On Thu, May 17, 2001 at 01:40:26PM -0400, Steven K Thompson wrote:
> I did not get any response when I asked this query before. It
> would be great if someone knows how to get a more straightforward
> display of the available operating systems at bootup, especially
> if it is someone besides myself who turns the machine on.
>
>
> When I installed Debian 2.2r2 on my laptopI configured Lilo to give a choice
> of
> three operating systems:
> 1. Debian, 2. Redhat, and 3. Windows/Dos. Debian is the default.
>
> When I press the tab key at the boot prompt the display of the options is
> rather
> chaotic
> in appearance, like this:
>
>
> debian 1 2 redhat
> 3 dos
>
>
> Is there a way I can change this into a simple list of the three options, with
> the numbers and
> labels in the same order for each? I would appreciate any advice here.
>
First, get rid of all the comments you don't need in lilo.config. There's
a man page for it, so you don't need the docs for stuff next to the items,
unless you usually find that you don't remember what they do without
checking. Anyway, get yourself an up-to-date version of lilo (potato's lilo
might not have boot-menu), and use this:
# bootloader options
boot=/dev/hda
lba32
install=/boot/boot-menu.b # instead of boot.b
compact # turn this off if it won't boot with it.
# UI options
delay=20
prompt
timeout=100
# kernel options
append="apm=on"
root=/dev/hda4
read-only
# images
default=debian
#default=redhat
image=/vmlinuz
label=debian
root=/dev/hda4
image=/redhat/redboot/vmlinuz-2.2.16-22
label=redhat
root=/dev/hda5
other=/dev/hda1
label=dos
# a couple fun ones I like to have
other=/usr/lib/hwtools/memtest86.bin
label=memtest86
image=/usr/lib/hwtools/memmxtest.bin
label=memmxtest
other=/dev/fd0
label=floppy
unsafe # don't try to read floppy when installing bootloader
A lot shorter and easier to read, eh? :) (BTW, if /sbin/lilo complains,
_be_ _careful_. Don't set your computer on fire with this, etc. :)
If you don't install a lilo with boot-menu.b, then you're probably best off
following the advice of the other people who've suggested things. (GRUB, or
using a boot-message).
--
#define X(x,y) x##y
Peter Cordes ; e-mail: X([EMAIL PROTECTED] , ns.ca)
"The gods confound the man who first found out how to distinguish the hours!
Confound him, too, who in this place set up a sundial, to cut and hack
my day so wretchedly into small pieces!" -- Plautus, 200 BCE
