Re: problem booting win95 under LILO (linux) from the second hard disk

[ahn@indigo2.rad.bgsm.edu (Dave Ahn)]

I am assuming that you want to keep Win95 on HDD-1 and be able to
hot-swap HDD-2 (Linux) with a CD-ROM.  If you do not plan on swapping HDD-1
and HDD-2, then you need to install LILO on the MBR of HDD-1.  Your problem
is that you're altering the boot sequence, which you shouldn't be doing,
unless you want the ability to hot-swap HDD-1 with HDD-2.  By changing
the boot sequence to start Linux, runing LILO will install into MBR of
HDD-2, not HDD-1.  You probably have identical LILO configs installed
on both disks.

If you don't need to hot-swap HDD-1 and HDD-2 (i.e. keep Win95 as primary
at all times), then the solution is something like this:
1. Copy /vmlinuz to c:\linux
2. With Win95 on HDD-1 and Linux on HDD-2, use loadlin to boot Linux
   from DOS with root=/dev/hdc3.  You may need to pass the disk geometry.
3. Check from Linux to make sure that DOS is on /hda*.
4. Reconfigure LILO with boot->/dev/hda, dos->/dev/hda1, linux->/dev/hdc3.
   You may need to add your HDD-2 geometry specs in the append section.
5. Install LILO.

If you have multiple Linux partitions on HDD-2, you need to edit /etc/fstab
to point to the new device files (don't forget linux swap partition).

If you want to be able to swap HDD-1 and HDD-2 and still be able to boot
both Win95 and Linux under both boot sequences, then you need to maintain
two different LILO configurations installed on both MBR's as well as two
different /etc/fstab configurations.

If for some reason you cannot use loadlin, you can accomplish the same
thing by booting from HDD-2 into Linux, reversing the device files
in your lilo config and fstab, installing MBR into HDD-1, rebooting
from HDD-1 into Linux under LILO, then reconguring LILO to install
into boot=/dev/hda (don't correct any other device file).

Hope that helps,
Dave.

> I have win95 installed on the primary hard disk (1.2 Gig) of my TP760CD and 
> Linux installed on the secondary hard disk (720 Meg). When I try to boot from 
> the secondary hard disk (by altering the boot sequence to be HDD-2 followed by 
> HDD-1) and ask LILO to boot win95 from the primary hard disk, it gives me an 
> error that says something like "Invalid system disk" (like the error you get 
> when you try to boot from a floopy drive without a bootable floppy). I can 
> boot Linux from the seconadry hard disk without problem.
> 
> If, however, I swap the two hard disks and reset the boot sequence, I can boot 
> both OS's: Linux from the now primary hard disk and Win95 from the now 
> secondary hard disk. 
> 
> Does any one know what might be causing the failure in the former set up? I 
> like that setup (Win95 on HDD-1 and Linux on HDD-2) as it minimizes my having 
> to swap HDD's, floppy drive and the cdrom drive (I seldom use the floopy drive 
> and the cdrom drive under linux but use them all the time under win95).  
> 
> I am using slackware linux 1.2.13. I have enclosed my /etc/lilo.conf below. 
 
> Any help will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> -- Hira Agrawal.
>    hira@bellcore.com
> 
> -------------------------- lilo.conf -----------------------
> boot = /dev/hda
> delay = 50
> vga = normal   
> ramdisk = 0
> #
> # Boot DOS from Hard Disk 1 (the only PROBLEM case!)
> # Linux on HDD-2 and DOS on HDD-1, with boot sequence HDD-2, HDD-1
> #
> other = /dev/hda1
>   label = w1
>   loader = /boot/any_d.b
>   table = /dev/hda
> #
> # Boot Linux from Hard Disk 1 (This case works fine)
> # Linux on HDD-1 and DOS on HDD-2, with boot sequence HDD-1, HDD-2
> #
> image = /vmlinuz
>   root = /dev/hda3
>   label = l1
>   read-only
> #
> # Boot DOS from Hard Disk 2 (This case works fine too)
> # Linux on HDD-1 and DOS on HDD-2, with boot sequence HDD-1, HDD-2
> #
> other = /dev/hdc1
>   label = w2
>   loader = /boot/any_d.b
>   table = /dev/hdc
> #
> # Boot Linux from Hard Disk 2 (This works too)
> # Linux on HDD-2 and DOS on HDD-1, with boot sequence HDD-2, HDD-1
> #
> image = /vmlinuz
>   root = /dev/hdc3
>   label = l2
>   read-only
>   append = "hdc=700,32,63"
> #
> 
> 
> 


-- 
Dave Ahn,  ahn@indigo2.rad.bgsm.edu     "When you were born you cried, and the
           ^^ PLEASE NOTE CHANGE ^^      world rejoiced.  Try to live your life
Medical Visualization Lab, Radiology,    so that when you die you will rejoice,
Bowman Gray School of Medicine           and the world will cry."  -1/2 jj^2