====background/problem===
I am presently very frustrated. I have been wanting to try Linux for a while now, and I finally found a copy locally. It's Red Hat 8, on DVD. I have partition software on my computer, so that's covered.

The problem is that whenever I try to install, and I get to the point of using the hard drive space, no matter what ispartitioned how, there's an error saying that whatever it is, it's not a Linux partition.

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I have done these things:

My hard drive is currently partitioned as 2o Gigs for Windows XP
The rest is free to partition any way I need to. And I have a second hard drive, which can be used for anything (I recently had to reformat, so everything is cleared out -- my new hard drive was still on its way).

I have used Google to try to find an aswer, only to find sites so wordy, it's confusing. Yes, I'm that much of a noob.

I have tried several partitions, usually just making partitions named as what I have read says they should be, and always with a swap partition the size of my ram (currently 256 Mb). This has never worked. I know it's my fault and not the computer's, so that's why I'm here in stead of killing the machine.

I will appreciate any help I can get. Though ... it would be better as simple and straight forward as possible.

On a small note, I will be buying more ram soon. Should I make the swap partition according to my current or future ram? And when I get more ram, should I resize the swap?

Is the new hard drive partitioned as anything? By this I mean, did you set it as a Linux partition in the partitioning software? If so, set the partition to not be named as anything, or fat32 if that's not an option.

The swap size is largely irrelevant. The 256 size is more than enough and you won't need to resize it.

Finally, welcome to LQ.

Edit - RedHat will be ceasing support for all their desktop products in April. May I suggest you try something like SuSE or Mandrake? They are easy to use for new users and use similar package management systems to RedHat so the switch should be painless. Go to www.linuxiso.org for the downloads and www.distrowatch.com to read up on the distros.

I have tried several options with the space, including simply deletitng the partition. The partition software doesn't give me any options, really, as far as how I can format the partition. I'll include the list of options at the bottom of this post. Also, I left out another problem: After the error about whatever space I choose not being a Linux partition, I am then told I have not specified a boot sector.

I know I'll sound even worse than I already do, but I'll venture to ask how exactly do I go about that?

OK, now for the options in the partition software:

(from NO partition -- unformatted empty space next to WIndows XP)
"Create"
(set size -- I have more than more than enough)
then ... I have the option to format as ...

FAT32
NTFS (I know -- NOT for Linux)
Ext2FS
Ext3FS
ReiserFS
L-swap 2
(edit: or, of course, no formatting -- but this hasn't made a difference)


heh ... I'm getting tired of sounding like (or at least feeling like) an idiot.

And thanks for the warm welcome!

Hello there...welcome to LQ and the linux user's club...

Well, this is just the start...as you spend more and more time, you will certainly learn a lot...

Now, as for your problem, Only create 2 partitions

1. the root partition - i.e '/'

Size - lets say 6 GB

FileSystem Type - choose ext2 fs as ext2 is the linux native file system for Red Hat 8.0

2. the swap partition

Size - choose 512 MB...( its a convention, not a rule, to use twice the amount of RAM )

The filesystem type is set to 'swap' automatically when u select to create swap partition.

Try this much to start with and proceed with the installation process. Post the errors encountered ( if any ) again....

Regards,

amit

Thanks for all the help! I finally got it to work! Heh ... it took me three more tries; I'd get to a certain point, and nothing would respond ... i'd restart, re-try, and the same thng would happen again. Finally, I came to a point (learning by rote exactly what to click on when) that I was able to speedily pass that point, and the installation was successful.

I really appreciate all the help! And the welcomes! Hopefully one day (especially with all the mistakes I tend to make) I'll be able to contribute advice to the future users.