Lucinda wrote:

> upgraded to Slack Current a few days ago and everything was going
> well. I haven't made any changes to my system files since then and
> didn't install any new software yesterday. This morning I tried to
> boot my machine and got the error message "LIL" when trying to load
> LILO. I have LILO on my MBR and I don't run any other OS except linux.
>
> The explanation for the LIL error is:
>
> " LIL The second stage boot loader has been started, but it can't
> load the descriptor table from the map file. This is typically caused
> by a media failure or by a geometry mismatch."

IME it's typically caused by changing /boot/map without re-running lilo. Did
you by any chance try and install lilo on a floppy or something?
>
> I couldn't boot with the cd I made from "makerescue" but I was able
> to boot with a Slax live cd.

You're better off using the slackware install cd if you want to do real
system repair

> This morning I could get into the system
> fine after booting (via root=/dev/hda3), but noticed that once I was
> in, my hard drive was being recognized as
> /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/ instead of hda3!!

That's because slax uses devfs.

> Other than that, I
> could operate as "root" on /hd3. When I rebooted this evening, I
> wasn't able to do that anymore. I can't access "root=/dev/hd3" at boot
> time. The message I get back is that the kernel isn't available on
> that partition. Nor is it available on
> /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part3.
>
> I added a linear option to my lilo.conf file, but that didn't work. I
> couldn't run /sbin/lilo from my position as "root" on the Slax live cd
> because I didn't have proper permissions to the files on my hard drive
> (how can I change this??)


Slax mounts hard disks read-only. umount /mnt/disc0part3, mount -o
rw /mnt/disc0part3 should do it. Remember to chroot into it when running
lilo
>
>
> This is from my lilo.conf file:
>
> # LILO configuration file
> # generated by 'liloconfig'
> #
> # Start LILO global section
> linear
> append = "hdc=ide-scsi"
> boot = /dev/hda
> #compact
> install = /boot/boot.b

That doesn't seem right. I thought slack didn't use boot.b

> map = /boot/map
> message = /boot/boot_message.txt
> prompt
> timeout = 1200
> # Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
> change-rules
> reset
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
> vga = 773
> # Normal VGA console
> # vga = normal
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
> # vga=791
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
> # vga=790
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
> # vga=773
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
> # vga=788
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
> # vga=787
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
> # vga=771
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
> # vga=785
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
> # vga=784
> # VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
> # vga=769
> # End LILO global section
> # Linux bootable partition config begins
> image = /boot/vmlinuz
> root = /dev/hda3
> label = Linux
> read-only
> # Linux bootable partition config ends
>
>
>
> When I boot with the Slax live disk, my hda drive is no longer
> recognized. Instead, it becomes /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/.
> When I run /part3/sbin/lilo -v -v from that drive I get:
>
> root@slax:/mnt/disc0part3# /sbin/lilo -v -v
> LILO version 22.5.7.2, Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger
> Development beyond version 21 Copyright (C) 1999-2003 John Coffman
> Released 20-Aug-2003 and compiled at 19:15:26 on Aug 25 2003.
>
> Warning: LBA32 addressing assumed
> raid_setup returns offset = 00000000 ndisk = 0
> BIOS VolumeID Device
> Reading boot sector from /dev/hda
> pf_hard_disk_scan: ndevs=2
> 0300 3DB012B3 /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disc
> 0800 2D6EE8C9 /dev/scsi/host1/bus0/target0/lun0/disc
> device codes (user assigned pf) = 0
> device codes (user assigned) = 0
> device codes (BIOS assigned) = 0
> device codes (canonical) = 3
> Fatal: creat /boot/map~: Read-only file system
>
> (The last "fatal" error is due to me running the program as "root" on
> the Slax live cd and not as root on hda3).

Or it could be due to the hard disk being mounted read-only. Anyway, remount
it readwrite and then chroot into it to run /sbin/lilo
>
> The output I get from running fdisk -l as "root" on the Slax live cd
> is :
>
> Disk /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disc: 40.0 GB, 40027029504
> bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4866 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part1 * 1 8 64259+ 83 Linux
> /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part2 9 138 1044225 82 Linux swap
> /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part3 139 4866 37977660 83 Linux
>
> I tried to run /sbin/lilo -v -v -v >/boot/lilo.log
> 2>/boot/lilo.logerr from dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part3, but it
> didn't work because I didn't have permission to write to the /boot
> directory and I was unable to change this permission while logged on
> as "root" on the Slax live cd. Is there some way that I can become
> root on / on my hard drive so that I can change permissions to allow
> me access to files and directories?

The problem isn't the permissions, it's that the drive is mounted read-only.
>
> I entered the bios settings on my Dell Dimension 4500, but I didn't
> see any information about the hard drive, so I can't tell if there is
> a geometry mismatch or not.

I doubt it. If it's still failing after rebooting, come back.
>
> I also have an external hard drive and CF card reader that the Slax
> live cd also recognizes.
>
> Any idea what I can try next? Fortunately, I have my system backed up
> to my external hard drive. What else can try other than a complete
> reinstall? What could suddenly be causing this error?

First thing is to properly re-run lilo