Installing Fedora 18 64 bit
 

Hi there,
I have windows 7 installed on my laptop. currently i also have ubuntu 12 installed inside win 7. i got a new fedora 18 DVD 64 bit, is it possible to install fedora 18 in a separate partition ? or is there any way to install fedora without disturbing the MBR (partition table) of win 7.

inside windows ????????
well ubuntu dose have a wubi option

that is ubuntu ONLY

fedora 18 dual boot
please read the fedora install instructions
http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/...ide/index.html

1) use the windows partitioning tool that is installed in win7 ( win7 home basic will be missing this )
2) shrink the windows install by a MIN. if about 50 Gig ( or 20 gig but you will not have room to do much )
3) install fedora 18 to the now empty space ( keeping in mind that there can ONLY be 4 primary partitions

Usually a Linux install takes more than one partition. It is possible to use just one. I normally use a swap partition (rather than a swap file or no swap). Other people often have /boot or /home in separate partitions (rather than as directories inside the / partition). I think it is usually NOT a good idea to make /boot or /home separate partitions. But opinions vary.

Anyway, once you shrink your Windows partitions, you should be able to create as many Linux partitions as you choose.

It is common to use the Linux dual boot support, which requires overwriting the MBR with the first part of the Linux boot code (Grub).

It is possible to use Windows dual boot code instead. That involves telling the Linux installer to put the first part of Grub in the partition boot sector instead of in the MBR. (How you tell it that varies by installer. I don't know how for Fedora). Then you need to configure the Windows dual boot support. I've never done that for Windows 7, and online instructions are harder to find and understand for setting up Windows dual boot to include Linux than for setting up Linux dual boot to include Windows. But it is possible.

When Linux installs the first part of Grub in the MBR, it preserves the partition table.

So why do you want a Linux install without disturbing the MBR? If you have a good reason, that is harder but possible, as I described above.

But if you don't have a good reason, maybe you should follow the better documented path.

That is a good safety precaution. I don't know what that costs in time or $, so I don't know whether I recommend spending that.

Why remove the recovery partition?

Why?

Last time I used a Windows recovery partition, it installed Windows MBR code into the MBR first thing, before providing any choices. Is that what you object to?

I just assume any kind of Windows repair operation might take back control of the MBR. If you have a dual boot using the Linux dual boot code, you need to keep around a Linux bootable CD. If you won't have internet access (through a nearby alternate computer) during repair operations, get the instructions in advance for reinstalling Grub from a bootable CD. I always lose such instructions myself and assume I can do a web search for them when I actually need them.

the install dvd is free ,just call them on the phone and they will mail you one
you can make a "recovery" cd
the VERY first time you booted win 7 it asked you to make one

the "if needed" is for-- with the recovery partition there might be 3 or 4 primary partitions already
if the OEM set it up that way

-- just a personal choice here so ...
if a MS windows virus can add it's self to the MBR then the "recovery" partition is ALSO compromised
using a KNOWN clean dvd is for me a much better choice

Also a "personal choice"
I gave up fitting with windows for the MBR years ago , and my life got MUCH easier and less stressful .
I let MS have it and install grub to the first Linux partition
and set the bios to boot from the linux /boot partition .

this will also need a primary partition for /boot
hence the possible reinstall of win 7 and the removal of the oem's recovery partition ( maybe ? )

but
this is my preferences
do some research and make your own decision

I have never seen that option in a BIOS.

Most BIOS's have the option to boot to the MBR of a hard drive other than drive 0. (I was seriously inconvenienced because of an HP laptop BIOS that did not have even that option).

Many BIOS's (including that HP laptop one) have a very unclear and badly documented option to skip the MBR and boot directly to the recovery partition. But it doesn't seem to be a general purpose option to skip the MBR and go directly to a primary partition. It seems to be very carefully constrained to work only for the recovery partition.

4 partitions already
 

problem is , there is already 4 primary partitions in my HD (c,d,e,f)(f is full)
if one drive is to be cleared or one partition is to be cleared then , i have to wait for sometime to use Fedora

Are you sure they are all primary? Look at them using the partitioning tool of a Linux liveCD.

There was a recent thread in which someone showed a Windows screen shot identifying a partition as primary and a Linux screenshot of the same partitioning, but that partition was logical (inside an extended partition). I'm not sure what Windows meant by "primary", but I'm sure in that case the Linux partitioning tool was telling the truth.

If you do have four primary, you would need to back one up, recreate it as logical and restore it. You want only three primary plus several logical partitions.

The recovery partition and C: need to be primary. Any Linux partitions and any other Windows partitions can be logical.

How to do it?
 

i have not used a Linux LiveCD (partitioning tool)

also please say how to clean up my HD (planning to backup all the contents to a portable HD)using the partitioning tool or the Live CD and going to use any of the Linux Distro(fedora or Ubuntu) as my OS.

It's time to say Goodbye! to Windows.

It's called GParted and it's on almost any LiveCD. You can shrink your Windows partition to create space for the Linux distro.
But first under Windows defragment your drive C (or more if you have any other windows partition??)
Look how many Gb of the drive is full and estimate how much extra space you are going to need for windows in the future.. (a 10-20Gb should be enough if Backup all the content is always a good idea! :D

Last word of advice; the fedora distro gives you the bleeding edge of the latest linux technology but has a very bad rep on upgrading. (Google is your friend...) If you're looking for prolonged update/upgrade support i would choose RHEL or CentOS.

Good luck and have fun with your linux adventure!
:hattip: