Bug 2609 - new LILO confuses SystemSoft BIOS
Summary: new LILO confuses SystemSoft BIOS
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED DEFERRED
Alias: None
Product: Red Hat Linux
Classification: Retired
Component: lilo
Version: 6.0
Hardware: i386
OS: Linux
medium
medium
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: David Lawrence
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 1999-05-06 20:17 UTC by eric
Modified: 2008-05-01 15:37 UTC (History)
0 users

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 1999-06-01 22:31:03 UTC
Embargoed:


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Description eric 1999-05-06 20:17:30 UTC
The version of LILO included with Red Hat 6.0 apparently
confuses the SystemSoft BIOS used on many low-cost AMD-based
laptop computers using the Intel TX Socket-7 chipset. It
apparently does not detect a valid boot signature on the
hard drive and refuses to load and run the boot sector.
Instead, the BIOS prompts for a floppy.

The computer boots up fine off of the boot floppy. Various
configurations of /etc/lilo.conf were tried:
   a)  Use "fdisk /mbr" from a Windows floppy, then set the
Linux partition as active. Use boot floppy into Linux, set
lilo.conf to write boot record to /dev/hda3 (the Linux root
partition). Run /sbin/lilo then reboot. Same result (BIOS
prompts for a floppy upon reboot).
  b) Use boot floppy into Linux, set lilo.conf to write boot
record to /dev/hda. Same result (BIOS prompts for a floppy
upon reboot).

Temporary work-around: boot off of the boot floppy,
downgrade to the Red Hat 5.2 version of LILO and run
/sbin/lilo . (With the same /etc/lilo.conf that did not work
with the Red Hat 6.0 version of LILO).

Note: This appears to be a BIOS-specific interaction. No
problems have yet been observed with LILO on desktop
machines using the AWARD or Phoenix BIOS.

Comment 1 David Lawrence 1999-06-01 22:31:59 UTC
We will need to obtain hardware that contains this brand of BIOS to
accurately troubleshoot the problem associated with LILO shipped with
6.0. This may take a while.


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