Uninstalling Fedora Core 1 and Installing Fedora Core 10
 

Hi all!

I'm a n00b to Linux.

Prior to installing Fedora Core 1, I had three drive letters (C:, D: and E:) in Windows XP. But the physical hard disk is a single thing. C:, D: and E: were just parts of it.

Now, after installing Fedora Core 1, C: is the system drive (FAT32), E: is a Windows XP (FAT32) drive and I allotted the D: drive to Fedora Core 1. When I right click on My Computer and go to Manage, and in that Disk Management, I can see three parts of the space that belongs to Linux (the previous D: drive), with sizes 102 MB, 2 GB and 25.85 GB. The status says "Healthy (Unknown Partition)" but it seems to be right because Windows is not able to check the details due to different file system.

Now, I want to completely uninstall Fedora Core 1 and install Fedora Core 10. I have the DVD of Fedora Core 10 ready for installing.

1) Will I be able to upgrade to Fedora Core 10 directly and use the same three partitions?

2) Or will I have to uninstall Fedora Core 1 and then install Fedora Core 10 from scratch? If this is the case how do I safely return the space reserved by those three partitions to Windows XP? (so that that space is useable and visible to Windows XP)

Please guide me.

Thanks,
Jishnu.

Yes, it is possible to upgrade F10 over FC1, using the F10 CDs/DVD. *HOWEVER*, very minimal options/settings/configurations will carry over. Hence it really won't be much of an upgrade. When you boot the F10 DVD, you can do a custom partitioning and just remove all the older Linux partitions if you don't have any data you want to save.

If you want to totally remove Fedora, just use the Windows Disk Manager and delete the Linux partitions. This will create "unpartitioned" space. You can then create a new Windows FAT32/NTFS partition in that space. Or you can boot a Fedora DVD and let the installer "Use Available Space".

When I go to Windows Disk Management and right click on the Linux Fedora partitions, I get an option "Delete Logical Drive". Please refer to the screen shot of the same here >> http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/f...t=untitled.jpg

Is this what you're suggesting me to do?

I'm confused. Please reply.

Thanks,
Jishnu.

First of all, why are you installing Fedora 10 when Fedora 11 is out?

Second, I would not suggest upgrading. Fedora Core 1 came out almost 6 years ago and significant changes since then (such as in rpm and package management), means that an upgrade may fail, or at least things may turn ugly fast.

What I would do is to just reformat and erase Fedora Core 1's partition from the Fedora 10/11 installation. Windows often does dirty things when it comes to disk management.

A friend of mine went for deleting the linux partition from the Windows Disk Management and now he cannot see that memory space.. And he is having problems in booting. Will it be the same in my case?

I'm asking this because if the Linux partitions can be removed and that space can be recovered safely from Windows XP interface, then I'd prefer it because I'm more comfortable with it and the Linux interface is sometimes confusing because I don't have enough knowledge of partitioning etc.. Is there any sure-shot way? What will happen if I do "Delete Logical Drive" as shown in http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/f...t=untitled.jpg ? Is it the right way to proceed?

If the safe way is from Linux only, can it be done by a n00b like me while installing Fedora Core 10? I want to completely remove Fedora Core 1 and in the same space or partition, I want to install Fedora Core 10.

Thanks,
Jishnu.

Yes, the part markend in bold will occure if Grub is your bootloader. Reason is that part of Grub is on that logical drive. It's not really something to worry about as you can run fixmbr (or something like that) using the Windows CD (recovery option). You can even do that before you delete the partition (in which case you will no longer have the option to boot Fedora).
If you use Lilo as the bootloader, you will not have that issue as Lilo is completely installed in the MBR.

If you do a new FC install (boot from FC CD/DVD) straight after you removed the partition in Windows, Fedora should pick it up the free space and allow you to partition/format it again and there is no need for a fixmbr.

What do you mean by 'cannot see that memory space'? Where? In windows or during a linux install or ...

Thanks, things are far more clear to me now :).

He can't see that memory space in Windows.

Now, I'll delete those drives from Windows and then install Fedora 10 so that it will be installed on that same space.

Thanks a lot to all!

I'll get back in case I have any problems.

Jishnu.

I'm still not sure what you mean by 'cannot see'.

Maybe you mean / he means that it does not show in windows explorer but he should still be able to see it as some unallocated space in the diskmanager and convert it to a partition and format the partition so windows explorer recognizes it. Be aware that driveletters in windows might change in this scenario and that (some) software might no longer work or shortcuts point to the wrong drive (depending how windows was installed/configured).

I'm not sure how to (safely) append it to an/the existing Windows partition but there are partition managers that probably can do it safely, specially when they come as a bootable system.

Yes, it's like that.

He wasn't sure that would be safe.

Oh yes, I'll have to consider that too. Thanks :)

One more thing. I looked up for how to use fixmbr at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true and I understood that if I use fixmbr \Device\HardDisk0, then it will be okay because I have only one physical hard disk, Is this true?

Thanks,
Jishnu.

I've never had a need to use fixmbr, so I can not really tell you; I had to use its predecessor once (if I remember correctly that was an option to the fdisk command in the days of Win98).

The MS page also states:
I think that it's safe to use that as you only have one physical harddisk.

Ok. Let me try it out.