Hello,
I am trying to install 2 or 3 versions of linux on my hardisk of 500GB capacity.
The configuration of my machine is Intel Dual Core, 4 GB Ram, 3.0 Processor
Windows XP is not installed on this.
I tried to use a tool called GParted but was unable to use as it was not able to bring up the XServer
So I booted the machine with fedora14 installation CD and chose "Custom Layout"
After reading about the partitions needed by Fedora I created 3 partitions in /dev/sda
/dev/sda1 the boot of 500MB formated as ext4
/dev/sda2 the swap of 6096MB formatted as swap
/dev/sda3 / size 150GB formatted as ext4

The installation went well and fc14 runs well on this.

However when I went to install the other linux version ....the installer was not able to recognize the unallocated space of nearly 350 GB on the hard disk.....So I am not able to create new partitions and then install the new linux on the newer partition.
As a result I am unable to make use of the remaining space on the HDisk.
I think I should have created /dev/sda4 /dev/sda5 etc when I installed fc14 itself....

Would appreciate some tips on how to install the other versions of Linux on this HDisk....

Are you sure it couldn't recognize the space? Or was it just discouraging you from creating a fourth primary partition? Or did you do something a little different from what you described and already created a fourth primary partition, so that the unused space is then unusable?

You want to have up to three primary partitions plus one extended partition (taking all the rest of the space) then your remaining partitions should be logical partitions inside the extended partition.

Linux doesn't care whether its partitions are primary vs. logical. The underlying partitioning data structures allow either four primary partitions plus nothing else or up to three primary partitions plus some number of logical partitions.

I prefer to set up all the partitioning at once and then tell each Linux installer which existing partitions to use. But you wouldn't have gotten that right if you didn't know to use extended and logical partitions. Anyway, you don't need to partition all at once. If you have three (or fewer) primary partitions, you can create an extended partition for the rest of the space and create logical partitions inside it.

If the above hint is not enough and assuming you now have one working Linux installed, open a terminal window and use the following command as root (using sudo or su or however you normally give a command as root):
Post the output of that back to this thread so we can see the exact state of your partitioning rather than guess the state from your description of what you think you did.

Hello,
Thanks very much for your informative reply.
I am sure I did what I have written. However I was not aware --rather not clear about the primary,
extended information which you have conveyed in your reply.
If I am not mistaken none of my partitions are primary...Not really sure...
Do you think that is the issue???
However please find the attachment as well as the output of fdisk -l for your analysis.

THis is what happened when I tried to install fc13 after fc14.
It booted correctly...I chose the option "reinstall linuc or install a new linux system" as the
other options were not relevant.
After choosing US, US English, locale etc it presented me with a page "on which partition does the
installable image reside" and presented me with the 3 partitions and there was another box to
enter the path of the image file...
unfortunately since the image was on the cd I could not proceed...

T though it would give me a page like the one fc14 presented.....where I could once again use
the custom layout option and create another partition for the new linux installation.

Hope fully this clarifies the picture...Unfortunately I cannot take a snapshot of the above
incident to show you exactly what the new linux fc13 presented to me.

Please suggest a way out...Would appreciate that very much.

Regards

ouyput of fdisk -l ====



Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000440ed

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2048 1026047 512000 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 1026048 13600767 6287360 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda3 13600768 320800767 153600000 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 1027 MB, 1027603456 bytes
33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 965 cylinders, total 2007038 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 32 2007037 1003503 b W95 FAT32





=======

All three of your partitions are primary. As I said earlier, you should create an extended partition taking up all the rest of the disk space and create logical partitions inside that extended partition for whatever partitions you want beyond the first three.

No. I expect whenever you get into some partitioning software, it will be easy to create the extended and logical partitions you need. The three primary partitions you have now are OK.

I have never installed Fedora, so I have little clue what might be happening there.

There is a correct path for the image file on the CD, but I don't know what that path will be in your situation and I don't know whether typing in that path would be the correct next step or whether you already made some mistake in reaching that point in the install sequence.

I don't think your existing partitions are any impediment to installing another Linux. Maybe the existing partitions caused the FC13 installer to offer confusing choices.

I think you fundamentally are looking at an FC13 install issue, rather than a partitioning issue. If you change the title of your thread to indicate that, you are more likely to attract help from someone who knows enough about FC13 to help you.

Thanks for your very informative and helpful feedback. I think you are right ---my partitioning strategy perhaps has confused
the fc13 installer.

However I have 2 questions

1)---How do I move create the extended partition and then again logical partitions in them.
..Perhaps I have to use the fdisk command or some other command
Can you suggest me the command with the actual arguments to the command to create the extended partition and then again for the other partitions in the extended partition.

2) How does one surmise from the fdisk -l option that they are primary partitions? I could nto see any indication to that effect in the o/p


Thanks for your reply....Good Wishes to you

These 2 are quite helpful
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gparted.html
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub-2.html

Hello,
I yet dont know how to move forward. Thanks Eddie, I did look up the 2 urls one on gparted and the other on grub2...As I mentioned earlier the gparted tool that I downloaded and ran on my system did not work as it failed in bringing up the X-Server.
I dont understand how to use the info in the other link to create an extended partition and then logical partitions in it.
Could someone spare some time and give me the exact commands with argument values as to how to use fdisk to create the extended partition and then again how to create the logical partitions in it. Would be very grateful to the concerned person. I am not sure how to use the same.

Regards