DSL Embedded :: fix other distro lilo help



hi all,

i have a toshiba laptop that i wanted to install linux on. im new so i picked a easy distro and i chose xandros version 4. now for the tricky parts. the laptop has a dead cdrom. so in order for me to install an os on it i had to take the hdrive out and plug it into my tower with a $5 converter. so i installed it and booted it a few times and its now working fine. now i take the hdrive out and put it  back into my laptop and im getting some weird errors from the loader/lilo. these being....

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ls: /sys/block/*/*/: No such file or directory
Suspend2 2.2: Missing or invalid storage locaiton (resume2= parameter). Please correct and rerun lilo (or equivalent) before suspending.

loading....
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unalbe to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,2)
----------------------------

so now ive decided to try dsl to see if it can help me out. i did a pen install of dsl but the laptop wont boot from usb. i did a tomsrtbt floppy but that work boot either. so now ive done a embedded inside windows install on the xp partion to try and get to the loader to fix it.

so my questions are...
1)how do i get lilo fixed?
2)in doing so how do i get dslembed to see the linux partion?
40gig drive with it split between xp/xandros4
3)is lilo in my windows c: or in /etc/lilo.conf of the D: drive(xandros)

im really enjoying the dsl embedded idea though and will most definatly be using it more as i become more experienced. but for now i need a distro with training wheels as im new. any help or ideas would be greatly apprechiated :)
help?
Moving hard drives and to use their boot loaders will only work if the drive order is the same (i.e. hda )
1. You could use a lilo (or grub) boot floppy
2. Your embedded runs within windows, and if windows can't see the partition, I do not think you can use it.  This depends on the formatting.  If its a Linux specific one, you could always try a windows driver for it.
3. LILO is stored in the mbr - you overwrite it every time you want to change it.
Quote (^thehatsrule^ @ Aug. 08 2006,17:20)
Moving hard drives and to use their boot loaders will only work if the drive order is the same (i.e. hda )
1. You could use a lilo (or grub) boot floppy
2. Your embedded runs within windows, and if windows can't see the partition, I do not think you can use it.  This depends on the formatting.  If its a Linux specific one, you could always try a windows driver for it.
3. LILO is stored in the mbr - you overwrite it every time you want to change it.

requestioning back

1) - my laptop does not boot from floppy either since its an external usb one
2) - can i try to reinstall linux on a fat32 then convert it once i got everything running. i know xp will load on a 32 and has a one time conversion option to later change it to NTFS. does linux have this ability?
3) - ok the mbr is where then? i do apprechiate your help but when i cant find  "x" and you tell me its next to "y" when i dont know where "y" is located in the tree just gets me even more lost ;)

original here.