Next Previous Contents

3. The Simple Configuration

Most Lilo installations use a configuration file like the following one:

boot = /dev/hda   # or your root partition
delay = 10        # delay, in tenth of a second (so you can interact)
vga = 0           # optional. Use "vga=1" to get 80x50
#linear           # try "linear" in case of geometry problems.

image = /boot/vmlinux  # your zImage file
  root = /dev/hda1     # your root partition
  label = Linux        # or any fancy name
  read-only            # mount root read-only

other = /dev/hda4   # your dos partition, if any
  table = /dev/hda  # the current partition table
  label = dos       # or any non-fancy name

You can have multiple ``image'' and ``other'' sections if you want. It's not uncommon to have several kernel images configured in your lilo.conf, at least if you keep up to date with kernel development.

3.1 How to Deal with Big Kernels

If you compile a ``zImage'' kernel and it is too big to fit in half a megabyte (this is common with new 2.1 kernels), you should build a ``big zImage'' instead: ``make bzImage''. To boot a big kernel image nothing special is needed, but you need version 18 or newer of Lilo. If your installation is older, you should upgrade your Lilo package.

3.2 How to boot Windows NT from 'LILO boot:' menu

Here I will give you an order of routines you have to do if you want to have both Linux and NT entries under Lilo menu:

3.3 How to boot Windows 2000 from 'LILO boot:' menu

Well, you may use the same procedure as described above. I suggest you to read Linux+WindowsNT mini-HOWTO that also talks about booting Windows 2000, which is installed on the same part of disk where Windows NT was before. There you'll find many useful details regarding various Linux+WinNT/2000/98 combinations.


Next Previous Contents