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Old 02-20-2001, 10:24 PM   #1
KalistX
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Im trying to install Redhat 6.0 with win98 previously installed. I still want to keep windows and dual boot with linux. I cant install the Workstation because there isnt enough free diskspace? So I try Custom and it lists Mount Point ___ Device - hda1 Requested - 12240M Type - win95 FAT32

I still have 8 gigs in win98 im not using. Is there a way I can edit it to free it up?
 
Old 02-21-2001, 09:14 AM   #2
trickykid
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Yeah, you should be able to edit the easiest with disk druid, if this I remember the text based install. You should see something like hda listed with a fat32, if you have 8 gigs, are they on a win98 partition, well what i am asking is, Is your Windows on one large partition?
 
Old 02-21-2001, 03:59 PM   #3
KalistX
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I tried editing it with Disk Druid but it wont let me touch it. But yeah I think Windows is all on one big partition. My C: has a capacity of 11.9 Gigs and 9.48 gigs are free that I want to use for Linux.
 
Old 02-21-2001, 04:06 PM   #4
trickykid
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The best thing for you to do is to create a 2 gig partition for Windows, leave the rest for linux if your wanting that much space or however much you need for windows. Your going to need to edit all of this using fdisk. You might though want to backup anything important always. Its been so long since I have created a new partition from another partition though. Let me get back on this one, unless someone might know and post it.
Anybody have a easier way of doing this. You might look into parition magic. I think that program allows you to create partitions from existing partitions.
 
Old 02-21-2001, 08:12 PM   #5
shierly
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Question

trickykid and kalistx,how do you do?
i am glad to meet you here.
the problem of the partition for linux and windose98 is always pissing me off. would you please give me some advice?
my problem is:
i have a 20 gig HD for my pc & i'd like to distribute 12 to windows and the left for linux, installing windows first.
the fact is:
after giving 8 gig or bigger than it to windows , there is no way to install linux at all.
if i install windows and linux within 8 gig , i can only get 1 gig under windows.as a result,most space is wasted.
how regrettable!
what am i supposed to do?
thx.



[Edited by shierly on 02-21-2001 at 09:16 PM]
 
Old 02-23-2001, 02:34 PM   #6
KevinJ
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Dual boot

This is a common misunderstanding. There is a difference between "free" space and "unused" space. "Free" space is partitioned space that does not contain data. "Unused" space is space that is not part of a partition. You need "unused" space to create a Linux installation.

Redhat comes with a tool under the 'dosutils' section called FIPS. That program will allow you to non-destructively "break" your Win98 partition somewhere in the "free" space and then covert the empty part to "unused" space.

HOWEVER.. using Redhat v6.0, you might run into trouble because of the version of LILO it uses might need to have the /boot files for Linux in the first 1024 cylinders of your harddrive. They will be way beyond that with your current setup. You have a few options:

1. Use the commercial product Partition Magic to actually MOVE the Win98 partition back from the front of the disk by about 15MB, and then you can create a '/boot' partition there during the Linux install. Your '/' and swap can still go at the end of the disk.

2. Boot to a floppy when you want to use Linux. The floppy will contain your boot image and it will just use the root and swap at the end of the disk. This works fine, it just boots a little slower. After that, it runs normal.

3. Get Redhat v7.0 which is updated to remove this problem.

 
Old 02-24-2001, 02:46 AM   #7
KalistX
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Ok, thanks alot for the help guys. Im going to pick up Partition Magic this weekend and go from there.
 
Old 02-25-2001, 06:24 AM   #8
ashpai
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Dual boot

Hi KelvinJ,
I have a fresh clean 20GB hdd on which I have to make a 16 GB installation of windows and a 4 GB linux installation and dual boot the two. I was told by a friend that I have to install win98 first and then install linux. At the same time he told me that I was to make a 200 MB non-dos anywhere within the first 8 GB if I wanted to dual boot between linux and win98. He told me to place the /boot inside the 200 MB non - dos. I accrodingly created a 2 GB primary partition and and 200 mb non-dos and a 14GB extended partition. In the 2 GB I installed Win98. When I started linux install, I set the /boot to the 200 MB, set /swap to 127 MB and / to the remaining space, at which the installer told me that the swap was not allocated due to no free space in primary . I was hence not able to install linux at all .

Now please help me out of this situation ..and also correct me if I am going wrong anywhere .

Thanks for your time,
Ashwin



 
Old 02-25-2001, 11:47 AM   #9
KevinJ
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My recommendation

I have had the best success in all cases with the following scenario for a fresh dual boot between Win98 and Linux:

1. Begin a custom Linux install... but only go so far as to create a 15MB native Linux partition and write to the partition table. Turn the machine off after that.

2. Put in your Win98 boot floppy, boot to that without CDROM support and run FDISK. You will see that there is a NON-DOS partition at the front of the disk. That is the Linux partition you created in step 1. Create a Fat32 partition of whatever size you want (making sure you leave room (2GB or so) at the end of the disk for your Linux install. Write to the partition table and reboot to the floppy disk, this time WITH CDROM support.


3. Install Win98 on the partition you just created. Make sure you go through the full install process of rebooting a couple of times and get all your hardware setup.

4. After Win98 setup is complete, boot to your Linux install media (floppy or CD) and begin the Linux install. Set the mount point of the 15MB partition you created in Step 1 to '/boot'. Create a Linux native partition of size 1MB, but click the checkbox to "use remaining space" or "grow" and set the mount point to '/'. Create a swap partition of 64MB-128MB. You will see that the '/' partition will increase or decrease in size depending on what other partitions you have.

5. Once all of that is done, proceed with the Linux installation. Make sure you tell LILO to write to the MBR and make sure you make a boot floppy. THere will also be a section that allows you to mount your Windows partition from Linux, pay attention that you don't miss that. And another section to allow you to boot to Windows, don't miss that either. When that is done, you should be able to reboot and choose either Linux or Windows at the LILO prompt.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG...
If your system wont boot at all, you might be able to boot to the Linux install and figure out what went wrong. If you can't get that to work, you can boot to the Win98 floppy, and run FDISK /MBR. That will allow you to reboot into Windows. Your Linux install will be intact, but you won't be able to boot to it without the floppy you made or without repairing LILO.

NOTE: I have found that beginners can avoid most minor frustrating problems by installing ALL packages during the Linux install. Most folks should have room for this and it just makes sense for beginners. You can safely leave off something like "News Server", but make sure you put all the development package groups and kernel stuff and anything else you might think you want to play with.

There might be some minor differences with these instructions depending on what distribution you are using, but it shouldnt be too hard to figure out.

Good Luck.
 
Old 02-25-2001, 09:54 PM   #10
shierly
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thank kevinJ very much.
 
Old 02-26-2001, 09:02 AM   #11
ashpai
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Thanks !

Thanks for the detailed instructions Kevin
will be using it soon .. will keep you posted on my proceedings

Thanks
Ashwin
 
Old 03-02-2001, 02:12 AM   #12
ashpai
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Win 98 and Linux installation

Hi Kevin,

In your previous reply to partioning with win98, you had mentioned ,

"Create a Fat32 partition of whatever size you want (making sure you leave room (2GB or so) at the end of the disk for your Linux install. Write to the partition table and reboot to the floppy disk, this time WITH CDROM support. "

Now I want to make a 4 GB primary partition, (which would be made active)for windows install and a 12 GB secondary which will be split into 3 logical drives of 4 each. would the making of the primary partition active cause any problem for dual booting ?

Also, in the case of linux installation , do I have to say grow root to a\occupy all remainnig space ? cant I distribute it as /usr , /home ?

one more thing , when I had last tried a linux - win98 installation(i.e previous to your recommendations),

I had created a 16 MB linux native partition after the 4GB primary FAT32 partition(which was for windows) which I set to '/boot' . I then created a 2000 MB for the linux '/' mount point and set it to grow to fill disk. When I created the swap partition and tried to allocate 64 MB to the swap, It gave me an error , 'Swap not allocated .. no free primary' what must have been the reason for the error ?

I will be doing the dual boot installation on sunday and hence want to get my concepts clear as soon as possible so that I may be able to do an error free installation this time.

Thanks a lot for your time,
Ashwin







 
Old 03-02-2001, 01:57 PM   #13
KevinJ
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Dual booting

"Now I want to make a 4 GB primary partition, (which would be made active)for windows install and a 12 GB secondary which will be split into 3 logical drives of 4 each. would the making of the primary partition active cause any problem for dual booting ?"

That will not cause any problems that I know of. Keep this in mind though.. You can only have 4 or less partitions on any disk. It can be either 4 primary or 3 primary and 1 extended. The extended partition can have like a dozen or so logical drives.

"Also, in the case of linux installation , do I have to say grow root to a\occupy all remainnig space ? cant I distribute it as /usr , /home ? "

You can setup the partitions and mount points however you like. However.. as this system will be a dual boot.. I am guessing it will not be a "production" server but rather a "toy" or your primary workstation. Breaking /usr and /home (and usually /var) out to their own partitions is an administrative thing that has to do with quotas, tape backups, etc etc. You will take a performance hit doing so. Its small but its just something to keep in mind. Most experts recommend for workstations a '/boot', '/', and swap setup. It becomes a matter of personal preference on a workstation, I think. I prefer to keep things as simple as possible.

As for your other error. I have not seen it before. I have refined my dual boot/single hardisk install to what I listed before and thats what I stick with. It works everytime for me. For servers.. I do things differently, but I don't dual boot them either!




[Edited by KevinJ on 03-02-2001 at 02:59 PM]
 
Old 03-09-2001, 12:32 AM   #14
ashpai
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Location: India
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win 95 abd

Hi Kevin,

I have done the linux, win 95 dual boot(my friend forgot to get the win98 cd ) . Anyways the problem now is that when I boot into win95, I receive a message saying, "Logical drives exist past Z and will be ignored". When I open the explorer I see loooooooottttts of drives from d-z . there's no drive letter left for my CD ROM !!! what do i do??

during linux install I did not mount the windows partition as /windows .. would that be the problem ?

Thanks
Ashwin


 
Old 07-13-2001, 10:43 AM   #15
amitjain
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Registered: Jul 2001
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hi kevin ,

need ur guidance . I have a 20 gb hdd (fresh ) , now i want to put three os into it , win98 (my brother uses it) , winnt ( i do experimenting new things on it ) , Linux ( i am learning linux , know a bit want to explore it) . I want following partition scheme

8 gb for win98SE
6 gb for nt (4.0)ntfs
6 gb for linux (7.1)

i want the win98 partition to be accesible to winnt as well. (reverse i don't want as ntfs is not accessible from 98), now from linux all the three partition will be availabel(i suppose as i can mount them )

Now for the 98 partion to be available to nt it should be fat 16 (i may be wrong here pl correct me)

now can u suggest me what are the steps i need to follow for the same .

I am awaiting for ur response.

thanks
 
  


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