If I overwrite MBR, will this eliminate the lilo boot routine?

[UUVGuy]

I have Fedora Core 3 installed in conjunction with WinXP SP2. I want to uninstall Fedora in order to install Slackware's version of Linux. (Some software I use at work will use Slackware and I want to learn its idiosyncracies at home as well.) I am a newbie in Linux and want to do this without endangering my Win XP parition.

TIA

 

[BobMCT]

Most Linux distros allow a selection to re-install or install over an existing partition. While I have not installed or used Slackware personally, I believe it should allow that option. You may have to select the "advanced" option to be able to select the current Linux partition as the target. If done so, following installation the boot loader, either Lilo or GRUB, will be written to the MBR offering you the selection of Windows XP or Slackware.

A word of caution, however, be sure to backup your Windows system somehow to somewhere before you proceed with the new install. If you do you know things will complete normally. If you do not you KNOW that it will not.

Good luck.

B

 

[stevexff]

Generally it's only Windows that insists on wiping out all other OSes on the drive when you install it. But I'd second the opinion about the backup, especially if you intend to mess about with the partitions.

 

[jstreich]

Installing Slackware should be fine without losing the windows partion. The new distro should see windows and Grub or Lilo will be installed to handle it.

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[Trevoke]

If you have LILO set up already, you don't have to overwrite the MBR. Just install whatever distribution you want and make sure of the following details:

- You know where your Microsoft partition is
- You know where your GNU/Linux partition is
- You're installing on the GNU/Linux partition (I'm not making fun, this is personal experience)
- You edit the LILO config file to fit your new distribution/kernel ...

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[meEIKEL]

If that doesn`t work and you can`t acces your linux/windows partitions you can always boot from the slack cd typing: root=/dev/hda1 noinitrd ro at the boot options assuming hda1 is your slackware partition.
After that you can change the lilo configuration in the control panel in KDE easy.
Or maybe in lilo.conf, depends on what you know better offcourse.
good luck!


Greetz,

meEIKEL.

 

[UUVGuy]

Thank you for all the responses.

My question now is will Red Hat be removed or will I now have 3 different Linux OSs to choose from? I updated Fedora Core and now there are 2 Linux OS kernals to boot from. I want to get rid of Red Hat entirely just for simplicities sake.

 

[jstreich]

If your using a new install CD, there would have to be a free space on the drive to have another distro. An update is just another kernel to boot from -- it's not a whole new distro. By default, most distros will ask what partitions to use, and how to format them -- just overwrite the old RedHat partition and you'll only have the one Linux OS, and Windows (be careful not to overwrite the windows partition).

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