LILO

LILO is a totally free, open-source software that works as a bootloader or boot manager for GNU/Linux and UNIX-like operating systems. It's designed to help you boot these systems on your personal computer. Pretty neat, right?

What Can LILO Do?

This software can boot beyond the first 1024 cylinders of your hard drive, but only if your BIOS supports EDD packet call extensions with the INT 0x13 interface. The cool part? When you download LILO, you get full source files, documentation, and support files all in one package.

Your First Step into GNU/Linux

Think of LILO as the first screen you see when you're starting up a GNU/Linux operating system from a Live CD or USB. It’s that menu where you can pick which OS to load if you've got more than one installed. It even lets you test your computer's memory (RAM) or fix a broken system!

LILO vs. GRUB

You might have heard of GRUB before—it's pretty popular these days! While LILO is similar to GRUB, it has fewer features. Most Live CDs now use GRUB as the default bootloader, but some let you choose between GRUB and LILO during installation. If you're looking for something lightweight without too many settings to fiddle with, LILO could be just what you need.

Installing LILO Made Easy

Getting LILO on your PC is simple! Just keep in mind that only one bootloader can hang out on your computer at a time. So, you'll need to uninstall any existing bootloader (like GRUB) before bringing in LILO.

Finding and Downloading LILO

The easiest way to install LILO is by searching for the ‘lilo’ package in the main software repositories of your GNU/Linux distribution through tools like Synaptic Package Manager or Ubuntu Software Center.

Compatibility Note

A quick heads-up: LILO only works with 32-bit (x86) operating systems and doesn't support modern UEFI machines. So make sure your setup matches this before downloading!

If you're ready to give it a try, check out LILO here!