recreating/fixing LILO after motherboard battery change

[icedtea]

my current problem is.. i have 2 HD Primary master Windows and 2ndary Master is LINUX. . LILO as the loader. . the problem started when i changed my motherboard battery; all of a sudden, windows does not load anymore but LINUX does. . everytime i choose windows it just hangs. .

now i saw something in the net which enables to "re enable the loader"

in the CLI i should type /sbin/lilo -u /dev/hda

then run it again /sbin/lilo

to be able to "refresh" my boot loader..

any comments?

btw my LILO is installed in VL (so i thought of posting my problem here)


thanks

[M0E-lnx]

I've changed MOBO batteries before, never experience any of these effects. I would make sure the windows partition is OK (mount it via linux and make sure everything is still in there).

Double check to make sure you didn't slightly pull the connection on the HDD. Double check your boot sequence in BIOS.
If all else fails, boot into Linux and run vfixmbr. Choose to write a windows boot loader, and that will restore your MBR to the windows booter.
[/vb]Be ware that this could make your VL installation un-bootable[/b] So make sure you have boot CD in case you need one

[icedtea]

I've changed MOBO batteries before, never experience any of these effects. I would make sure the windows partition is OK (mount it via linux and make sure everything is still in there).

Double check to make sure you didn't slightly pull the connection on the HDD. Double check your boot sequence in BIOS.
If all else fails, boot into Linux and run vfixmbr. Choose to write a windows boot loader, and that will restore your MBR to the windows booter.
[/vb]Be ware that this could make your VL installation un-bootable[/b] So make sure you have boot CD in case you need one

boot sequence:

1 - CD ROM
2 IDE 0
3 FLOPPY

boot into linux.. that's cd1 right? then boot into linux rescue at boot: ?

[nightflier]

If you can boot to VL, you may try running vasm
choose super > filesystem > lilo
and see if it picks it back up.

If windows still won't load (assuming xp), boot from an xp cd, choose recovery console and run "fixboot". You can also run "fixmbr", in which case you will need to boot into Linux using that cd and re-run lilo install.

[icedtea]

If you can boot to VL, you may try running vasm
choose super > filesystem > lilo
and see if it picks it back up.

If windows still won't load (assuming xp), boot from an xp cd, choose recovery console and run "fixboot". You can also run "fixmbr", in which case you will need to boot into Linux using that cd and re-run lilo install.

ok il try that. thanks btw, if il do that .. i assume my linux HD will not be erased right?

[nightflier]

ok il try that. thanks btw, if il do that .. i assume my linux HD will not be erased right?

Correct, it will only re-write the boot sector and mbr of the windows drive. Lilo will be overwritten, but not the Linux drive.

[icedtea]

btw sir.. IF VASM does not fix the problem.. can i use the VL CD for the rescue mode instead of the xp cd? (actually this will be my first time of dealing with LILO ) --in terms of problems encountered.

[nightflier]

We still don't know what happened to your windows. Changing a battery should not have caused this. Brainstorming, I am thinking some BIOS settings may have changed, confusing the software. If it triggered WGA, a full reinstall may be needed. Or something else may have got disturbed while you were working inside the box. Double-check every connector and setting.

Booting from CD: when you enter "linux root=/dev/hdb1 ro" on start (assuming hdb1 is where you installed VL), it boots into your Linux install as if you booted from the hard drive. You then have full access to all the tools like vasm etc. You may be able to repair the problem from within VL, maybe not. If windows system files are damaged, you will need to extract them from the windows CD. The windows recovery console contains scripts that do this, but it is very limited.

Of course, I highly recommend you back up any important files first. There is always risk of data loss. You can boot up VL and use it to read/copy the files, or use a LiveCD version that doesn't write to the hard drive at all.

[icedtea]

update :

i have done the suggested "re install of lilo" in my VL's vasm .. but still windows does not boot.

steps:

1. chose install LILO -- actually it has 2 choices the othe one is .. MS-SYS (choose this IF grub is still on ur MBR when u have already installed LILO ) -- since i dont have grub.. i did not chose this one.

2. LILO asked where i would like to install the MBR, /hda(windows detected), or /hdc(linux HD).. of course i chosed hda...

LILO installed with the default values. ..

3. instead running the new LILO.conf..  i just copied the recent LILO.conf im using (wherein additional distros are added).. and that's the one i run..

[nightflier]

Step 2 should have re-detected the available OS choices and built a new boot menu.

Step 3: If you used the old lilo.conf, it would not address any changes which may have occurred in the system. If you did Step 3 after step 2, you are back where you started.

Exactly how far do you get when you choose to boot windows? What messages, if any, do you see on the screen?

[icedtea]

Step 2 should have re-detected the available OS choices and built a new boot menu.

Step 3: If you used the old lilo.conf, it would not address any changes which may have occurred in the system. If you did Step 3 after step 2, you are back where you started.

Exactly how far do you get when you choose to boot windows? What messages, if any, do you see on the screen?

sorry if im making this post more of a windows thread

1. when MSwin is being chosen on LILO.. it will go to the :  "win has not started right(something like that) IT may be a hardware of software change. .pls choose from the options below to load your windows..  safe mode.. etc.. then. windows will start automaticall in x seconds.. .  i tried choosing the safemode.. AND letting it start automatically.. but it just hangs from there. .


2. tried inserting the xp cd.. my current xp is still detected. .


3 would u recommend me to just run the NEWLY installed lilo.conf and then just add the other distros again?

[nightflier]

If you make it to the windows boot menu with "Safe Mode", "Last known good configuration" etc.. then I don't think the problem lies with LILO, but rather with windows itself. By the way, did you try "Last good configuration"?

Have you tried booting to Linux and looking at the windows partition to see if your files are still there okay, and made backups of them?

Yep, when booting off the xp cd it will look for other installations of windows. It should give you the option of entering recovery console, or try to repair that windows installation. I never had much luck with the automatic repair option, would not jump straight into that if I were you.

[icedtea]

If you make it to the windows boot menu with "Safe Mode", "Last known good configuration" etc.. then I don't think the problem lies with LILO, but rather with windows itself. By the way, did you try "Last good configuration"?

Have you tried booting to Linux and looking at the windows partition to see if your files are still there okay, and made backups of them?

Yep, when booting off the xp cd it will look for other installations of windows. It should give you the option of entering recovery console, or try to repair that windows installation. I never had much luck with the automatic repair option, would not jump straight into that if I were you.

i can hardly move the cursor when im at that page. . what will i try to do is to fix xp's mbr and try if it will boot..  opinion sir?

[icedtea]

UPDATE :::

1. did a fixmbr on windows recovery . .. done

2. but still.. it does not boot. . .

[nightflier]

i can hardly move the cursor when im at that page. .

Not sure what you mean by that.. you move the selection with the arrow keys on the boot menu.

Anyways, if you did fixmbr and fixboot from recovery console without luck, I'm out of quick fix suggestions

At this time, all traces of Linux in the boot process should be gone, and it's a windows problem. In the past I have repaired windows with similar symptoms by installing over the old installation. To do so, do not select recovery console or repair options, but continue the install. Do not format or change the install location or filesystem.

And you did back up your files by now?