do u really need to partition your drive to install Linux even if you don't want 2 OS??

Why yes there is a distro called knoppix which boots directly off the cd and requires no partitioning or installing...

However, i have never used it and suggest if your serious about linux.. Jus install the real thing

No its not necessary, if u have only Linux on the machine.
I have installed redhat 9 on a 17GB HD. No probs, but the machine was slow ( I was using P3-555MHz and 128MB RAM).
You will have to specify the swap partition though if ur RAM is not large enuf.

Iam not sure about the pros and cons of partitioning in Linux. If u find out do let us know.....

Most of the larger easier to install distros will partition for you if you just hit auto when it comes that time.

I used the manual option on disk druid with Red Hat 9.

/boot - ext3 - fixed - 100MB
Swap - na - fixed - 2xRAM (128x2=256)
/ - ext 3 - Max available space

or if you want to try other distros in the future put a limit on

i.e. / - ext3 - expand up to - 10GB ( 10000MB)

All you really need is those three partitions unless you want to work on your
kernel without losing data in the future.

No problems at all and I never even seen Linux before I installed it.
Good book for the beginner if starting with Red Hat 9.0 is SAMS "How to teach yourself Red Hat Linux 9 in 24 hrs". Comes with a 2 CD distro of RH9. Just don't install everthing or you will end up with 2 or 3 times the programs as the std "Desktop" install. Just go with the defaults on everything starting out and you will be fine. RH9 may be the "Old Lady's Buick" of the linux world but its easy for a newbie.

After I threw out all the stuff I didn't use I only have about a 1.1GB install with full Gnome / Evolution / Mozilla.

You can actually get away with less than 100 mb /boot. I ended up with only 6.0 Mb in boot. That is not a misprint! I have it in a 16 Mb partition because I was using 9.1 Mb before the last diet.

Give it a try it isn't that hard. (This from someone who could never find something in Winblow Mille without a 30 minute search). In some ways RH9 is actually, "Gasp!" easier than Winblows"..

Darn! Did I just write all that? Oops... Sorry.

Judging by the way your question was asked, I'll assume your just getting into this and will try to be clear.

Yes. you do.


You can't install Linux on your drive after taking Windows off without doing some partitioning. This also goes for "out of the box" drives.

But, like the person /\ said, you can do this during install. Distro's like Mandrake make it nice and easy. You can let the install auto allocate everything. Just make sure the end result has

/ = root
swap = temp storage, like virtual memory for Win
/home

I don't make a seperate partitoin for /boot. I've not had any issues yet, so I'm fine with it. I think it adds it on in the wizard, but I don't remember.

lol, this is the most confusing time !!!!

while waiting 4 days for linux to download, i was reading the how to's
ect ect of how to install linux for first time users.

being a windows user from 98 onwards, id never used any kind of partiton tool, or partitoned disk drive. so the whole concept of creating a swap partiton, a primary boot partiton and a main partiton was sooo confusing,

they went on about hba1's hda2's and your hda3 and i was just over whelmed...

in the end, i decided to just throw away all the guides and how-to's ive downloaded, and just do it how i would windows...

i booted my windows rescue disk, formatted my hard drive as fat32 (sumthing i didnt have to do, but it made me feel better )

slapped in my redhat linux disk1, and set my bios to boot of CD.

it asked a few very simple questions, like, where u live ? what time it is ?
and what im planning n doing with my pc, (Desktop PC, proxy server, web-server ect ect)

i chose the default Desktop install.

inserted disks when prompted,

then after 20 mins, it was done, and it booted.

and ive got to say, although i was lost on first boot, not knowing how to alter settings, or what programs were called, ( some names are strange, GIMP = immage processing program, GRIP = cd ripper) things like that ..

BUT, it worked, unlike when i first installed windows, i did not have to install drivers ec ect.

with modern distro's installing is EEEASY !

Congrats bro!

You'll want to take those how to's out of the trash though. Might need them later.

and just do it how i would windows...

that'll probaby be the last time you'll be able to say that. lol

lol, that was a long time ago...
ive been using linux for a good few minths now.

and believe it or now, i've forgotten how to use windows !
on the rare occasion i am forced to use it, i get angry at it for shouting invalid command when i try to ls /whatever
or cd ~/media

For those of you that have never used knoppix and are recommending partitioning, I tell you "try it out".

Knoppix works 100% off of the CD. Nothing to install in your HD and no need to partition. It's great if you just want to get people to test drive linux and see how cool and stable it is. There are even specialized knoppix cds that are say only a gaming version. (Unreal Tournament on Linux with no need to install!) Along with this there's some security specific version which include a lot of security tools and leave out the applications you wouldn't use if all you were interested was security.

You get over 2 gigs worth of applications in one, yes 1 and only one CD. They have a new release on DVD, but I don't have a DVD burner yet and haven't tried it out.

Now what happens if you reboot? You loose EVERYTHING! Yup, any changes you made to your desktop, etc goes away. That's if you want that to happen though, because you also have the option of creating a partition where you save your information and settings so that next time you boot knoppix it will see those and use them.

I haven't checked them out lately, but they were working on being able to save that information on one of those Memory USB keyrings. That way you can take your USB memory stick and your knoppix cd and boot into YOUR environment where ever you were. Even if they have windows installed. And they don't have to worry that you messup their computer.

What else is great about knoppix? How about as a rescue CD! My wife's laptop corrupted a file in her windows partition and we weren't able to boot windows. Since the only solution was to reinstall, I used knoppix to get all her files from her laptop onto a network share and then I reinstalled W2k for her. (I'm trying to get her to switch...)

Ok - enough! Go download it and burn extra copies to give out to your friends. Go! NOW!

dont tell me.....
you are that voice on tv that advertises "time life" cd's ????

lol..... if it wasnt free source id swear u were selling tit

bu seriously. yeah, knoppix rocks, never leave the house without it !
unfortunatly, i have a win-modem, so i cannt install my special driver into it to surf the net