Help! Instalation and Boot Issues

[ooNate]

OK, I stated out with Mandrake linux and installed that. I decided I would like to try a different distribution. I picked Slackware. So I download it install it and get to installing the boot kernal. The first time I pick the recommended option of installing from a boot disk. After doing this I quickly relized i don't have a boot disk... 3 hours later I have reinstalled slackware just to pick a different boot kernal option. I choose to pick from the CD, again i'm not really sure what to choose so i choose adaptec something and finish instalation. I reboot and the mandrake linux boot it still there and trying to boot mandrake from a partition that no longer exist and it chokes... wtf? what do i do to install a new boot kernal so i can boot into Slackware?

[U-Turn]

Typically, unless you have some kind of exotic hardware, you need bare.i. If your computer, laptop or desktop, uses acpi to handle power events, you'll want to use bareacpi.i.
Also, don't install LILO to the recomended location, superblock, unless you have the boot flag set to your / partition. I always install LILO to the MBR and it's never been an issue.

[emil]

Typically, Mandrake installs some data to your MBR. At the installation, choose to store the booting stuff at the MBR. I believe it's the third option (one of the last questions), in the installation.

[Krendoshazin]

like emil said, mandrake would have put it's own MBR (Master Boot Record) code in Sector #0 of your hdd, this is the first place the bios looks when it's booting the hard drive, and you'll want to install lilo to MBR in order to overwrite the mandrake loader and have lilo as default

[Krendoshazin]

I reboot and the mandrake linux boot it still there and trying to boot mandrake from a partition that no longer exist and it chokes... wtf? what do i do to install a new boot kernal so i can boot into Slackware?

in the last post i spoke of the MBR, in the MBR it contains the MBC (Master Boot Code) which the bios then takes once found and loads it into memory in order to boot the partition it's pointing towards, once the bios is happy, it loads the MBC to memory and lets the OS boot itself. installing lilo to the MBR will solve this

[ooNate]

Thanks for the response and that sounds like what it is. Now, is there a way to install a new boot loader without reinstalling Slackware...again...? How would I go about doing so if there is? Thank you for all of your help.

[Krendoshazin]

no idea, i've never been in the situation where i had to install it after i've installed slack, i always install it to the MBR. but in theory i'd imagine that lilo would offer the ability to do so should you install it from the desktop

[adrenaline]

Thanks for the response and that sounds like what it is. Now, is there a way to install a new boot loader without reinstalling Slackware...again...? How would I go about doing so if there is? Thank you for all of your help.

hereis a great tutorial. But I want to mention a couple of things that worked for me.
first as mentioned earlier pick the third option in the boot loader section (MBR) then I used the bare apci kernel (I can't remember the exact wording, but if I don't pick that option I have to manually shutdown my computer. If I pick that option It goes all the way down automagically.

Hope this helps.
Mike