How to configure Lilo and Grub bootloader to boot windows and linux together?

Question

Keeping windows on the first partition.

When I boot onto the dos partition it shows up a blank screen and does not boot onto the Windows.

Answer 1

Yeah, you're Linux Distro should take care of this for you. For example if you are thinking of installing Ubuntu, it will set all of this up for you. However, you can do it manually. Don't use Lilo use grub. Please note that you should not try this without backing everything up first and having a system restore CD (like Knoppix) at the ready. If you're very comfortable with linux and you try to configure this, you will almost certainly screw it up, so I'd highly recommend letting your linux installer do it for you. That being said, here's a breif guide:

1) download GRUB for DOS. We’ll only need a few files out of this zip package, not the whole thing (http://grub4dos.freespaces.com/)

2) There are only a few files we need out of this. The first is grldr.

3) Copy grldr to your C:\

4) Now we have to change the boot.ini file. Here is where you will most likely screw up

5) You first need to alter system permissions on the file. So go to start-run and type attrib c:\BOOT.INI -s -h –r

Now open up C:\boot.ini and append the following to the bottom: C:\grldr="Start GRUB"
6) Now go to start-run and run attrib c:\boot.ini +s +h +r to restore system safety. This is important or a cracker will have fun owning you :)

7) Copy the /boot folder from the zip file to your C:\ You now need to either the edit existing C:\boot\grub\menu.lst file or make that blank text file (menu.lst not .txt) if it isn’t there.

8) Now the hard part. You need a menu.lst file in the root of your C:\ You can copy the sample file from the zip archive (should be in /boot/grub/menu.lst). This should have the instructions for booting up windows already in it. Add to that file:

title My Linux Distro
kernel (hd0,0)/path/to/kernel -distro ops
initrd (hd0,0)/path/to/your_ramdisk

And fill that in. However, hd0,0 is arbitrary. You’re going to have to figure out where that linux distro is actually installed to in linux terms.

9) Reboot and pray it worked

If you reboot and you can’t load linux, GRUB will let you edit the file in the terminal. Use the command “find /path/to/kernel name” to find where the kernel and ramdisk actually are. Edit and re-try

10) I’m not responsible if you mess up your computer. Again, don’t do this unless you know what you’re doing. Let you’re installer do it for you.

Answer 2

When you install virtually any distro of Linux on a Windows machine to Dual-boot, Linux creates this automatically.

I don't understand your question.

Please re-post and describe your specific problem, with program name and error messages (if applicable) and a description of your PC and operating system. Specifically, WHAT are you trying to do?

Then, we can try to help.

Answer 3

There are training on a thank you to restoration grub after Windoze restores its boot loader. try finding up "restoration grub" in google. that is speedier than reinstalling / upgrading.