help installing GRUB or LILO

[finer recliner]

I just installed Slackware 11 on my desktop and it all seemed to go well except it wasn't able to install LILO to the MBR.

i dont have a floppy disk to boot from, so i'm trying to install a boot loader (GRUB or LILO) using my knoppix live disc. unfortunately i get an error when trying to install GRUB to it. (LILO, i dont know the command)

root@0[knoppix]# grub-install /dev/hda --recheck
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
Could not find device for /boot: Not found or not a block device.

my boot partition is hda1. anyone know what the problem is?

[Xaleandr]

Hello,

check here
The error You describe is under number 12

Best wishes,

[devils casper]

download SuperGRUB CD, boot from it and install GRUB or Lilo.

[finer recliner]

Hello,

check here
The error You describe is under number 12

Best wishes,

this isnt working either. i always get errors no matter where i try to set root to
(i.e. hd0,0 hda1,0 hda,1 hda,0...etc)

[devils casper]

did you try SuperGRUB CD?

[finer recliner]

download SuperGRUB CD, boot from it and install GRUB or Lilo.

did this and tried to install LILO from it. it says it completed so i restarted and removed the disc. but now my BIOS complain:

No boot signature in partition

attempting to boot that specific partition from superGRUB gives me this error:

error 13: invalid or unsupported executable format

anyone care to offer more insight? i appreciate any help.


EDIT: btw the link you posted above doesnt exist or is down at the moment. i had to find the ISO on a mirror. this also means i dont know how to troubleshoot the problem

[devils casper]

something wrong in lilo.conf file. boot up from Knoppix, post the contents of /etc/lilo.conf file and output of fdisk -l command.

[finer recliner]

something wrong in lilo.conf file. boot up from Knoppix, post the contents of /etc/lilo.conf file and output of fdisk -l command.

knoppix@0[knoppix]$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 16.9 GB, 16907304960 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2055 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *           1        1824    14651248+  83  Linux
/dev/hda2            1825        2055     1855507+   5  Extended
/dev/hda5            1825        2055     1855476   82  Linux swap / Solaris

i then opened up lilo.conf:

# /etc/lilo.conf - See: `lilo(8)' and `lilo.conf(5)',
# ---------------       `install-mbr(8)', `/usr/share/doc/lilo/',
#                       and `/usr/share/doc/mbr/'.

# Remove this line when you are done configuring. -KK

# +---------------------------------------------------------------+
# |                        !! Reminder !!                         |
# |                                                               |
# | Don't forget to run `lilo' after you make changes to this     |
# | conffile, `/boot/bootmess.txt', or install a new kernel.  The |
# | computer will most likely fail to boot if a kernel-image      |
# | post-install script or you don't remember to run `lilo'.      |
# |                                                               |
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+

# Support LBA for large hard disks.
#
lba32

# Specifies the boot device.  This is where Lilo installs its boot
# block.  It can be either a partition, or the raw device, in which
# case it installs in the MBR, and will overwrite the current MBR.
#
boot=/dev/hda

# Specifies the device that should be mounted as root. (`/')
#

# Enable map compaction:
# Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single
# read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the
# map smaller.  Using `compact' is especially recommended when
# booting from a floppy disk.  It is disabled here by default
# because it doesn't always work.
#
# compact

# Installs the specified file as the new boot sector
#
install=/boot/boot-menu.b
backup=/dev/null

# Specifies the location of the map file
#
map=/boot/map

# You can set a password here, and uncomment the `restricted' lines
# in the image definitions below to make it so that a password must
# be typed to boot anything but a default configuration.  If a
# command line is given, other than one specified by an `append'
# statement in `lilo.conf', the password will be required, but a
# standard default boot will not require one.
#
# This will, for instance, prevent anyone with access to the
# console from booting with something like `Linux init=/bin/sh',
# and thus becoming `root' without proper authorization.
#
# Note that if you really need this type of security, you will
# likely also want to use `install-mbr' to reconfigure the MBR
# program, as well as set up your BIOS to disallow booting from
# removable disk or CD-ROM, then put a password on getting into the
# BIOS configuration as well.  Please RTFM `install-mbr(8)'.
#
# password=tatercounter2000

# Specifies the number of deciseconds (0.1 seconds) LILO should
# wait before booting the first image.
#
# delay=20
timeout=100

# You can put a customized boot message up if you like.  If you use
# `prompt', and this computer may need to reboot unattended, you
# must specify a `timeout', or it will sit there forever waiting
# for a keypress.  `single-key' goes with the `alias' lines in the
# `image' configurations below.  eg: You can press `1' to boot
# `Linux', `2' to boot `LinuxOLD', if you uncomment the `alias'.
#
# message=/boot/bootmess.txt
#	prompt
#	single-key
#	delay=100
#	timeout=100

# Specifies the VGA text mode at boot time. (normal, extended, ask, <mode>)
#
# vga=ask
# vga=9
#
vga=normal

# Kernel command line options that apply to all installed images go
# here.  See: The `boot-prompt-HOWO' and `kernel-parameters.txt' in
# the Linux kernel `Documentation' directory.
#
# append=""

# Boot up Linux by default.
#
default=Knoppix

image=/vmlinuz
	append="lang=de apm=power-off hda=scsi hdb=scsi hdc=scsi hdd=scsi hde=scsi hdf=scsi hdg=scsi hdh=scsi vga=791 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix"
	root=/dev/hda5
	label=Knoppix
	read-write
#	restricted
#	alias=1

#image=/vmlinuz.old
#	label=Linux-OLD
#	read-only
#	optional
#	restricted
#	alias=2

# If you have another OS on this machine to boot, you can uncomment the
# following lines, changing the device name on the `other' line to
# where your other OS' partition is.
#
# other=/dev/hda4
#	label=HURD
#	restricted
#	alias=3

there was a line near the top in the comments that i was told to remove the line underneath (which i did). and then ran lilo as instructed. i got this error:

root@0[~]# lilo
/proc/misc: No entry for device-mapper found
Is device-mapper driver missing from kernel?
/dev/mapper/control: open failed: No such device
Failure to communicate with kernel device-mapper driver.
/proc/misc: No entry for device-mapper found
Is device-mapper driver missing from kernel?
/dev/mapper/control: open failed: No such device
Failure to communicate with kernel device-mapper driver.
Incompatible libdevmapper 1.01.03 (2005-06-13)(compat) and kernel driver
Warning: '/proc/partitions' does not match '/dev' directory structure.
    Name change: '/dev/cloop0' -> '/dev/cloop'
Fatal: Trying to map files from unnamed device 0x000e (NFS/RAID mirror down ?)

im pretty lost as to why my computer hates me so much. any suggestions? thanks.

[devils casper]

default=Knoppix

image=/vmlinuz
append="lang=de apm=power-off hda=scsi hdb=scsi hdc=scsi hdd=scsi hde=scsi hdf=scsi hdg=scsi hdh=scsi vga=791 quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix"
root=/dev/hda5
label=Knoppix
read-write

its Knoppix's lilo.conf file. mount slack partition in Knoppix and post contents of Slack's lilo.conf file.

[finer recliner]

EDIT: im an idiot. hehe see my next post