[linux-help] Re: more LILO problems

[james l <james@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Root/Great Overall Dictator replies:
> I had a similar problem before.  In order to fix it I changed LILO to use
> the MBR (Master Boot Record) and that fixed it.
> 
> Ian
> 
For some reason lilo doesn't always 'take', and will do that ( L- LI- LIL-).
I rerun lilo fairly regularly, and found that this happens fairly often.
Fortunately rerunning lilo usually fixes it. Most likely it is *NOT* a
configuration file error, just a lilo error. For this reason I had a second
hard drive that I never changed lilo on it. However I ran out of hard drives
and had to pull it, but I now have tried to keep a floppy taped on the
computer with a linux kernel (in case it messes up, so I can just tell it
linux root=/dev/hda5 single, run lilo and reboot)

Moral: MAKE AND KEEP A BOOT FLOPPY! and know what partition is root.
(otherwise you will have to waste time guessing)

James L

PS I think the L- LI- and LIL- represent errors in different stages of lilos
bootstrapping, and reading the documentation should tell you what went wrong.
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