DUAL BOOT ,Fedora 8 and Vista ??!! possible???

chilibowl · 06-25-2008, 01:33 PM

hello is it Possible to dual -boot Vista & Fedora 8 on a ACER laptop!!!?? or am I just asking for a bag of PiSS!!!

adios ,chilibowl

Linville79 · 06-25-2008, 03:04 PM

Although I have limited experience with Windows Vista, and no experience with Acer laptops, it should be just as possible to dual boot Vista and Fedora as it is any two other operating systems that will run on the same architecture.

One thing to note, is that when dual booting with Windows, it's always best to install Windows first, so that the Windows boot loader doesn't overwrite the MBR of your hard drive.

If Windows is already installed, you should be able to simply insert the Fedora install media and reboot. Run the installation as normal, but when it comes to the partitioning screen, tell it to use the available disk space for the linux partition. That will not be the optimal configuration for performance, but it will be the easiest for you to get up and running.

If you are interested in taking the time, then I'd suggest reading up on creating a small VFAT partition so that you can easily share files between your Windows and Fedora installations.

Oh, and don't forget to leave yourself some amount of disk space on the Windows partition in case you need to install new software. It's much easier to leave some space than to go back and try to increase the size of the Windows partition later.

elliott678 · 06-25-2008, 07:22 PM

I don't know about yours, but my Acer 3680 came with a pre-partitioned hard drive. My 80GB drive was partitioned 5GB for the recovery partition, 40GB for Vista, 35GB for Data. I installed Arch on the second partition and didn't have a single issue, the Vista recovery partition still works too. There isn't anything different about a Linux/Vista dual boot and a Linux/XP dual boot, the boot loader configuration is the same.

chilibowl · 07-08-2008, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elliott678

I don't know about yours, but my Acer 3680 came with a pre-partitioned hard drive. My 80GB drive was partitioned 5GB for the recovery partition, 40GB for Vista, 35GB for Data. I installed Arch on the second partition and didn't have a single issue, the Vista recovery partition still works too. There isn't anything different about a Linux/Vista dual boot and a Linux/XP dual boot, the boot loader configuration is the same.

Hmm ,mine is a Acer 5520 with 160 gb hdr ,, I checked under "diskManagement" app and it shows the Harddrive as two "distinct" c and d partitions.

I read in the SMART COMPUTING Magazine Series ,that one should use Gparted <knoppix app> to make a second partiton , But this is under the Issue of Dual- Booting Vista & XP . Hmmm this is gonna take alota homework,,,,,,,

adios ,chilibowl