Skip to Main Content
Learning Debian GNU/Linux
book

Learning Debian GNU/Linux

by Bill McCarty
October 1999
Beginner to intermediate content levelBeginner to intermediate
360 pages
10h 18m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Learning Debian GNU/Linux

Appendix D. Managing the Boot Process

In this appendix, you’ll learn more about how to boot a Linux system; in particular, you’ll learn more about configuring your computer system to boot any of several operating systems. The chapter focuses on lilo and loadlin, the most popular utilities for booting Linux systems, explaining their capabilities and options in considerable detail.

Booting Linux

When you boot a PC, you cause it to execute a small program known as a boot loader. The purpose of the boot loader is to locate and read into memory the first stage of an operating system and transfer control to it. The operating system then locates and reads its remaining components as needed.

The simplest way to boot Linux is by using a floppy diskette. By doing so, you’re able to leave the boot information on your hard drive untouched, ensuring that you can still boot Microsoft Windows or another operating system stored on the same hard drive. Moreover, some operating systems and virus protection programs prevent modification of the boot information on your hard drive. By booting from a floppy diskette, you avoid several potential problems.

However, many users find booting from a floppy diskette slow or inconvenient. You don’t have to boot Linux from a floppy diskette; you can boot Linux in any of several other ways. The two most popular alternatives are by using lilo, which replaces the boot loader stored on your hard drive, or loadlin, which lets you first boot DOS and then boot Linux from ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Start your free trial

You might also like

Linux in Action

Linux in Action

David Clinton

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 1565927052Supplemental ContentCatalog PageErrata