Linux Loader Reload?

Loaded Debian Linux 3.0 onto my primary drive. Linux loaded just once but had problems with the ATI driver and the Xserver refused to load. (That's OK. Same thing happened with a practice HD. I can fix this). The main problem is that something went wrong with the Linux Loader. The system would POST and try to start the Loader but would stop with just the POST summary plus the letters "LI" on the screen, nothing else. I could not start Windows nor Linux.

Since this was my primary machine and I needed to use Windows I was forced to re-write the Master Boot Record with the DOS command FDISK /MBR and making the Linux partition non-bootable. I could then boot my machine directly to Windows.

Here are my questions.

How can I reinstall the Linux Loader? Right now I can start Linux only if I use a boot disk.

When using the Linux Loader is it possible to make Windows (98SE) the default OS?

If not, is there another boot manager that will let me default to Windows?

<b>I type sixty words per minute. Ten are spelled correctly.</b>

I don't have an internet connection working in Linux yet so I put the GRUB package on a CDRW. I'll give it a try sometime this weekend.

Thanks for your help.

<b>I type sixty words per minute. Ten are spelled correctly.</b>

Thanks I'm already past that point. Before, I rewrote the MBR I must have messed up something because Linux thought I had a minimal installation. I reinstalled it and this time LILO worked. I was surprised because my Linux boot partion is not within the first 1024 cylinders at least I don't think it is. I have 35 GB of FAT32 partitions then the Linux partitions. (By the way, what is the optimal size partition for a Linux swap file?) This is what I thought was originally wrong. I found the lilo.conf file and the lilo program and set my default boot to Windows 98SE.

Anyway, the system is working but now I can't get the Radeon 8500 drivers to load. I get all these unresolved "lib" errors.

Oh well, I keep working at it. So far I have found Linux completely puzzling. Each time I load it I seem to run into different problem. On about the 4th try, with the help of this forum, I was able to load the Radeon 8500 drivers. However, that was on a practice drive. In that session the emacs editor wasn't available but xemacs was. Now on my primary drive it's reversed. Emacs is available but xemacs is not. Not that this is a big deal, getting the Radeon 8500 drivers to load is a big deal. I can't run the xserver without it. Apparently the default ATI drivers don't work with an 8500, not even in just 2D.



<b>I type sixty words per minute. Ten are spelled correctly.</b><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by phsstpok on 11/04/02 02:53 PM.</EM></FONT></P>