hi

i was wondering if i could install gentoo. i want to keep mandrake 9.1 (i am also running windblows) and not furk up LILO. do i just shove the cd in and go for it? has any one done this before? and how do i make LILO give gentoo as a boot option. Any help would be GEAT!!

Gentoo isn't for the newbie is it

No, it is not. No reason not to try, but expect much difficulty and confusion.

Anyway, it shouldn't mess up Lilo too badly...if you know how to edit your /etc/lilo.conf. Just copy the lilo.conf from your Mandrake drive to your gentoo one, and add the gentoo entry to both copies. Lilo complains if it can't find the kernels when it's run so you'll also need to copy your kernels to both drives (the files like /boot/vmlinuz). then run lilo on one or the other to reinstall the bootloader -- since both OS's will have identical lilo.conf's, it will do the same thing.

Or simply mount the other install's partitions and use lilo lines with something like /mnt/hdb7/boot/... Saves having to remember to keep current copies on both /boot partitions.

hmmm.

how about i try Knoppix instead (seams like a better option) i would be installing from a live cd. and i need to know the process i have gathered these instructions. can i get your feed back on these!

boot Knoppix, language = US 2
on the command line type hdinstall

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE OPTIONS! (there could be more i do not know)
minimum partition size = 3gig file sys type = 83
swap = 500mb file sys type 82 (all these partitions seem a bit large?..)
choose Xfs or EXT3 (help!..which one would be best to minimise risk to mandrake)
smail = no
SSH = yes
samba = yes
cups = yes
KDE = yes
give host name
use DHLP? (what?) to get an ip and internet access? =yes (i think?)
setup pass words one for root and one for knoppix
set up boot loader (bingo!...what should i do here? to add mandrake?)
boot floppy = no
then reboot!

then change language settings in KDE using root (various mumbo jumbo)

when i set up the boot loader how would i do it to include mandrake or will i have to do that from..mandrake? will two boot loaders confuse each other?and do these options seem right?

cheers

gentoo is really easy to install as long as you can 1) read 2) pay attention. if you're going to start dual booting linux distros i'd really stringly adivse switching from lilo to grub, as it deals with things at device level, rather than the existing filesystem.

I'm fixin to do the same thing. I currently using Mandrake 9.1 and I have ordered Slackware 9.0 and the new Mandrake 9.2. I have to do a lot of and a bit of and if it don't work I will and then come here with .

I'll try to post back with the results. Actually, I'll probably be back with . Lots of them.

Still trying to figure out how to do it within Mandrake.

hmm

all right! i will drop the bomb and install gentoo.
any way how do i switch from LILO to GRUB? please if this can be done using a gui (i have KDE and Gnome) then tell me that way. i can apreciate the power of the command line and i am using it more and more as time goes on but messing with the boot manager is something i do not want to screw up! i think my fear lyes with in the fact that LILO is in the MBR and once that is stuffed i can kiss my setup good by.

please any help switching from LILO to GRUB would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

ok

(i really should check this stuff before i post )

i looked at this thread http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...002/11/4/36188
i am going to do the cd option (how dam easy)

Go to Mandrake Control Center. Click on Boot on the left and DrakBoot on the right. Click the "configure" button in the top right. In the little menu for "Bootloader to use", just select "Grub" and say OK. You should be able to make the change that easy.

Hope that helps.

But I heard that doing that can causes MAJOR problems. Or is that just a myth. I've been temped, but never tried.

I changed to grub, then back to lilo. Then I found out that Gentoo works best with Grub so I switched again. Boots fine for me.

I may be lucky though. That usually doesn't happen though, being lucky that is.

hi all!

thanks for the posts!

i have switched to GRUB (that cd way is magik!)

any way i have hit a brick wall installing gentoo due to the fact that i am a total and utter newb! the instructions given by gentoo are fantastic but they do not apply to me in the sence that i currently have two OS's installed and running on my pc. both windows (currently used for internet connection only) and mandrake 9.1. in the manual for gentoo it gives instructions on how to install the OS but in the process delete your entire drive! and go from scratch. this is NOT an option and as such i need to find out if there is some documentation on how to install and boot multipal OS's.
please any information would be fantastic.

thanx in advance.

This may help.
http://easylinuxguide.com/

You need to scroll down to see the links though. Kind of hidden.

I plan to install when the CD's get here. I'll share any tricks that may help.

I had Mdk and Gentoo running together until recently (Gentoo got scrubbed in favor of Mdk 9.2)
I don't remember all the details, but I set up partitions for Gentoo with Mdk's Diskdrake before installing Gentoo. I made a / partition and a /boot partition. Technically the /boot is not essential, but after a few installs without it, I found life is easier if it's there

I used Gentoo Stage 3 and I was quite happy with the performance. I personally don't think there's much to gain by compiling everything with Stage 1

As for dual boot, I made a /mnt/boot directory in Mdk and copied bzimage from Gentoo to there. Then make an entry in Lilo (grub?) pointing to /mnt/boot