[KLUG Members] Riddle me this: booting problems.

[Adam Bultman]

Okay: here's my config:

SCSI: Compaq 10k RPM UltraWide 2 drive.

IDE0:  40 GB WD, in 2 partitions.

IDE1: Quantum Bigfoot (shudder), 8 GB.

SCSI has slackware linux, IDE0 has plain data on it, and IDE1 has win2k on
it (games only).

Here's the deal:  I installed slackware, and fiddled ONLY with the SCSI
drive. Did NOT install Lilo, not boot options ( want to figure this out
first).  I installed slackware second (after win2k), and my HOPE was to
write a boot sector to IDE0, and have options to boot SDA1 and IDE1.
However, without even touching ANY boot records, I somehow managed to
screw up the boot sector of either IDE0 or IDE1.  This has happened
before, and in the past, was irreparable.  Fdisking all boot sectors,
changing active partitions did NOTHING, and I would hvae to boot linux
using the slackware CDROM, or another boot disk.  However, I think because
of something with the config, I was able to boot again (my BIOS, if you
look at the boot drive, goes like this:
Boot devices:
1.  FLOPPY
2.  FLOPPY
3.  FLOPPY

I obviously have no floppy in.

Question: What is the optimum way, using lilo, to boot this machine?  I
have NEVER been able to natively boot linux before from this computer.
Before, I had redhat and win2k on it, booted with grub, and switched the
boot drive (I unplugged all other Hard drives when I installed) in the
BIOS when I wanted the other OS.  Well, I'm sick of that.  I'd like to
just choose it in the boot menu, not the BIOS.  When I write the boot
record to the bigfoot, I get the standard lilo puke:
l010101010101010101... etc.    I *want* to write it to IDE0, but I'm
pretty sure that won't work, either.  As well, if I screw it up:  I'm
hosed. Because of driver problems, I've installed windows 3 times in the
past 2 days, and I'm through with that. Only my addiction to games keeps
windows around.

Anyway, I need some solid advice.  I can boot to the SCSI device, but
again, I'm not sure if I'll be able to use that as a boot device (can't
that screw things up somehow?)

I'd appreciate ANY help someone can offer me, I'm at the end of my rope.
I've finally got linux (thanks to the crashing) off of the 4000 or 4400
RPM bigfoot and onto the SCSI, now I just need a way to boot this thing
without making me pull out my hair, and hit the bottle.

Adam