Creating boot floppy(s) for distros in other partitions

[martinfromdublin]

Hi all,

Those of you who read my previous posts know that I have had a lot of hassle with my system lately and had to reinstall all O.S, WIN 98/XP and Mandrake. Left in another partition is SuSE 9.2 but I can't access it and my attempts to edit the bootloader in Kwrite messed up Mandrake forcing me to re-install it again.

I want to create a boot floopy that will fire up SuSE only, I'm not risking any more changes to the LiLo bootloader as what happened before was too many installs and re-installs of the MBR meant Windows could no longer find the NTLDR file. This is what forced me to re-format so I won't risk it again.

Is it possile to do this and if so,how do i go about it?The ideal final result would be no changes to LiLo but if I want to use SuSe, I'd insert a floppy then re-boot. Can it be done?

Martin,

Dublin, Ireland

[Flatline]

If you can boot from your Suse install disk, select Installation (I know, but you're not actually installing) and then when it prompts you, select Boot Installed System, you should be able to get to your Suse install. You can then fire up YaST and create a boot floppy from there (don't worry if you're "stuck" with the command line - you can simply run

yast

as root to get a text-based version).

[martinfromdublin]

Hi Flatline,

Is there a command I type to create the boot flooy or will it be a listed option?

Martin,

Dublin, Ireland

[martinfromdublin]

Hi again Flatline,

That worked, I was able to boot up SuSE, but I can't find the option to create a boot floppy. But is there any harm if I go the CD Rom route each time I want to use SuSE? Also, If I install Fedora into my last enpty partition without a bootloader, will the SuSE CD Rom boot that for me as well?

Martin,

Dublin, Ireland

[Flatline]

In 9.2, it should be in YaST in the System section, named Create a Boot, Rescue, or Module Floppy. I don't see any harm in using the CD either.

[martinfromdublin]

Hi Flatline,

I see a heading in 'System' that reads 'Bootloader Configuration' but there is no option in there to create a boot disk, just to change the default boot option from hda to floppy. Where else would it be? For now, I can still boot up from the CD, maybe that's safer as I don't have make any BIOS changes to avail of that.

Martin,

Dublin, Ireland

[Flatline]

It's not "Bootloader Configuration". A bit further down the list there is a heading (at least in 9.2, which is what it says you're running under your avatar) for "Create a Boot, Rescue, or Module Floppy".

[martinfromdublin]

It's definetely 9.2 personal but the only options listed are

/etc/sysconfig editor

Bootloader configuration

Choose language

Date and time

LVM

Partitioner

Power management

Profile manager

Runlevel editor

This version came with a magazine, it might be a stripped-down version, in which case I'll have to just boot from the install CD. It came with other software on a DVD and I had to burn it onto a separate CD before I could use it. Is there a way to create it from a root console?

Martin,

Dublin, Ireland

**HAPPY EASTER**

[domovampyr]

Well in the Suse distros b4 Novell there was the yast options : create a boot floppy.

Nowadays, according to the much better help filesthat option should be attainable through the yast/restore options.

I got to that option but I could not see anything. I have been trying to get into that options from the X windows or the terminal under root but it asks me to "select a fil"e and the hell if I know what file to select.

If you could give a hand please..you would be very much welcome. . You might see an option that I missed.

An other point I had Free bsd on my hda2 partition but grub has "forgotten" to see it.

The way grub is handled in the root/config file has changed. I need a few tips in order to put the bsd /hda2 partion in the boot loader.

Mind please it looks different of what we were used to from the 7.0 to the 9.0.

I do not know if it is Novell new ways of seeing things but I do not find the 9.2 as "Linux compliant" as it used to be.

Guys sorry about my English, I hope you'll read me fine, I am a frog and tend to loose the great English I had learnt in Belfast and Dublin (Rub a dub dub) during the boozy student years.

And of course Dublin guy "Happy Easter" .

doMo

[domovampyr]

I am going to try something : re boot the install cdrom and update the distro , then it should start the setup process.

I used to do this with previous suSe distros :
the tip is to update only one soft in order 2 gain time and the setup proogram should then offer you to configure the network, the hardware and the boot process asking you if you wanna make a standard boot floppy.

If that works I'll send you a report.

If you in turn have a tip please advise me as I have lost the boot process of my work environment BSD and need to rebuild the mbr.

god Bless

doMo