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Thread ID: 49267	2004-09-14 09:25:00	Yoper & Mepis OK, NTLDR Missing	Murray P (44)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
272277	2004-09-14 09:25:00	Well I got around to editing my lilo.conf but now I have a wee problem as the title suggests, NTLDR is missing and I can't boot to windows. I could use the backup lilo.conf to reverse the changes but would rather sort this with all 3 OS's booting if it isn't going to be too dangerous. Previously, with just Mepis and windows (win2k), when I chose to boot into windows from the Lilo boot screen I got the same message re NTLDR......... press any key to continue, which I would and windows would load up. Now instead, I get thrown back to the Lilo boot screen with the 3 choices displayed but only YOS and Mepis work. If you would be so kind as to peruse my lilo.conf and advise if there are any errors in there plus what other info may be required: prompt timeout=60 default=YOS vga=791 boot=/dev/hdb lba32 bitmap = /boot/yoper_boot.bmp bmp-colors = 1,,0,2,,0 bmp-table = 120p,173p,1,15,17 bmp-timer = 254p,432p,1,0,0 image=/boot/yos label=YOS read-only root=/dev/hdd9 append = "splash=silent " initrd=/boot/initrd-2.6.8.1-3.img other=/dev/hda1 label=Windows image="/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22" vga=791 label="mepis" append="nomce hdc=ide-scsi" root="/dev/hdd6" Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
272278	2004-09-14 10:03:00	Try making a disk as per the MS site If You Do Not Have Access to a Computer Running Windows Create a copy of the first Windows Setup disk by using the diskcopy command . To do this: Click Start, and then click Shut Down . Click Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode, and then click Yes . At a command prompt, type the following command, where <a> is the drive that contains the Windows Setup disk and [b] is the drive that contains the blank floppy disk that you want to become the Windows startup disk: diskcopy a: b: Copy both the Ntdetect . com and Ntldr files from the I386 folder on the Windows CD-ROM to the new floppy disk . Rename the Ntldr file to Setupldr . bin . Create a Boot . ini file . The following sample Boot . ini file provides an example for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed in the Winnt folder; however, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends on the configuration of the Windows computer that you want to start up: [boot loader] timeout=30 Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt [operating systems] scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server" /fastdetect If your computer boots from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard disk, replace scsi(0) with multi(0) . If you are running Windows NT 3 . 5 or Windows NT 3 . 51 and your computer boots from the first or second SCSI drive, then you can also replace scsi(0) with multi(0) . If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot . ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller that is in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntbootdd . sys . If you are using multi(x) in the Boot . ini file, you do not have to do this . Start your computer by using the startup disk, and then log on to Windows . If You Have Access to a Computer That Is Running Windows On the computer that is running Windows, format a floppy disk by using the full format option in the Windows NT utility . To do so, type format a: at a command prompt, and then press ENTER . Notes You cannot format the floppy by using Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition . You must perform a full format to properly rewrite any boot sector content on the floppy disk . A full format prevents boot sector viruses from running . If you perform a quick format on the first Windows Setup bootable floppy disk, the boot sector keeps a reference to the Setupldr . bin file and requires that you rename the Ntldr file to Setupldr . bin . Copy the Ntldr file from the Windows CD-ROM or from a computer that is running the same version of Windows as the computer that you want to access with the startup floppy disk . In Windows 2000, the NTLDR file is found in the I386 folder on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM . For Windows NT 4 . 0, you can copy this file from the Windows NT 4 . 0 CD-ROM . Note In versions of Windows earlier than Windows NT 4 . 0, you may have to expand the file from NTLDR . _ to NTLDR by typing the following command at a command prompt: expand ntldr . _ ntldr Copy the Ntdetect . com file to the floppy disk that you formatted in step 1 . Create a Boot . ini file on the floppy disk that you formatted in step 1 . You can also copy the file from another computer that is running Windows and then modify it to match the computer that you are creating the startup disk for . The following example works for a single-partition SCSI drive with Windows 2000 Advanced Server installed in the Winnt folder, but the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends on the configuration of the Windows-based computer that you are creating the startup disk for: [boot loader] timeout=30 Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Winnt [operating systems] scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server" /fastdetect If your computer starts from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard disk, replace scsi(0) with multi(0) . If you are using a computer that is running Windows NT 3 . 5 or Windows NT 3 . 51 and your computer starts from the first or second SCSI drive, then you can also replace scsi(0) with multi(0) . For example: [boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server" /fastdetect If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot . ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller that is in use on the computer, and then rename it Ntbootdd . sys . If you are using multi(x) in the Boot . ini file, you do not have to do this . Note By default, Windows 2000 is installed to the C:\Windows folder . However, if the computer is using an earlier version of Windows, or if the computer was upgraded to Windows 2000 from an earlier version of Windows, then by default, Windows 2000 is installed to the C:\WINNT folder . Verify that the Boot . ini file shows the correct %SystemRoot% folder for Windows . Start your computer by using the startup disk, and then log on to Windows .	Spacemannz (808)
272279	2004-09-14 10:39:00	Hi Spacemannz, thanks for that. Unfortunately I do not have access to windows or DOS to make a boot floppy although, I could probably use another win2k PC in the house to do this or copy the files from the win2k CD to floppy from Linux except that my floppy drive seems to be playing up or, boot into the win2k CD and fix from the console. However, I believe my issue is more with Linux than windows or more correctly the new MBR I have written from Linux with Lilo, I'll take correction on this if someone can point out the error of my ways (no need to point out the obvious faults in my character, just the computer stuff, thanks all the same ;) ) What do you think? Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
272280	2004-09-14 10:40:00	> Previously, with just Mepis and windows (win2k), when > I chose to boot into windows from the Lilo boot > screen I got the same message re NTLDR......... press > any key to continue, which I would and windows would > load up. Now instead, I get thrown back to the Lilo > boot screen with the 3 choices displayed but only YOS > and Mepis work. > > If you would be so kind as to peruse my lilo.conf and > advise if there are any errors in there plus what > other info may be required: You are missing the chainloader section for XP that you had before. Yoper and Mepis boot OK, so what is the problem? :p	Jen C (20)
272281	2004-09-14 10:50:00	> You are missing the chainloader section for XP that > you had before. OK, scrap that idea - grub uses Chainloader and not LILO - Oops :8} other=/dev/hda1 label=Windows > > > do you have a space in lilo.conf between these two sections, or was that just PF1's formatting the remove the lines? image="/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22" vga=791 label="mepis" append="nomce hdc=ide-scsi" root="/dev/hdd6"	Jen C (20)
272282	2004-09-14 11:04:00	> You are missing the chainloader section for XP that > you had before. Pray tell, where do I find it, how do I get it back my win2k chain loader. No wait, I know where it is, google has it doesn't it! :p > Yoper and Mepis boot OK, so what is the problem? :p Yesss weell Jen C, I thought one of you rabid Linux types would come up with that answer ;\ But, in fact it's not a bad option, I have access to all my files so work can pretty much continue as per normal in the morning exept for Photoshop Elements (I'm not into Gimp or Wine yet and don't have Crossover which I believe would run it, and actually OO was the only thing that would open a grumpy Word doc today :) ). So you going to tell me or are you going to let me suffer in this "mess" of mine. :) Cheer Murray P PS. Thanks for the Lilo help in the other thread, it does work, maybe even as intended if you figure that O/S is starting to play some old tricks that you know who has been using for awhile now ;)	Murray P (44)
272283	2004-09-14 11:13:00	Can you not compare the two outputs of "less lilo.conf" and "less your back up lilo.conf " files ( the one I hope you made) open two consoles in text mode (ALT+ F2 then use ALT+F1 and F2 to switch between the two consoles) if you use "less" then press V that will open a file editor for the file you are currently veiwing and you will be able to edit the file but please backup first look at the windows setup area in lilo.conf files	beama (111)
272284	2004-09-14 11:16:00	&gt;&gt;&gt; do you have a space in lilo . conf between these two sections, or was that &gt;&gt;&gt; just PF1's formatting the remove the lines? Yes the space is there . Could it be the "quotation" marks around the Mepis entries or the period in front of the bottom three lines (PF1 didn't format this correctly either, had to put them in to illustrate it, what you see below is pretty much as it is in lilo . conf) image="/boot/vmlinuz-2 . 4 . 22" vga=791 . label="mepis" . append="nomce hdc=ide-scsi" . root="/dev/hdd6" arrgh, PF1 keeps on stripping the spaces out from between the periods ( . ) and the last three lines, take my word, there is a 7 space bar gap and the ( . ) are hard against the left margin . Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
272285	2004-09-14 11:24:00	Thanks beama, the windows area of lilo.conf hasn't altered from one version to the next. I have the backup plus I saved a copy of the previous lilo.conf (renamed) to another directory. Because the NTLDR thing happened when I only had windows and Mepis installed previously (but win would boot anyway when I hit "any key to continue" which doesn't work with the 3 OS's as set up now), I have suspected it is something in the Mepis section or even the Mepis kernel, but I don't have a clue how the latter would happen. Looking at the /boot directory ther is no mention of windows but I don't thing there ever was. I have not doubt that if I remove the Mepis entry from lilo.conf and the kernel from /boot it will load Yoper and windows as before. Cheers Murray P	Murray P (44)
272286	2004-09-14 11:25:00	> Pray tell, where do I find it, how do I get it back > my win2k chain loader. No wait, I know where > it is, google has it doesn't it! :p OK, so Win2K and XP are both Windows and would use the chainloader IF you used Grub, which you don't. That advice was a momentary brain fade of mine ... then I remembered LILO :p > Yesss weell Jen C, I thought one of you rabid Linux > types would come up with that answer ;\ But, in fact > it's not a bad option, I have access to all my files > so work can pretty much continue as per normal in the > morning exept for Photoshop Elements (I'm not into > Gimp or Wine yet and don't have Crossover which I > believe would run it, and actually OO was the only > thing that would open a grumpy Word doc today :) ). > > So you going to tell me or are you going to let me > suffer in this "mess" of mine. :) Hmm ... well after taking a look at your original Yoper lilo.conf from the other thread which you kindly posted for future reference :p, it seems this lilo.conf is quite different. The main points are that are now missing: map=/boot/map bitmap=/boot/mepis.bmp bmp-colors=2,,,3,, bmp-table=90p,160p,1,15,17 bmp-timer=400p,148p,3,2, boot="/dev/hda" ...... other=/dev/hda1 label="MSWinhda1" table=/dev/hda image="/dev/hdb1" root="/dev/hdd6" append="nomce hdc=ide-scsi" Did you change these sections? I wonder if running /sbin/lilo installed LILO to a different partition that what it was on before? Sorry about the bold thingy happening above, not sure why that is ...	Jen C (20)
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