I fixed the problem of the tuner card on my desktop by reverting to Mandrake 9.0, and the file permissions were fixed by editing the fstab file.

So then I moved onto my laptop. (Don't kick me to the Laptop forum just yet (unless this really does belong there)...because this is just odd).

Let me state first my desktop is an XP/Mandrake 9 dual boot and I had no problems installing the respective OSes.

Ok, so onto my Dell Inspiron 1100 (not at www.linux-laptop.net). I have XP already installed. Now I fire up the Mandrake boot and go to install 9.1. I already have Windows installed taking up the entire drive. When it moves to the partitioning portion of the install, I tell it to use the free space on the Windows partition. There were 7GB free (11 taken out of 18) on that drive...but the lowest it would let me keep for the Windows drive was 16GB....and I could use more. So I format the computer and try to go reverse order and have linux go first.

I boot up the Mandrake 9.1 install again. This time when diskdrake pops up I have it create a 3GB root partition. a 350MB swap, and a 800MB home directory...and leave the rest of the drive (back end - 14GB) unpartitioned. I set up Linux and move on to install Windows.

I boot up the Windows install and it shows me the partitions (and unpartitioned space). It says I need to create one (as well it should) so I hit C to create a partition in the unpartitioned space. I then select that partition to install on, and Windows responds by saying it can't install on that partition because it is not Windows XP compatible and I should go delete a partition and create one that is. (so Windows won't install) Problem is, that's what I just did.

So for some reason, on this hard drive, these two OSes can't play nice and share. But my desktop did not have this problem. Anyone have any ideas? Oh, and I'd fire up Partition Magic but the laptop doesn't have a floppy drive.

you might need to just fiddle witht eh XP installation some more or you can install XP then use partition magic from there to make room for your mandrake install or start by creating the partitions usign cfdisk which you should be able to get to from the rescue console of mandrake

You should first install windows xp then linux.

Create some partition e.g. using partition magic:
ntfs -> C: (windows xp)
fat32 -> (unformatted, reserved for linux root)
fat32 -> E: (formatted for linux-windows directory/file sharing)
fat32 -> (unformatted, reserved for linux swap)
etc.

You can copy some linux CDs into E: for installation from harddisk :-)


Have fun :-)

Aherm, any particular reason to pick FAT32 for the Linux drives (since Linux doesn't use them) or was that the first kind that came to your head for the sake of saving space for Linux?

Watoshi, I think your suggestion along with Aherm's would be great provided my laptop has a floppy drive, but it doesn't (so I can't boot PM). And I didn't know if cfdisk would work, only because after I told Linux to only use 5GB and leave the other 12 unpartitioned for Windows to use later, Windows wouldn't install anyways, and I didn't see how cfdisk would be different.

Regardless though, I got it fixed. I wiped everything off and installed XP after XP created itself a partition of only 12GB...and then Linux had no problem installing on the unpartitioned space....I'm guessing Microsoft didn't take well to something the Linux install did (maybe in the boot record)...who knows...it's Microsoft....

Thanks again for the suggestions?

It may be that the laptop had a service partition on it which was confusing the matter. Good to hear you sorted it though.

No particular reason, but it works :-)

I like to have at least one fat32 partition formatted for read and write i.e. available from windows (xp) and from linux (SuSE 8.2). NTFS is not write-able from linux (yet). I have ethernet connection from pcmcia (linksys' network-everywhere) so I can download some linux CDs (from other PC's DVD-ROM using FTP) onto this partition for quicker installation (I only have USB floppy drive for alternate booting my Vaio SR notebook ;-). So I need just 2 floppies: boot and image one.

I like to have some unformatted partitions with different sizes: one for /, one for /home, one for swap. Actually I create these partitions using windows rescue disk (I don't have partition magic ;-). So only using DOS' fdisk what partition can I make? NTFS or FAT32 ;-)

If you have a better idea please share :-)

Mandrake 9.1 has a very good partitioning tool called DiskDrake. It is used in the installer, and after installation it is available through Mandrake Control Center->Mount Points->DiskDrake. It is capable of re-sizing partitions, including Windows NTFS partitions. Keep it in mind for the future; then you won't have to worry about not having a floppy drive in your laptop.