How to prep a WinXP system to install Redhat 7.3
 

Hi...

*setting up a dual boot system with Redhat 7.3 and WinXP Pro*

ok I tried to do this a few days ago and failed miserably....my partitions got soo screwed i had to format everything and do everythign over again.....suffice it to say, i lost a heck of a lot of mp3s.......my bad.....

the last time i used Parition Magic to set up the Linux partition before i installed Redhat....that was prolly my mistake....this time i want to do what someone told me to do after the fact...and that is to create some free space and then let the Redhat install process setup the file systems.....

ok so how do I:

-set up the partitions so all i have to do is boot with the Redhat disk so it can install

-what is the ideal amout of gigs to give a bare redhat 7.3 install (i'll only be adding a few software components..i just want to learn linux for now)

-to have the LILO bootloader giving me the option of Redhat and WinXP in the menu, with WinXP as the *default*

....i did a quick search of the archive and I did not find any detailed instructions on how to deal with the partition aspect of settign up a dual boot system (redhat and xp)

thanks,

Zach.

how big is your drive? if i were you i would have at least a 3 GB partition for Redhat with a swap partion around 400 MB. i think a full Redhat install will take up less than 2 GB so 3 will give you plenty of room to mess around if you have the space. i'm no expert but saw that no one had replied so i thought i would help out

also i think that lilo will default to the first entry in lilo.conf if you don't select a patition by the time it times out...

hope that helps

thanks....


but as of yet i do not have a partition set up especially for Redhat...all of the partitions i have are already NTFS.....what i need to know is how to change around the partitions so that I can install Redhat onto it......and still have XP installed.

my system specs FYI: P4 1.6Ghz, 500MB RAM,

"-to have the LILO bootloader giving me the option of Redhat and WinXP in the menu, with WinXP as the *default*" - I don't honestly know how to do it when XP is NTFS and it will rewrite to MBR, unless perhaps, you leave a small fat32 before XP and that's ancient method.

Me? I let XP/2K bootloader do the magic.

Since you've already lost your MP3. Lesson learned. You MUST have an extra FAT32 partition for file storage and sharing between OSes. Linux reads and writes to FAT32 hands down.

Assuming it's a 20g HD,

[10g XP][5g RH][5g FAT32]

Destroy HD and rebuild. You can change 5g RH if you don't like it in the future. Leave the rest as is. Then you'll NOT lose a single file. Remember to save ALL your stuff on d:\my doc... Right-click on My Doc and point it to there.

# after you installed XP on /dev/hda1
# & Linux with lilo on /dev/hda2
#
boot Linux & open terminal
dd if=/dev/hda2 of=boot.lnx bs=512 count=1
cp boot.lnx /mnt/floppy
Boot XP
copy boot.lnx c:\
edit boot.ini
After multi(0)..., add a new line
C:\boot.lnx="linux"
Reboot

So install XP first, and then run partition magic and do what?? or what do i do first??? can you give me step by step instructions for what to do ...so far all i know how to do it install XP, but i have no clue how to get Linux installed (i.e. how do i set up the system so that RedHat can be installed??????

tell Partition Magic to make a linux partition??? i was told that is not the way to do it......

someone said i have to create some free space so that linux can be installed there.... how do i create the 'free' space?? i couldn't find an option in Partition magic that would just create free space (just create new partitions)


thank you so much for helping me out...i hope i can get this sortedout soon!


Zach.

So, install XP first -- that is correct. You should be able to tell it to NOT take the entire hard drive, or if it insists, then set up two partitions, one for XP and one with just FAT32 (make it large enough for your Linux space and its swap -- i.e., 3GB) and then don't do anything else with the FAT32 partition.

Second, install RedHat using "Expert" install so that you can direct it to the FAT32 partition, or free space. Install Grub into the MBR, but make sure it's the MBR, and properly identify your XP space (give it a name like "XP") so that Grub will have no problems with starting either OS.

thanks......that has helped a lot!!! i had no clue how to set up the extra partition to install Redhat....just the XP part.

ok but i've also heard the LILO is much better than GRUB....can you give me a quick crash course in the differences???

I've also read that one shoudln't install the LILO bootloader into the MBR, but rather, in the boot sector of the partition that Redhat is in...(i hope i didn't get that wrong....;)

So this process will give me the option of either Redhat or WinXP when i boot up?? or would i still have to do a bunch of changes to the Linux files (or XP?) after both installations are finished???

thanks,

Zach.

Zach,
There are three ways in which you can boot Linux: Use LILO, or
use NT Loader (one commonly used in Windows multiboot), or
use a floppy( or CD).

In the past, I have primarily used first two methods. And both are
good. On one of my machines, LILO is primary boot loader which
can also load windows. And on another machine, it's the NT loader
that's primary boot loader whch can also boot Linux.
Which one one selects is primarily a matter of taste. However,
LILO is more powerful than NT loader. GRUB seems to be more
powerful than LILO though I haven't used it.
I suggest you use LILO until you become familiar with the boot
process, partitions, secondary boot loaders etc.

Prep XP:
IF you have a msdos boot floppy, use it to create partitions first.
I would always use Linux CDs, but you may not be familiar with
linux fdisk etc. It doesn't matter if u create XP first or Linux first
as long as you have non conflicting partitions for each of 'em.

ok thanks!

but i still am not clear on the MBR aspect of setting up a dual boot......above, JGLEN490 said i shoudl install the bootloader into the MBR, but i read earlier that I should install the bootloader (whether it be GRUB or LILO) into the boot part of the partition that Linux will be installed on, and not the MBR.

I am pretty sure that if i load GRUB or LILO in to the MBR, then my XP installation will be totoally screwed.....so i've read tho!

please tell me if i have this right.......

Zach.

If you put Lilo on the MBR, then all it needs is a label (i.e., Windoze) and the location of the Windoze space. You will enter that in the bootloader setup step of the RedHat install.

If you put Lilo on the bootsector where Linux boots, and use the XP ntldr and menu to control both OSes, then you need the extra steps that jetblackz outlined.

To me, putting Lilo on the MBR is just simpler and is very effective. My personal pref is Grub, but Lilo is just as good. Each work in about the same way, but with their own unique ways of interacting with the user to set up and to access, load, and execute an OS's kernel in conjunction with the BIOS and the bootstrap loader.

I don't know where the idea that putting a boot loader on the MBR somehow screws up Win XP. There are simply too many Linux users who dual boot, put Grub or Lilo on the MBR, and happily boot any OS -- all day long :D !! Yes there have been folks who have had bad experiences, but in each case they have made some mistake along the way resulting in at the very worst a Windoze space or a Linux space that turned invisible. The filesystems are not affected by installing Grub or Lilo.

It works!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks sooo much......i waited a bit but i finally got the right instructions!!! geez it is a real pain in the ass to read through the archives and not find a single clue as to what to do.......kind of ironic....but there were soo many ways of doing this....i was mixing up different methods...!

oh well...now that i have it working, can you tell me how to do the following?

- set up the internet in Redhat - right now my XP is connected to the internet through a LAN (through a router set up with my brother's computer), and it is always on (no need to login)

how do i get this exact setup in Redhat?....is it the same process as XP???? such as telling RedHat to obtain an IP address automatically, etc etc??

and is there a website i can go to download software for my Redhat installation??? i.e. sort of how there's downloads.com for Windows stuff...??

Zach.