Help set up Boot to VLinux via WinXp Bootloader

[Halsafar]

Okay, I have not installed LiLo btw since the Vector installation doesn't enjoy doing it for me...

But I cannot install LiLo in the MBR, I have to put it somewhere where it will not corrupt the current MBR which contains vital information on how to work with the HP Recovery partition.

I am not sure where to start, I can boot Vector Linux into the shell and begin working with it, but I'm not Linux professional so I'd enjoy some assistance.

I need to get LiLo on the system and then somehow get the Xp Bootload to boot Linux... I already have the boot.ini file modified with a Linux entry and I believe I need to get a Linux.Bin file or something onto a Fat32...

Any advice, tutorial or assitance would be greatful.

I also from the VL Shell I can get into, could not seem to find any ways to access the other drives...

[genesus]

you can install lilo to your root partition of your nix system, you don't have to go to the mbr...

[Halsafar]

but how?
See I got options (MBR, First Sector, Floppy).

Now either one of the options fails and says I need to manually configure the lilo.cfg file. I have instructions on how to get it onto a floppy via the shell but I have no floppy drive on this computer.

Please give me instructions -- I can only get into the installation shell. Apparently I have to chroot or something.

[Halsafar]

How can I install it to the root partition via the installation shell. The plain installation shell gives me little options. I believe I need to mount and chroot somehow but I don't quite know how or understand it.

Once I get to that point I am not sure how to put LiLo manually into the First sector of the root partition.

After that I can take it from there -- copy the 512 bytes from the first root partition to a fat32 drive under a file named "linux.bin" and modify the WinXP Bootloader to boot the file...

[bigtomrodney]

Personally I would always use lilo or GrUB, as there are strange configuration options at times using the windows boot.ini. However I looked back at this when I saw your post, and aside from some longwinded config I saw this seemed to be the most straightforward. Hope it is of some help - Link from Gentoo Wiki

[MepisMagic]

install Vector linux. Is there some compelling reason to stick with this
distro which you admit is giving you problems.
My advice would be to get your hands on either Mepis 3.3,Kanotix
2005-3 or PCLinuxos .9 and when you install the distro you choose,
DO INSTALL GRUB TO THE MASTER BOOT RECORD, IT WILL NOT
CORRUPT IT !! Then you will have a great linux operating system
which dual boots with Windows easily.

[Weedman]

MepisMagic is right!

grub is excellent in dual boot configurations (or so i have found)!