The configuration file, by default is read by LILO. The configuration file tells LILO where it should place its boot loader. In general, you can either specify the master boot record (MBR) on the first physical disk (/dev/hda) or the root partition of your Linux installation (/dev/hda1 or /dev/hda2). The first stage of loading LILO is completed when LILO brings up in order of the each of the letters—L-I-L-O. When you see the LILO prompt, you are in the second stage. If you have WINXP installed to MBR on your hard drive, install LILO to the root partition instead of the MBR. If you want to boot up Linux, you must mark the LILO partition as bootable. If you don't overwrite the master boot sector, you'll find it easier to uninstall Linux and LILO. If you are starting with LILO, you can begin editing the configuration file. For existing Linux users migrating to LILO, you should get the latest version of LILO. Before you try LILO, you should have an emergency Linux boot disk in case you have problems booting the system from the hard disk, a CD-ROM, or another storage device. After you install LILO on your system, you can make it take over your MBR.