hi all
running fedora 5 need some help to convert a ntfs partiton to linux.
I have already tryed qtparted, when i select the partition qt crashes.
here is my drives info:

# /sbin/fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 60.0 GB, 60022480896 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7297 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 14 7297 58508730 8e Linux LVM

Disk /dev/hdb: 163.9 GB, 163928604672 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19929 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb2 1 19929 160079661 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/hdc: 163.9 GB, 163928604672 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19929 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdc1 1 19929 160079661 83 Linux


could someone help me make /dev/hdb2 into a linux partition and format it please?
thanks

What are you trying to do?

1- Do you want to keep the original NTFS data and be able to access it from both Windows and Linux?
2- Do you want to convert the filesystem from NTFS to some format that Linux can use, and you're willing to lose the ability to access it from Windows?
3- Do you want to reclaim the space that the NTFS filesystem uses and make this space available for use by Linux without saving the data that was there?

fdisk will change the partition type. As Randux suggests, be sure there is not data there that you need.
after you change the type, you set up the filesystem with mkfs (or its variants)

man fdisk
man mkfs
for the details

What are you trying to do?

1- Do you want to keep the original NTFS data and be able to access it from both Windows and Linux?
2- Do you want to convert the filesystem from NTFS to some format that Linux can use, and you're willing to lose the ability to access it from Windows?
3- Do you want to reclaim the space that the NTFS filesystem uses and make this space available for use by Linux without saving the data that was there?
__________________
1. no
2. yes
3. yes
i want to use the /dev/hdb2 for linux file system, all the data has been backed up from the ntfs.
can you please help me do this?
thanks

Ok, no problem. Like pixellany says, for this all you have to do is use fdisk or cfdisk to change the partition type, and then build a new filesystem in the space.

start by issuing (as root) fdisk /dev/hdb
then change the partition type for partition 2 to 83
then save changes from fdisk

Then if you are going to install a new Linux, just let the installer find the partition and make a filesystem, or if not, make a filesystem in the partition yourself. If you want to create a Reiser filesystem, you can use mkreiserfs /dev/hdb2. If some other type, mkfs .. options. Also like pixellany said, see the man pages for mkfs.

It's harder to talk about it than it is to do it. All this, once you know the commands, is about 2 minutes.