Hi,
I am trying to install Suse 11 on my new laptop. The laptop has 250GB capacity. As I only use Linux for some scientific programming, I only needed to allocate about 20GB to Linux.
SDA1 is NTFS PQ Service 13.1 GB
SDA2 is NTFS Sys Reserved 101.9 GB
SDA 3 was the mainWindows user partition.
I shrunk this partition to 195GB using GPARTED.
I then tried to add 3 new Linux partitions to the unallocated disc space for usr home and a swap partition.
GPARTED informed me that I would need to produce an extended partition to do this.
SDA4 became an extended partition 24.42GB
SDA5 EXT2 10.74 GB
SDA6 SWAP 1.46GB
SDA7 EXT2 11.21GB

When I started the SUSE install, all of the partitions were recognised correctly, but on the Grub details screen (Grub was allocated by SUSE to SDA4) I was warned that as this was beyond 128GB, my computer might not boot correctly.
Is this likely to be the case, or do I need to alter something to get SUSE to install. The last thing i want with a new computer is a system that won't boot at all.

Any help would be appreciated.

Tim

During Installation of suse select the partition type as ext3.
It should solve your problem.

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also do some research
Microsoft made some VERY BIG changes to 7 to stop dual booting
the windows bootloader MUST stay on the mbr AND must be 100% intact
suse 11.3 installs and runs just fine with putting grub on the FIRST linux partition ( as a 100 meg /boot partition)

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Rubbish.
Win7 (at least my Ultimate 64) chainloads fine from grub in the MBR.

But I agree that it makes more sense to use the Win7 loader if you only use Linux rarely. Install grub to the /boot, not the MBR - ignore the warning message, all recent BIOSs support loading from beyond 128 Gig. Even if not, you'll still be able to boot Win7.
Then go get the free EasyBCD to add the Linux system to the Win7 boot menu.
Make sure you get EasyBCD version 2, which is now the supported/released version.

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Im not an expert but all know that i have window7 installed on primary partition of first hard drive, linux mint on second primary partition,bsd on first primary partition of second hard drive,puppy on 3rd primary partion of second hard drive, slackware on 2nd logical partition of second hard drive and grub installed on mbr of first hard drive and all are booting fine.
so I suggest go on as basheer said if some thing went wrong fetch a copy of GAG bootloader http://gag.sourceforge.net/ install it and atleast ur window will boot fine.

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Hi everyone,
Thanks for the replies. They have all been very helpful. Now I know that the 128GB problem will not be an issue, which was my major concern.

However, it has now been suggested by John and Syg that I use the Windows Bootloaded by installing grub to /boot, rather than MBR. I have never done this before. On my last laptop, I overwrote the MBR. What are the benefits of keeping the Windows 7 MBR?
Would I be correct in assuming that by not overwriting the MBR, I need to use EasyBSD to point to Grub?
Will it still be the SUSE Grub I see when I turn on the computer, or will it be an EasyBSD loader screen?
Sorry, but I'm not an expert at Linux installation.

Thanks,
Tim

Can anyone help???

Tim

as far as i know easyBCD is vista only and dose not edit the win 7 bootloader -- i may be wrong , i do not use it.

1) MAKE 100% sure you have a windows 7 full install dvd and not just a "win7 recovery disk that uses a windows "recovery" partition
2) fully reformat the drive using "Gparted live cd" ( very easy)
-- or --
shrink the windows partition WITH THE TOOL in windows 7 ( others MIGHT work but MS changed the ntfs partition format a bit.) So use the Microsoft built in tool to resize

3) if reinstalling win
3a) use gparted to make two partitions 1 for win the second for linux
size based on the usage 20 Gig min. for linux , or 1/2 the disk
3b) install win ONLY on the first partition and mbr ( this can be set ,the default is the whole computer and ALL disk drives )

4) install OpenSUSE 11.3
READ and reread the install guide
http://www.novell.com/documentation/opensuse113/
http://opensuse-guide.org/
http://opensuse-guide.org/installation.php
and
http://www.novell.com/documentation/...quick_113.html
http://www.novell.com/documentation/...quick_113.html

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The reason I suggested keeping the Windows loader was I presumed (perhaps incorrectly) that you would be predominantly a Win user. There have been issues in the past with M$oft service packs if non-M$oft loaders are in the MBR - less of an issue these days I guess with online update.
Grub in the MBR is fine - no need to re-install anything if you can make room for Linux.

EasyBCD updates the Win loader (including Win7), it is not a loader itself. So you need to run it and point to your Linux partition - all in the doco. If you use grub in the MBR, all this is not a concern.

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? but you do have the ms bootloader installed ?
i boot from the centOS grub ( first linux partition & bootabel*) and win 7 boots fine ( MS is on the MBR)

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Thanks everyone for your help. I now have my system set up (minus wireless!!)

Thanks again,

Tim