hello friends,
this is Sujoy Mukherjee and I'm completely new (frankly a novice) in this linux world. I know nothing about linux, but dare to try it and learn it. So I did try to install a linux distro(Fedora core 4) on my Windows 98/XP dual system, but got stuck when I face the Partitioning screen appeared. Before proceeding further, I want to give you an idea about my system:-

Processor:- P-IV 1.6 Ghz
Chipset:- Intel 845 GLVA
Ram:- 1 GB
HDD:- I've Two hard disks.
(1)20 GB, divided into 4 partitions.
C:\ (4.67 GB, FAT32, Primary partition,Win 98SE installed here)
D:\(4.62 GB,FAT32, WIN XP Professional installed here)
E:\(6.99 GB, FAT32)
F:\(2 GB, FAT)
And another 369 MB unallocated space.

(2)80 GB, divided into 3 partitions.
J:\(19.53 GB, FAT32, Extended)
K:\(19.53 GB, FAT32)
L:\(19.53 GB, FAT32)
And another 15.92 GB unallocated space, this is where I want to install Fedora.

Now the problem is, if I go for the Automatic partitioning option, it says it cannot partition. If I go for Manual partition using Disk Druid(which again I'm using for the first time) and select the free, unallocated space on the 80 GB HDD, its asking for root, swap partition etc. I don't have any idea about these or the space I should allocate for root, swap or any other partition I should need to create.
I mean how many partition I should need to create? And how much space I should allocate? And one more thing, if I create a root partition or swap, then both of the 2 hard disks are selected by default. Which one I need to select?

I guess those are real easy for you Linux gurus out But for a first-timer like me, those are some real confusing questions. So please please help me.

Thanks in advance.

well,one time I installed a patition without a swap partition and it worked.

the root parition is where everything is stored and swap parition is virtual memory

Well, thanks to both of you. Thanks to Aces, now I know whats a root & swap partition is.
But the main problem still remains. How to divide the unallocated space(15.92 GB) for partitions(including root, swap & other partition if needed)? How much space for root, swap & other I need to allocate?

And one more thing, do I need to install the Boot Loader(called GRUB here)? or the windows boot loader will be sufficient? I mean I want a system which will ask me between Linux and Windows.

I would suggest around 512 mb of swap and the rest for /. Install grub to the mbr

Thanks Aces.Well linux is runninsmoothly now. But there is aproblem...I did install Grub as you saidwith an option for windows. Now after booting,when I select the windows option,windows not running....itsimply saysInvalid system disk.Replacethe disk, and then press any keyBut if I press any key, it tookme to windows selection menu(as I havea dual-win-system,98/xp as I already mentioned). Now if I go for Xp,it shows this message windows couldnot start because the following file is missing or corrupted:<windows root>\system32\hal.dll Please reinstall a copyof theabove file
Now I found the problem is listed here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320252/en-us

According to them,I might need to reinstall windows,butI wantto know if I can do without a reinstall? Or is it happening from some other reason?

Please help!!!

I don't know if you will need this, but I'm giving my menu.lst file contents(which is in /boot/grub) here.

#grub.confgenerated by anaconda
#
#Note thatyou do not have torerun grub after makingchanges to this file
#NOTICE:Youdo not have a /boot partition.This means that
#all kernel and initrd paths arerelative to/,eg.
# root(hd0, 3)
# kernel/boot/vmlinuz-version ro root= /dev/hdc4
# initrd /boot/initrd-version.img
# boot = /dev/hdc

default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,3)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora core(2.6.11-1.1369_FC4)
root (hd0, 3)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.611-1.1369_FC4 ro root=LABEL=/rhgb quiet

initrd /boot/initrd-2.611-1.1369_FC4.img
title Windows
rootnoverify(hd1,3)
chainloader +1
title other
rootnoverify(hd0,4)
chainloader +1

From your menu.lst file if looks as if you have installed Fedora on the 4th partition of the 1st Hard drive (hd0,3). The grub is trying to boot windows from (hd1,3) , i.e 2nd HD and 4th partition.
Best thing to do is post the output from fdisk -l so we can see your HD layout.
You may need to reconfigure your menu.lst with separate entries for each OS into which you would like to boot. This can only be done if one knows in which drive/partition the OS is installed.

Well you are right. Fedora is installed on the 4th partition of the 1st hard drive. And Windows xp is installed on the 2nd partition of the 2nd Hard drive

Does that help?

I will come back with the result of fdisk -l .

Thank you.

Yes fdisk -l would be useful.

If Windows is on the 2nd HD then you will have to reconfigure the WinXP boot entry in your grub file. It will have to contain the "map" command.
One of the senior posters on here , Saikee, has written an excellent tutorial on this and multi OS booting via grub, one which I would highly recommend.

http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147959

If you read everything you will definitely find the answer to your problem.

Uncle

Thanks for the link. Sorry for being late, actually as I cannot be online now(because as I'm unable to use windows and I still don't know how to configure my adsl modem on linux), so I'm doing this from a cafe.

Anyhow here's the fdisk -l result:

Disk /dev/hdc: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylindars
Units = cylindars of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdc1 2 2551 20482875 f W95 Ext'd(LBA)
/dev/hdc2 2552 5101 20482875 c W95 Ext'd(LBA)
/dev/hdc3 5102 7651 20482875 c W95 Ext'd(LBA)
/dev/hdc4 * 7652 9563 15358140 83 Linux
/dev/hdc5 2 2551 20482843+ b W95 FAT32


Disk /dev/hdd: 20.0 GB, 20020396032 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2434 cylindars
Units = cylindars of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdd1 * 1 609 4891761 b W95 FAT32
/dev/hdd2 610 2386 14273752+ f W95 Ext'd(LBA)
/dev/hdd3 2387 2434 385560 82 Linux swap/Solaris
/dev/hdd5 610 1212 4843566 b W95 FAT32
/dev/hdd6 1213 2125 7333641 b W95 FAT32
/dev/hdd7 2126 2386 2096451 6 FAT16

Still no more reply? Anyhow the good news is I'm now able to access internet from linux. uncle, thanks again for that link. It is awesome. But I'm still going through it, as its little big, it'll take some time

The bad news is, I still cannot access windows, the problem remains as it was.

So do I need to reinstall windows again as the last option or is there any other option for me?

Sorry for the delay in reply,
Yours is a common problem and I thought someone may have helped.
Just from a personal point of view your partition layout looks a mess. On HDC you have 3 extended partitions ? There may not be any need for so many. Your linux swap is on your second HD ( I would keep it on the same drive as your linux distro ).
Now you say you have XP and Win98 installed. Your fdisk -l reports that you only have Fat32 partitons so I cannot for sure say on which partition XP is installed and on which 98 is installed. XP should usually be installed on an NTFS partiton so it can be easily distinguished. I assume that it is on /dev/hdd1
Now ( assuming that XP is on the /dev/hdd1 partition), you will have to tinker with your grub menu.lst file. As WinXP is on the second hard drive you will have to use the map command for grub to be able to boot to it. The reason for this is clearly explained in Saikee's tutorial.

If WinXP is not on /dev/hdd1, could you tell me in which partiton it is installed. You may have to mount the partition to find out if you do not know first hand.

uncle-c ,

You hit the jackpot. (hd1,0) or hdd1 has been marked active with a "*" that is bootable in Linux's term. The OP Windows must be booting XP via this partition.

On the two map statements I prefer
Strictly speaking they are the drives that are re-mapped and a direct equivalent is available in Lilo too if the whole disk is mapped instead of just a partition.

I don't hold up much hope to get the Internet working without fiddling arround with drivers. For that reason a user should go with a more modern Linux which will have a fuller library of drivers and more capability in the hard ware detection.

There has been a lot of improvements between FC4 and Fedora 8.

Thanks for the kind words on my thread. I am glad that some users find it helpful.