Linux (Debian) install lingo
 

Hi there, I'm kinda new to Linux and it's confusing the hell out of me so i've come for some advice. I've been trying Suse for some time with mixed feelings to put it mildly. I find it quite useful in everyday use, but as soon as it comes to updating and configuring I'm lost. So I try different ones. Elx and Libranet look promising but whatever I do I cannot get the ADSL stuff to work.
So, now I'm trying Debian Woody 3.0 r1. Maybe not the most logical step, but what the heck. The problem is the following.
When installing I get confronted with a screen where it sums up my partitions and tells me which one it boots from etc. I then have some buttons on the buttom where I can toggle, write, exit, maximize and what have you. Nowhere in sight (of course) any explanation of what I'm expected to do and more importantly how to do it. I have a win XP installed and divided up the hd in 4 partitions of roughly 10 gb each. there's also a seperate hd of some 3gb.
I would still like windows to do the booting and get the Linux loader on a diskette.
Also I would like to leave my Suse stuff intact so I can choose to boot (by diskette) to either boot into Suse or Debian, or without diskette into Windows.
Please, please, please, what do I do and how on earth do I do it?? Your tips and suggestions, help are greatly welcomed.

This should help with Debian install.
With Suse, YAST2 should take care of some of your configuration. It's been a while, but I think that's where the atomatic update is at.
Good Luck.

Thanks 2damncommon

Thanks for your suggestion. However, I've read the suggested link both before and after your message a couple of times from beginning to end without finding aything that even remotely tells me what to do. A lot of circumstancial evidence, but nothing really to the point. Thanks again, and if you know of anything more precise please let me know.

I am not sure what partition tool you are describing.
It does not sound like 'cfdisk'. Is it 'parted'?
Besides creating the partitions (what did you use to create your partitions?) they need to have a file type chosen. There is usually another option for formatting.

I take that back, it is cfdisk.
(I didn't remember a maximize option.)

Thanks 2damncommon


I'm not using any partition software. All I have is Win Xp installed and Suse 8.0 installed. I then insert the Debian disk and write enter or boot or whatever and at the second or third screen I get a nice listing of everything installed on my hd's, which is hda1, 2, fat 32, ntfs or what have you. At the line with hda1 I believe it says somewhere on the line "boot". At the bottom it says Boot, Write, Maximize, Edit and of course Toggle. Now, I can toggle the hda1 "boot" into oblivian, move to another hda, click on boot, click on write and voilà, I made another hda bootable. However: I have no clue as to which hda to make bootable (preferrably I would like to keep booting from windows and only start Linux from diskette, but if disregarding this "opportunity", bugger knows if there comes another "opportunity" at some point. If not I might be successful in installing but will the system still happily boot into windows without me ever noticing any Linux install at all.)
So after I've chosen let's say hda5 to boot from, I'll still have to do some more things like deciding the swap partition and I still have to squeeze in a \ or / somewhere which seems to be rather significant. My problem is: I have only this screen, going back only gives me the choice to continue without a swap which, they say, is not the right thing to do, so somewhere in here I have to squeeze in everything that will make my system understand from where and with what it should boot. So how do I do that? I've already chosen the hda5 to boot from and then what???

Anytime. As long as you can boot your linux system you can run cfdisk.
It is probably on your Suse Linux.
Try 'which cfdisk' as root at a shell prompt. If it shows that it is installed you can type 'cfdisk /dev/hda' to display what you see during the Debian install. You only want to make changes to partitions that are empty or that you want to delete. cfdisk does not resize partitions. You can also check 'man cfdisk' or perhaps check to see if Suse has 'parted' available. You may find that easier.
You do want to leave the Windows boot alone. There is an option to create a boot floppy for most Linux installs.
If you could cut and paste your partition setup it would help.
You have 4 primary partitions (created by Win XP install?)? You have Suse and Windows XP install now?
As far as swap, your Debian install can use the same swap partition as you Suse Linux.
Sorry, I don't follow your explaniation of your disk setup completely.

Thanks 2damncommon

It seems I'm just not able to explain nor understand. Guess I'm just incompatible with Linux. I give up for a while. Anyway, thanks for helping.

These are why I am having trouble following:
1.I have a win XP installed and divided up the hd in 4 partitions of roughly 10 gb each. there's also a seperate hd of some 3gb.

How did you create the 4 partitions. Are they all primary partitions?

2.I'm not using any partition software. All I have is Win Xp installed and Suse 8.0 installed.

What partitions are they installed to?

3.nice listing of everything installed on my hd's, which is hda1, 2, fat 32, ntfs or what have you.

Hda1, 2 and.... (3 and 4? or higher if there is an extended partition?).

4.So after I've chosen let's say hda5 to boot from, I'll still have to do some more things like deciding the swap partition

Where is your Suse swap? Is there really a hda5?
Move at your own pace. There's no rush.
Good Luck.

Debian is rather adventurous. You can get apt (which is what makes software installs/updates easy) for redhat too, see freshrpms.net

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/debia...ook/index.html

may help then again may not

Thanks guys, most helpful. One learns every step along the way. However the way is sooo bloody long.... Presently installed RH8. At least I was able to install it! Thanks again!