The Lilo Bootloader

THE LILO BOOTLOADER

Lilo ( or Grub ) boots your computer.

If you install a second or third distro on your computer you´ll have to adapt the bootloader to show all the entries you want to boot in.
( NOT if you just add Linux to your windows computer ! )
I recently added Debian and Slackware to my Mandrake computer.
First I added the vmlinuz from Knoppix and slack to the /boot directory of mandrake.
I made 2 directories in /boot : /debian and /slack and copied the vmlinuz ( and if needed the initrd.img or initrd.gz, see part with Debian ) from both disto´s in there.
Drive hdb2 and hdb6 are mounted on /mnt in my Mandrake.

I´m using the lilo from Mandrake. After making a backup of my original lilo.conf, I changed my /etc/lilo.conf ( for the moment only Debian is added ) This is what my /etc/lilo.conf looks like:

QUOTE (Text @ Lilo.conf File)

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
default="mandrake" ( ! I did change linux to mandrake ! )
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=100
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw

image=/boot/vmlinuz
. . . . . label="mandrake" ( ! I did change linux to mandrake ! )
. . . . . root=/dev/hda1
. . . . . initrd=/boot/initrd.img
. . . . . append="devfs=mount hdd=ide-scsi acpi=off quiet"
. . . . . vga=788
. . . . . read-only

image=/boot/debian/vmlinuz
. . . . . label="debian"
. . . . . root=/dev/hdb2
. . . . . initrd=/boot/debian/initrd.gz
. . . . . vga=788
. . . . . read-only

image=/boot/slack/vmlinuz-ide-2.4.20
. . . . . label="slackware"
. . . . . root=/dev/hdb6
. . . . . append="hdd=ide-scsi"
. . . . . vga=788
. . . . . read-only

image=/boot/vmlinuz
. . . . . label="linux-nonfb"
. . . . . root=/dev/hda1
. . . . . initrd=/boot/initrd.img
. . . . . append="devfs=mount hdd=ide-scsi acpi=off"
. . . . . read-only

image=/boot/vmlinuz
. . . . . label="failsafe"
. . . . . root=/dev/hda1
. . . . . initrd=/boot/initrd.img
. . . . . append="devfs=nomount hdd=ide-scsi acpi=off failsafe"
. . . . . read-only

other=/dev/fd0
. . . . . label="floppy"
. . . . . unsafe

# If you multiboot windows it will show here:
other=/dev/hda1
. . . . . label="windows"
. . . . . table=/dev/hda

I´m not saying that you should start messing your lilo right away, but, do have a look at your own /etc/lilo.conf and see what it looks like:

CODE

$ cat /etc/lilo.conf

IMPORTANT: If you ever have to change your /etc/lilo.conf, and you´ve finished adapting it, you have to give the command as root:

CODE

# /sbin/lilo

This will write lilo to the MBR sector of your disk. ( if you made a mistake it will give you an error message !! The default distro will be marked with an * )
If ever an other OS overwrites your Lilo, just use your bootdisk to boot in Linux and give the same command < /sbin/lilo >

At boot as the lilo screen comes up you´ll see:

QUOTE (Text @ Screen)

mandrake *
knoppix
slackware
linux-nonfb
failsafe
floppy

Happy tweaking !
Perhaps see if you can change the name ¨linux¨ in your own Lilo to whatever distro you are using ! ( you have to change it on two places like I did with Mandrake )
This will give you some experience for when you really will have to do it ! BUT MAKE A BACKUP FIRST !

Bruno

-- May 6 2003 ( Revised Dec 12 2005 ) --