When I installed SuSE Linux 7.3, I chose to write LILO to my boot partition /dev/hda3 during the installation process. This was OK, and Linux now boots from /dev/hda3. However, I now need to re-write LILO to the /dev/hda3 boot partition. But whenever I use YaST2 to try to do so all that I get is an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector". I have no idea WHY YaST2 cannot write LILO to my /dev/hda3 partition. However, it seems that this is not just a problem with this particular destination partition but rather a problem with writing LILO to ANYWHERE -- because YaST2 refuses to write LILO to a floppy either. (i.e. if I try to create a boot floppy with YaST2 I get an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector to the floppy. Please check that the floppy disk is formatted [it is] and that the write protection tab is removed [it is]". Any ideas as to how I might go about investigating what is wrong? Michael Alachouzos alacos@equitonica.org Date (dd/mm/yyyy) = 03/04/2002
Hi, On Wednesday, April 03, 2002 at 22:41:38, SMD Alachouzos wrote:
When I installed SuSE Linux 7.3, I chose to write LILO to my boot partition /dev/hda3 during the installation process. This was OK, and Linux now boots from /dev/hda3.
However, I now need to re-write LILO to the /dev/hda3 boot partition. But whenever I use YaST2 to try to do so all that I get is an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector".
I have no idea WHY YaST2 cannot write LILO to my /dev/hda3 partition. However, it seems that this is not just a problem with this particular destination partition but rather a problem with writing LILO to ANYWHERE -- because YaST2 refuses to write LILO to a floppy either. (i.e. if I try to create a boot floppy with YaST2 I get an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector to the floppy. Please check that the floppy disk is formatted [it is] and that the write protection tab is removed [it is]".
Any ideas as to how I might go about investigating what is wrong?
Run lilo from console as root with -v -t $ lilo -v -t and post the output of it here. Henne -- Hendrik Vogelsang aka Henne mailto: hvogel<at>hennevogel.de The things you own end up owning you. # random sigs made with fortune
Hello. On Wed, 3 Apr 2002 22:47:15 +0200, Henne Vogelsang wrote:
Hi,
On Wednesday, April 03, 2002 at 22:41:38, SMD Alachouzos wrote:
When I installed SuSE Linux 7.3, I chose to write LILO to my boot partition /dev/hda3 during the installation process. This was OK, and Linux now boots from /dev/hda3.
However, I now need to re-write LILO to the /dev/hda3 boot partition. But whenever I use YaST2 to try to do so all that I get is an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector".
I have no idea WHY YaST2 cannot write LILO to my /dev/hda3 partition. However, it seems that this is not just a problem with this particular destination partition but rather a problem with writing LILO to ANYWHERE -- because YaST2 refuses to write LILO to a floppy either. (i.e. if I try to create a boot floppy with YaST2 I get an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector to the floppy. Please check that the floppy disk is formatted [it is] and that the write protection tab is removed [it is]".
Any ideas as to how I might go about investigating what is wrong?
Run lilo from console as root with -v -t
$ lilo -v -t
and post the output of it here.
Henne
OK -- I'm posting the output below. A further peculiarity, by the way, is that whenever I attempt to write LILO to anywhere with YaST2 this seems to result in the line "lba32" being deleted from my /etc/lilo.conf file. (I inserted that line in the file in order to overcome any 1024-cylinder-boundary problems). Anyway, the output from the lilo -v -t test is as follows:-- linux:~ # lilo -v -t LILO version 21.7-5 (test mode), Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger Linux Real Mode Interface library Copyright (C) 1998 Josh Vanderhoof Development beyond version 21 Copyright (C) 1999-2001 John Coffman Released 06-May-2001 and compiled at 22:38:15 on Sep 23 2001. Reading boot sector from /dev/hda3 Merging with /boot/boot.b Mapping message file /boot/message Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz Mapping RAM disk /boot/initrd Added linux * Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz.suse Mapping RAM disk /boot/initrd.suse Added failsafe Boot other: /dev/hda1, on /dev/hda, loader /boot/chain.b Warning: CHANGE AUTOMATIC assumed after "other=/dev/hda1" Added windows Boot image: /boot/memtest.bin Added memtest86 The boot sector and the map file have *NOT* been altered. linux:~ #
Hi, On Wednesday, April 03, 2002 at 23:51:43, SMD Alachouzos wrote:
On Wednesday, April 03, 2002 at 22:41:38, SMD Alachouzos wrote:
When I installed SuSE Linux 7.3, I chose to write LILO to my boot partition /dev/hda3 during the installation process. This was OK, and Linux now boots from /dev/hda3.
However, I now need to re-write LILO to the /dev/hda3 boot partition. But whenever I use YaST2 to try to do so all that I get is an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector".
I have no idea WHY YaST2 cannot write LILO to my /dev/hda3 partition. However, it seems that this is not just a problem with this particular destination partition but rather a problem with writing LILO to ANYWHERE -- because YaST2 refuses to write LILO to a floppy either. (i.e. if I try to create a boot floppy with YaST2 I get an error message saying "Could not write the LILO boot sector to the floppy. Please check that the floppy disk is formatted [it is] and that the write protection tab is removed [it is]".
Any ideas as to how I might go about investigating what is wrong?
Run lilo from console as root with -v -t
$ lilo -v -t
and post the output of it here.
Henne
OK -- I'm posting the output below. A further peculiarity, by the way, is that whenever I attempt to write LILO to anywhere with YaST2 this seems to result in the line "lba32" being deleted from my /etc/lilo.conf file. (I inserted that line in the file in order to overcome any 1024-cylinder-boundary problems).
Anyway, the output from the lilo -v -t test is as follows:--
Warning: CHANGE AUTOMATIC assumed after "other=/dev/hda1"
Thats the problem. Lilo returns another exit code than 0 and YaST2 thinks it has failed. How does your /etc/lilo.conf looks like? Especially the windows part. Henn -- Hendrik Vogelsang aka Henne mailto: hvogel<at>hennevogel.de We are a generation raised by women. I'm wondering if another woman is the answer. # random sigs made with fortune
Hi. On Wed, 3 Apr 2002 23:58:16 +0200, Henne Vogelsang wrote:
<snip>
Warning: CHANGE AUTOMATIC assumed after "other=/dev/hda1"
Thats the problem. Lilo returns another exit code than 0 and YaST2 thinks it has failed. How does your /etc/lilo.conf looks like? Especially the windows part.
Henn
Thanks, Henne. I'm copying my /etc/lilo.conf file below. However, I don't think that I actually NEED the windows part, as all my operating systems -- including Windows 98 and Windows XP, and including also the Linux boot partition -- are in fact accessed via a third-party bootloader (XOSL) which is in another partition. Do you think that I should just delete the Windows section of the /etc/lilo.conf file? Here's my present /etc/lilo.conf file:-- boot = /dev/hda3 vga = 788 read-only menu-scheme = Wg:kw:Wg:Wg prompt timeout = 80 message = /boot/message lba32 image = /boot/vmlinuz label = linux root = /dev/hda8 initrd = /boot/initrd append = "enableapic vga=0x0314 disableapic hdd=ide-scsi" image = /boot/vmlinuz.suse label = failsafe root = /dev/hda8 initrd = /boot/initrd.suse append = "disableapic ide=nodma apm=off" optional other = /dev/hda1 label = windows image = /boot/memtest.bin label = memtest86
Hi, On Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 00:46:23, SMD Alachouzos wrote:
On Wed, 3 Apr 2002 23:58:16 +0200, Henne Vogelsang wrote:
Warning: CHANGE AUTOMATIC assumed after "other=/dev/hda1"
Thats the problem. Lilo returns another exit code than 0 and YaST2 thinks it has failed. How does your /etc/lilo.conf looks like? Especially the windows part.
Thanks, Henne. I'm copying my /etc/lilo.conf file below. However, I don't think that I actually NEED the windows part, as all my operating systems -- including Windows 98 and Windows XP, and including also the Linux boot partition -- are in fact accessed via a third-party bootloader (XOSL) which is in another partition. Do you think that I should just delete the Windows section of the /etc/lilo.conf file?
Here's my present /etc/lilo.conf file:--
boot = /dev/hda3 change-rules reset vga = 788 read-only menu-scheme = Wg:kw:Wg:Wg [....] The change rules reset should do it. Just copy those 2 lines into your lilo.conf and try again. Henne -- Hendrik Vogelsang aka Henne mailto: hvogel<at>hennevogel.de You are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. # random sigs made with fortune
Hi. On Thu, 4 Apr 2002 01:18:28 +0200, Henne Vogelsang wrote:
Hi,
Warning: CHANGE AUTOMATIC assumed after "other=/dev/hda1"
Thats the problem. Lilo returns another exit code than 0 and YaST2 thinks it has failed.
boot = /dev/hda3 change-rules reset vga = 788 read-only menu-scheme = Wg:kw:Wg:Wg
[....]
The change rules reset should do it. Just copy those 2 lines into your lilo.conf and try again.
It didn't work. YaST2 STILL said "Could not write the LILO boot sector" -- and when I then reopened the /etc/lilo.conf file I found that the lines "change-rules" and "reset" had been deleted! I have also tried editing the /etc/lilo.conf file so as to cut out the Windows part altogether. YaST2 says "Could not write the LILO boot sector" and re-inserts the edited-out lines! What now? I am utterly puzzled. Michael Alachouzos alacos@equitonica.org Date (dd/mm/yyyy) = 04/04/2002
I suppose you've actually had a look in the /boot partition and made sure you actually have space in it. A soft crash may dump into here and fill up the available space to the capacity of your ram if my memory serves me right. I also seem to remember it doesn't autodelete when it comes back up. just my 2 bits scsijon At 01:46 AM 4/4/02 +0200, Michael wrote:
Hi.
On Thu, 4 Apr 2002 01:18:28 +0200, Henne Vogelsang wrote:
Hi,
Warning: CHANGE AUTOMATIC assumed after "other=/dev/hda1"
Thats the problem. Lilo returns another exit code than 0 and YaST2 thinks it has failed.
boot = /dev/hda3 change-rules reset vga = 788 read-only menu-scheme = Wg:kw:Wg:Wg
[....]
The change rules reset should do it. Just copy those 2 lines into your lilo.conf and try again.
It didn't work. YaST2 STILL said "Could not write the LILO boot sector" -- and when I then reopened the /etc/lilo.conf file I found that the lines "change-rules" and "reset" had been deleted!
I have also tried editing the /etc/lilo.conf file so as to cut out the Windows part altogether. YaST2 says "Could not write the LILO boot sector" and re-inserts the edited-out lines!
What now? I am utterly puzzled.
Michael Alachouzos alacos@equitonica.org
Date (dd/mm/yyyy) = 04/04/2002
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Hi. On Thu, 04 Apr 2002 21:49:49 +1000, you wrote:
I suppose you've actually had a look in the /boot partition and made sure you actually have space in it.
Yes, plenty of space. However, I've now solved the problem. It turned out to be something wrong with YaST2. I'm afraid I've no idea what, though -- All I know is that uninstalling YaST2 and then re-installing it from the CD (by "updating" the system) cured whatever was wrong. Many thanks, both to you and to Henne Vogelsang, for trying to help. Michael Alachouzos alacos@equitonica.org Date (dd/mm/yyyy) = 05/04/2002
participants (3)
-
Henne Vogelsang -
scsijon-net2000 -
SMD Alachouzos