partition at some place and run lilo, something like this:
> > The above assumest that your /boot directory also lives in your root
> > partition, otherwise you will also have to do something like:
> > mount /dev/sda2 /tmp/mnt/boot
> > ...before running lilo. In the examples above your root partition is
> > /dev/sda1 and your boot partition /dev/sda2, you will probably have to
> > adjust those command lines to match your partitions.
> > Once your MBR is fixed to boot Linux it will no longer boot Windows. The
> > easiest way to fix that is to boot into Linux and edit lilo.conf to also
> > have lilo to boot Windows.
> If I run lilo as you explain, I suppose lilo looks at the default
> configuration file, that is /etc/lilo.conf (in my case /tmp/mnt/etc/
> lilo.conf)
> My /etc/lilo.conf ends with the following lines:
> # Windows bootable partition config begins
> other = /dev/sda1
> label = Windows
> table = /dev/sda
> # Windows bootable partition config ends
> # Linux bootable partition config begins
> image = /boot/vmlinuz
> root = /dev/sda8
> label = Linux
> read-only
> # Linux bootable partition config ends
> It preserves the boot for windows because I installed slackware after
> having completely erased and re-parted my hd, which previously had
> also windows (once I had windows and installed linux after it).
> At the end of the last slackware installation process (at the time I
> did not have the win installation cdrom) simply lilo installed itself
> with a new config file preserving the boot option for windows. I don't
> know how it could be happened, because the root directory changed...
> Will, with your method, launching lilo with the option -r, make a new
> configuration file with the entry 'root=/tmp/mnt' (overwriting the
> existing config file) or lilo will preserve my actual lilo.conf
> installing itself following its directives (The path has changed, it's
> no more /etc/lilo.conf but /tmp/mnt/etc/lilo.conf)? I think the latter
> is the right answer. At that point, at the end, I even would not have
> to modify lilo.conf... Unless, launching lilo, I have to specify its
> config file with the option -C.
Well after the Wndows install has messed up everything I boot the
Linux partition from the Slackware install
disk, edit lilo.conf as needed, and then run lilo.
The slackware install disk needs to use the same linux core as the
hard drive partition of course.
> I have linux slackware 13.37 already installed and I'd like to install
> windows xp.
[...]
> As a first step, in Slackware Linux Essentials I found loadlin, whose
[...]
forget loadlin. You have two options:
(1) add windows to the linux boot menu
(2) add linux to the windows boot menu
They both work equally well. Grant has already explained one method how to do (1).
Fangorn wrote:
> On 3 Apr, 20:56, Henrik Carlqvist<Henrik.Carlqv...@deadspam.com>
> wrote:
>> Fangorn<fangor...@yahoo.it> wrote:
>>> Windows installing process would screw everything up, writing the MBR,
>>> erasing lilo and the possibility to boot linux.
>> The easiest way to fix your MBR after a Windows installation is probably
>> to boot from a live CD or the Slackware installation CD. Then mount your
>> root partition at some place and run lilo, something like this:
>> The above assumest that your /boot directory also lives in your root
>> partition, otherwise you will also have to do something like:
>> mount /dev/sda2 /tmp/mnt/boot
>> ...before running lilo. In the examples above your root partition is
>> /dev/sda1 and your boot partition /dev/sda2, you will probably have to
>> adjust those command lines to match your partitions.
>> Once your MBR is fixed to boot Linux it will no longer boot Windows. The
>> easiest way to fix that is to boot into Linux and edit lilo.conf to also
>> have lilo to boot Windows.
> If I run lilo as you explain, I suppose lilo looks at the default
> configuration file, that is /etc/lilo.conf (in my case /tmp/mnt/etc/
> lilo.conf)
> My /etc/lilo.conf ends with the following lines:
> # Windows bootable partition config begins
> other = /dev/sda1
> label = Windows
> table = /dev/sda
> # Windows bootable partition config ends
> # Linux bootable partition config begins
> image = /boot/vmlinuz
> root = /dev/sda8
> label = Linux
> read-only
> # Linux bootable partition config ends
> It preserves the boot for windows because I installed slackware after
> having completely erased and re-parted my hd, which previously had
> also windows (once I had windows and installed linux after it).
> At the end of the last slackware installation process (at the time I
> did not have the win installation cdrom) simply lilo installed itself
> with a new config file preserving the boot option for windows. I don't
> know how it could be happened, because the root directory changed...
> Will, with your method, launching lilo with the option -r, make a new
> configuration file with the entry 'root=/tmp/mnt' (overwriting the
> existing config file) or lilo will preserve my actual lilo.conf
> installing itself following its directives (The path has changed, it's
> no more /etc/lilo.conf but /tmp/mnt/etc/lilo.conf)? I think the latter
> is the right answer. At that point, at the end, I even would not have
> to modify lilo.conf... Unless, launching lilo, I have to specify its
> config file with the option -C.
Running lilo never modifies the configuration file, it only installs
the boot loaders as specified in the configuration file. The -r option
tells lilo that the partition specified with this option is the actual
root if the installation. Lilo will look for "etc/lilo.conf" below this
specified directory.
Fangorn <fangor...@yahoo.it> wrote:
> On 3 Apr, 20:56, Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqv...@deadspam.com>
> wrote:
> > Fangorn <fangor...@yahoo.it> wrote:
> > > Windows installing process would screw everything up, writing the
> > > MBR, erasing lilo and the possibility to boot linux.
> > The easiest way to fix your MBR after a Windows installation is
> > probably to boot from a live CD or the Slackware installation CD. Then
> > mount your root partition at some place and run lilo, something like
> > this:
> > The above assumest that your /boot directory also lives in your root
> > partition, otherwise you will also have to do something like:
> > mount /dev/sda2 /tmp/mnt/boot
> > ...before running lilo. In the examples above your root partition is
> > /dev/sda1 and your boot partition /dev/sda2, you will probably have to
> > adjust those command lines to match your partitions.
> > Once your MBR is fixed to boot Linux it will no longer boot Windows.
> > The easiest way to fix that is to boot into Linux and edit lilo.conf
> > to also have lilo to boot Windows.
> If I run lilo as you explain, I suppose lilo looks at the default
> configuration file, that is /etc/lilo.conf (in my case /tmp/mnt/etc/
> lilo.conf)
> My /etc/lilo.conf ends with the following lines:
> # Windows bootable partition config begins
> other = /dev/sda1
> label = Windows
> table = /dev/sda
> # Windows bootable partition config ends
> # Linux bootable partition config begins
> image = /boot/vmlinuz
> root = /dev/sda8
> label = Linux
> read-only
> # Linux bootable partition config ends
> It preserves the boot for windows because I installed slackware after
> having completely erased and re-parted my hd, which previously had
> also windows (once I had windows and installed linux after it).
> At the end of the last slackware installation process (at the time I
> did not have the win installation cdrom) simply lilo installed itself
> with a new config file preserving the boot option for windows. I don't
> know how it could be happened, because the root directory changed...
> Will, with your method, launching lilo with the option -r, make a new
> configuration file with the entry 'root=/tmp/mnt' (overwriting the
> existing config file) or lilo will preserve my actual lilo.conf
> installing itself following its directives (The path has changed, it's
> no more /etc/lilo.conf but /tmp/mnt/etc/lilo.conf)? I think the latter
> is the right answer. At that point, at the end, I even would not have
> to modify lilo.conf... Unless, launching lilo, I have to specify its
> config file with the option -C.
I think all you should have to do is boot the install media, and at the
first prompt, type:
huge.s root=/dev/sda8 rdinit= ro
(or, if you are using 32-bits SMP)
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda8 rdinit= ro
if memory serves me correct. It's right on the boot screen when you boot up
the installation media. Once you boot up into the correct partition, it
looks like your lilo.conf is already correct, so just run
lilo
as root, and that should do the trick. Remove the boot disc, reboot,
and see if lilo presents both OS.
If you want to bulid a new lilo.conf, you can either go in and edit it
manually in /etc/lilo.conf and then run
lilo
or run
liloconfig
which (IIRC) presents the lilo configuration script you saw when you
installed Slackware, originally, that automagically detects the Win
partition and includes it. Install lilo to the MBR, again. Frankly, it
looks like you lilo.conf is already correct :
Windows on /dev/sda1
Slack on /dev/sda8
My experience is limited to WindowsXP and some older versions of Slackware,
I don't know how well newer version of Windows play with LILO.
> Fangorn wrote:
>> On 3 Apr, 20:56, Henrik Carlqvist<Henrik.Carlqv...@deadspam.com>
>> wrote:
>>> mkdir /tmp/mnt
>>> mount /dev/sda1 /tmp/mnt
>>> /tmp/mnt/sbin/lilo -r /tmp/mnt
>> If I run lilo as you explain, I suppose lilo looks at the default
>> configuration file, that is /etc/lilo.conf (in my case /tmp/mnt/etc/
>> lilo.conf)
Kees Theunissen <theun...@rijnh.nl> wrote:
> Running lilo never modifies the configuration file, it only installs
> the boot loaders as specified in the configuration file. The -r option
> tells lilo that the partition specified with this option is the actual
> root if the installation. Lilo will look for "etc/lilo.conf" below this
> specified directory.
Exactly, lilo will look for /etc/lilo.conf unless any other configuration
file is given with the -C option. However, as the -r option is given lilo
will first chroot into the given directory (in this case /tmp/mnt). Once
this chroot is done the directory /tmp/mnt will appear to be the
/-directory to lilo and when opening /etc/lilo.conf lilo will really open
/tmp/mnt/etc/lilo.conf. Using this method you should not have to edit your
existing lilo.conf.
>> My /etc/lilo.conf ends with the following lines:
>> # Windows bootable partition config begins
>> other = /dev/sda1
>> label = Windows
>> table = /dev/sda
>> # Windows bootable partition config ends
>> # Linux bootable partition config begins
>> image = /boot/vmlinuz
>> root = /dev/sda8
>> label = Linux
>> read-only
>> # Linux bootable partition config ends
So in my example above you should alter the mount line to
mount /dev/sda8 /tmp/mnt
regards Henrik
-- The address in the header is only to prevent spam. My real address is:
hc351(at)poolhem.se Examples of addresses which go to spammers:
root@localhost postmaster@localhost
On Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:34:58 -0700, Fangorn wrote:
> I have linux slackware 13.37 already installed and I'd like to install
> windows xp.
> Therefore I would install windows after linux. Windows installing
> process would screw everything up, writing the MBR, erasing lilo and
> the possibility to boot linux.
You could install the LILO boot sector into a Linux partition instead,
install a standard MBR with lilo -M ... mbr and activate the Linux
partition with lilo -A ...
If the MBR then get's overwritten, it still can boot Linux as long as the
correct partition is active (has its boot flag set). This boot flag can
even be changed with the Windows partitioner (called DISKPAR/DISKPART).
> I think, if I well understood, the problem would be solved making a
> bootable disk, floppy or cdrom, with the kernel image.
You already have one: your Slackware Install CD/DVD. Just look up the
device name of your root partition, insert the Slackware disc and enter
your root partition at the boot prompt as described in the help text above
it. Example:
boot: huge.s root=/dev/sda1 rdinit= ro
This will boot your existing Linux system and you can continue with...
> Then simply running 'lilo' as root at the prompt once I loaded the
> kernel image to reinstall the linux loader in the MBR.
...or just reactivate the LILO partition boot sector with LILO -A.
> At this point I don't know how to proceed... I remember older version
> of slackware gave the possibility to create rescue disks at the end of
> the installation process.
This functionality is still there, but now USB media is used.
