With a dedicated Linux installation, or a Linux boot by default despite other operating systems on the hard disk, the Linux LILO boot sector can replace the Master Boot Record. LILO will then boot straight into Linux from the Master Boot Record without touching partition boot sectors. In some cases, though, you may have to […]

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During the boot process, the boot sector is read to obtain the bootstrap for the operating system. In the case of DOS, the Master Boot record or boot sector is read, and then COMMAND.COM is loaded. COMMAND.COM is DOS’ kernel.
Although usually the boot system is set up when the Linux installation process is followed, you […]

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To understand the Linux boot process, a look at the DOS boot sector is necessary. Figure 4.1 shows the DOS boot sector layout. The program code is the bootstrap to the operating system. The disk parameters include the File Allocation Table (FAT).
Figure 4.1.
The DOS boot sector layout.
Linux’s LILO boot sector is similar to the DOS […]

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To understand how LILO works, you must understand how a hard disk is laid out. You probably already know that a hard disk is essentially a set of concentric tracks, radiating out from the center of the disk platter. Each track is divided into a number of sectors.
Hard disks are identified by the number of […]

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If you want to update an existing version of LILO with a newer one, the process is the same as a first-time installation except that existing configuration files are renamed to .old. For example, chain.b is renamed to chain.old. If the new version of LILO behaves properly, you can delete the .old files. Whenever you […]

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The LILO Makefile supplied with the LILO installation files is valid for most installations, although you should carefully check all the entries. LILO uses either the Makefile, which contains all the instructions for a C compiler to compile a binary from the source code, or another file called /etc/lilo/config.defines. If the config.defines file exists, Makefile […]

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Some systems may have difficulty with hard disks that do not allow the disk parameters (heads, sectors per track, and cylinders) to be read. If you get error messages about bad geometry or the LILO installation fails with disk errors, the disk parameters are a likely source of trouble, especially if you’re dealing with SCSI […]

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Most systems will have LILO already installed and configured. If your system already has LILO installed, you can skip this section unless you want to update your version. A quick installation procedure is available with most versions of Linux to install a minimum set of LILO. This procedure is described in the file QuickInst.old or […]

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Whenever you hear about Linux, you’ll also hear about LILO. LILO is the boot loader Linux uses to load the operating system kernel. Whenever you change or move the Linux kernel, you must invoke LILO to rebuild a map of the kernel locations. LILO is versatile—it can boot Linux kernels from any type of filesystem, […]

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If you have installed Linux and the system doesn’t boot properly from your hard disk, it may be a problem with LILO or with the partitions. If you created a boot floppy disk, boot from that. If that boots without a problem, check the partition table by executing fdisk. Make sure the Linux partition is […]

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