[AvvY]

i realize many people have asked questions about the instilation of linux on a winxp machine, and i did read up on them but most of it didnt apply to me. i am currently downloading mandrake linux community 10.1. i have winxp sp2. 200gb hdd. i havent got partition magic and i wouldnt have a clue what nfts means. so in other words i need some assistance.

once i download the three madrake cds and burn the .iso files, can i just install from boot up? (i doubt it could be that simple) but what is the easiest way to install it... thanx so much!

[AvvY]

i just found out i can get a copy of partiton magic 8 from a friend. i guess that will probably help. but could u still give me the required advice? cheers

[saikee]

A Mandrake needs about 5Gb plus a swap partition 2 to 3 times your physical memory. So make two partitions 5 and 2 Gb should do most of the cases. If you use Partition Magic choose Ext2 or Ext3 partition. Instruct Mandrake to use them and it will be automatically formatted during the installation.

My hard drive has 25Gb for XP and every Linux is housed in a 5Gb partition. There is no need to allocate all the space. You can run both XP and Mandrake perfectly with the bulk of the 200Gb "unallocated". My current 200Gb has 28 partitions.

NTFS is New Technology Filing System (or something similar) used mainly by XP, Win2000 and OS2. Current Linux can read it and does not write it officially.

After you install Mandrake you should find it boot Windows for you too.

[AvvY]

ok, i think i understand what ur saying, can u just run me through how to use partion magic to set up these partitions? so i take it, i install PM onto my pc and through windows set up these Ext2 or Ext3 partitions? (what does that mean exactly?) and make these partitons 5gb big? (ok, i think i just confused myself :S)

[saikee]

When you create a partition you need to specify the type of files the partition will be used to store. Actually it is just a type number stored with a partition. Type 6 is for FAT16, Type 7 is for NTFS. This type number allows a operating system to decide the method of reading it.

Ext2 and Ext3 I think have the same type number of 83. Linux is powerful because all the PC files types are accommodated, probably about 100 types!.

For example Type 16 is hidden FAT16 and Type 17 is hidden NTFS. This allow a user to have several Windows in the same hard drive and only the unhided partition is operating. Such is the power of Linux.

Also a PC can have either 4 primary partitions or 3 primary plus an extended partitions. Subject to the space left you can create as many logical partitions as you like within an extended partition.

My suggestion in your case is to have the 1st primary for XP, say 25 Gb, 2nd and 3rd primary partitions each 25Gb for private data storage and the rest 125Gb as an extended partition which is just a boundary. The first logical partition created will be known as hda5 as hda4 is reserved for denote extended partition but it cannot be used in Linux.

A good strategy is to use hda5 as the swap partition because one can always remember it. Thereafter 5Gb for hda6 for Mandrake. The rest for future use.

You can have a look at the two hard disks arrangement of this bootloader menu that boots 30 operating systems.

The partitions of its first disk are listed below. The id is the partition type number. You can get Mandrake to list yours by typing "fdisk -l".

The earlier parts of my disk has 10Gb for a Linux while the latter part has been standardised with 5Gb.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disk /dev/hda: 203.9 GB, 203928109056 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24792 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 3187 25599546 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 3188 4403 9767520 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 4404 5619 9767520 83 Linux
/dev/hda4 5620 24792 154007122+ 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 5620 5984 2931831 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda6 5985 7200 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda7 7201 7808 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda8 7809 9024 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda9 9025 9632 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda10 9633 10848 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda11 10849 11456 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda12 11457 12672 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda13 12673 13280 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda14 13281 14496 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda15 14497 15104 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda16 15105 16320 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda17 16321 16928 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda18 16929 18144 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda19 18145 18752 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda20 18753 19968 9767488+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda21 19969 20576 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda22 20577 21184 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda23 21185 21792 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda24 21793 22400 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda25 22401 23008 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda26 * 23009 23616 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda27 23617 24224 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda28 24225 24792 4562428+ 83 Linux

[lynch]

1. Defrag windows
2. Run checkdisk
3. Backup all your important data
4. Dont install PM on your computer; create the 2 floppies instead or boot from the PM cd.
5. Resize the XP partition to make room for Linux.
6. Dont create any new partitions.
7. Start the Linux installation
8. At the part about partitioning choose to use the unallocated space while preserving windows.
9. Install bootloader on the MBR.
   HTH
   lynch
   

[AvvY]

ok i think im starting to follow. so this allocated space for each os doesnt contain my data? but it does contian the programs? i have used around 40gb on space so far on winxp, data and programs... or so i just leave this 40gb as one partition? and create a 5gb one for linux?

[saikee]

A partition is exactly what it says. It is empty until you install or store something in it.

It is a good idea to separate the personal data from the operating system as the latter is installable and doesn't need regular backups.

[AvvY]

so ur saying i should save all my data onto anothe parition?...
ok just so im keeping a running idea on what to do:
i back up all my data to one partition.
i create a new partition (5gb) for linux
i creat another partition for windows to stay on (25gb)?
is that correct so far?

[AvvY]

i had a little look on the net about installing linux. and i found this guide http://doc.mandrakelinux.com/Mandrak...tml/index.html
in that it says that the linux install will partition my drives during instilation. do u think that just by following that guide i can get it all sorted so i dont have to use PM and mess around with partitons?

[saikee]

You need unallocated space available for Linux to partition.

Windows when installed grabs all the hard disk space for its own use. The Partition Magic is used to squeeze some unallocated space back.

You can ask PM or Linux to partition the space but not all Linux can squeeze a fully allocated hard drive for space. However I think Mandrake does allow resizing but there are limitations like having the partition suitably defragged first, as suggested by lynch.

Just create a primary partition 5Gb, using native Linux Ext2 file system (available in PM) for your first Linux then say a logical partition of 2Gb as a swap partition.

As a beginner and with PM it is better to have the partitions created first and tell Linux to get on with it.

[AvvY]

ok, well i finally have finished downloading the three linux cds. ill have a go installing it tomorrow when i have some more time. and if i have any problems ill get back in touch. wish me luck, thanx

[AvvY]

i have just installed PM 8 on my comp from my friends cd... its an odd install. anyhow i oppened it up and had a looksie. it has options to creat partitions while running the program in windows. it also has an option for creating partitions specifically for a new OS. is it ok to do this partitioning stuff this way?

[AvvY]

i just had a look through the users guide and it says it will automatically set up the parition specifically for the os to be installed. i think that sounds like an easy idea for a newbie such as myself... do u think that would be ok?

[saikee]

The partition specifically for the OS is normally a primary partition. A PC allows only a primary partition to boot but Linux is so powerful that it can be installed in a non-os partition (i.e. a logical partition) and still boots. PM is a WIndow product and all Windows must be booted from a primary partition. A Linux boots by having its bootloader in the MBR and itself can be anywhere.

In conclusion it doesn't matter but my earlier post has already suggested to you to create a 5Gb primary partition for Linux and a 2Gb logical partition for swap.

You need to read my previous posts on the primary partitions as well.