Need help using dsl to restore lilo

Forum: Other Help Topics
Topic: Need help using dsl to restore lilo
started by: Mr. Cool

Posted by Mr. Cool on Feb. 04 2005,21:46

I am trying to use dsl to repair a bad linux installed on my hard drive. I need to use dsl to install lilo to the mbr but I can't.

I type "sudo su" and then "lilo -C lilo.conf" but I get the error "Fatal: creat /boot/map~: Read-only file system".

I tried remounting /dev/cloop with the parameter -o remount rw but it didn't work.

I tried running the command "mount -wno remount /dev/cloop" and then when I run lilo I get a similar error: "Fatal: creat /boot/map~: Permission denied".

Anyone know how to do this?

Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Feb. 05 2005,00:48

Dude, make a grub floppy, or grab mine, and boot your dead linux to fix lilo.

The .cat image and instructions are on my ftp. linky

If you need to know how to work with grub, I put an entry in the docs the other day.

it's called "installing grub" but you can read it for the info of how to boot with the floppy.

After you get your linux up, just install lilo from there, or better yet, do grub.

-J.P.

Posted by tronik on Feb. 05 2005,02:50

The link JP put above is incorrect.
please use < this > link

Posted by Mr. Cool on Feb. 05 2005,15:56

I'm stumped. Booting with that grub floppy got me to a screen which listed a bunch of commands that I don't know what to do with. Linux commands like ls did not work.

All I'm trying to do is run lilo. Isn't there a simple way to get DSL to do it?

The reason I need to run lilo is I need to append "acpi=off" to lilo.conf because without it my laptop will freeze during boot.

Posted by cbagger01 on Feb. 09 2005,05:24

I don't know much about LILO, but I do know that you are trying to modify information inside the livecd / ramdisk file system instead of your hard drive.

In other words,

/boot/map

is located inside your temporary livecd filesystem and not your hard drive.

On your hard drive, it would be located somewhere like this:

/mnt/hda1/boot/map

(just an example).

I don't know much about LILO, but it sounds to me like you need to "chroot" over from the DSL livecd file system into your hard drive file system. Then you can run LILO and modify the correct files.

Try searching the forums and also google for a keyword "chroot".

Also, for similar instructions try searching google for something like "repair LILO using KNOPPIX" and then follow the instructions using your DSL disk instead of a KNOPPIX disk.

Posted by Mr. Cool on Feb. 09 2005,22:57

Thanks, that worked!

For anyone else having the same problem I was, do the following:

Mount the linux partition you're trying to repair (if it's mounted automatically by dsl you may need to remount it): "mount /dev/hda2" (obviously replace hda2 with appropriate device if yours is different)

then "chroot /dev/hda2"

then edit /dev/hda2/etc/lilo.conf if you haven't yet

then running /dev/hda2/sbin/lilo should do the trick.