windows XP overwrote lilo, now i cant boot into linux

I had windows98 and linux redhat7 dualbooted. windows was on hda1, linux was on hda6. well, i wanted to install windowsXP. so i went into linux and backed up a bunch of stuff (about 3 gigs worth) from my windows mount onto my linux partition.

Then I installed windows XP on hda1. Works like a charm, I love it.

But... now when I start my computer, the bootloader never comes up, and I can't get into linux. Which means I cant get to all that data i backed up on my linux partition. which is BAD.

so can someone please tell me a quick and easy way to get my boot loader back?

unfortunately, I dont have a linux boot disk OR the linux install CD's (a friend installed linux for me at his house)...

so can anyone walk me through how to get my linux back??

thanks

download loadlin.exe and a standard kernel from the internet (kernel probable available at ftp.cdrom.com) and copy them both on a msdos bootdisk.

boot from the msdos bootdisk and load

loadlin.exe [kernelimage] root=/dev/hda6

this should boot the kernel from the disk and load linux from that disk, it should mount your filesystems and when in Linux execute lilo that should reinstall your bootloader. Hopefully you'll be able to get your bootloader back. I can and will not garantee it will work but it should do so.

Otherwise download an iso with a live filesystem, burn it on cd and boot from the cd. mount all your localfilesystems and reinstall lilo. I personally would choose the first option cause it's a little easier to do so even though is some more work.

Marc

Where can I get one of these "standard linux kernels"? And what would they be named? I went to ftp.cdrom.com but they have so much stuff, i didn't know where to look to find a kernel.

and where can i also find this loadlin.exe thing?

thanks

Another, possibly easier (depends on your POV) solution would be do download Trinux (that URL may be down, if so try this) and create a cd/floppies. Then once you boot off them, chroot into hda6. From there you should effectively be in your filesystem and can then run "lilo" to write lilo make to your MBR.

In the unlikely that that doesn't work, you should be able to see both NTFS and EXT2 partitions from Trinux and be able to make copies between the two.

ok, i went to that trinux page, and it sounds like it will work great -- but what do i download? i can choose between boot, trinux-ide, trinex-iso, trinex-etc etc etc. which one do i need to make the floppy disk?

I've always used the CD-ROM version, which works wonderfully.

For the floppy, you most likely want the trinux-ide. Just a clarification of what I said earlier, it appears that it will NOT let you write to NTFS from trinux, just read it. You CAN however write to FAT(32) partitions.

And again, make sure you write the image to the floppy, not just copy it. I know someone who coastered two CD-Rs because they did that, not fun.