How to enter swap partition when installing suse8.2 with only 40mb ram
 

Hi,

I'm trying to install linux for the first time.

I selected SuSE 8.2 and I downloaded the diskettes and while I have had some problems since I'm installing on an older Dell Latitude LM laptop, I've gotten to the point where I've starting the network installation, I've connected to the site I'm going to use, but since I only have 40MB of RAM, I need to access swap space.

For some reason, the hard drive was previously partitioned into 5 2GB drives. As this didn't use to be my laptop, I don't know why this was the case.

I looked under the harddrive installing and it finds the 5 partitions. I then went back to network and tried typing in the first one using the below:

hda1
/dev/hda1
/hda1

Each time there is an error in setting up the swap though and I can't continue.

Is there something I'm missing in doing this?

I saw a post about using fdisk and creating a new partition so I'm going to go back into Windows 95 and try and do that and then redo the installation but I'm thinking I may even not be typing it correctly.

How do I go find out what the right swap space to type in is?

Thanks,
Eric

PS. I'm going to make some more notes this time so I can give more details on the questions I'm getting and the error code.

if you are trying to use the existing partitions on the disk for your suse install, you may be getting that error (quite simply) because there is no free space on the drive to create the swap file. Win9x creates the swap file as a regualr system file INSIDE the same partition that is used for the operationg system - Linux on the other hand, makes a DEDICATED PARTITION for the swap file (the swap partition).

here is what I would suggest. Istead of trying to partition beforehand, manually partition the drive DURING THE INSTALL - this is what most people do anyway!

start the install. during the install you will get to a point where you are asked to confirm all the installation options, broken down into categories (bootloader, packages, partitions, etc). Click on the PARTITIONS section to open up a partitioning wizard.
Choose advances/manual partition setup.

you will now have an applet up that has buttons like CREATE RESIZE DELETE, etc.

delete all 5 of the 2GB fat partitions... you should now just have one entry for hda that represents the whole disk, all in free space.

now create your (single) linux partitions - make the mount point / choose reiser file system,and as far as size, use the entire disk MINUS 100 mb - in other words you will have 100mb free space after creating this partition.

now create another partition that is 100MB.... VERY IMPORTANT - choose SWAP as the file system type instead of reiser this time.

you are all set now. save the change and prceed with the install.

unfortunately both kde and gnome are going to run VERY VERY slow with only 40mb of ram... I would say it will be unusable. you might have to try one of the "lighter" window managers, or just run in in terminal mode.

good luck

You need Linux swap partitions (partition type 82), formatted for swap. You might need more, like 200mb. The ram times two size rule for swap is outdated, the amount you pick depends on how much virtual (real+swap) memory you need (alot since you only have 40mb of real).
You create partitions with the installer like t3___ said, or using the Linux fdisk from a boot floppy. Don't use the DOS fdisk, it can't make Linux partitions.
KDE works fine (relative to Windows) with my 64mb of ram.

This might help:
http://www.usalug.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=524

And about the use of reiserfs that t3___ recommended, you might not want to use it:
http://www.snowblink.co.uk/archives/..._and_reiserfs/

thanks for the correction on the filesystem... oddly Ive done a half dozen network based reiser fs installs with both 8.2 and 9.0 without incident.... good advice nonetheless... always best to go with the tried and true rather than the newer more experimental.

(genuinely no sarcasm here...) so you really feel that KDE will run ok 64MB of ram? I am comparatively new to linux, but the handful of installs that I have done on older machines of that caliber were, as I stated before, unusable... or they basically "felt like" a 486 with windows 9x on it... (look at me... using windows in an analogy.... what a loser :)

perhaps I had to many unnessary services running.... hmmmm....


AAA.... could you (or anyone else for that matter) make suggestions as far as modules that can be unloaded/not loaded at boot to save resources? I'd appreciate that information myself... (edit - dont answer here - see new thread in newbie forum)

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EDIT - I'm actually going to start a new thread on this topic
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Well, the cpu is 750mhz, it didn't have much ram to begin with. I'm guessing that the low caliber machines you referred to also have slower cpu's. Also, I'm comparing to Windows ME (I'm sure 98 is significantly faster).

As for speeding things up, I use Slack, and that doesn't have much loaded by default to begin with. What it did have was mostly server (like httpd) & network stuff I didn't need. I went through my init scripts in /etc/rc.d (it's different in SuSE) and disabled what I didn't need. It was months ago, and I don't remember how much it sped up in general, but the removal of extra stuff+kernel recompilation really sped up bootup. For your SuSE, I think the (links to the) scripts are spread out over various /etc/rc*.d directories. The '*' indicates the runlevel, stuff in rc3.d would be for runlevel 3. SuSE probably has a utility for editing this stuff this automatically.

linux bootdisk with fdisk available
 

Where can I get a linux bootdisk with linux fdisk available that will let me do the partition and then go back to trying to install SuSE 8.2?

Or should I scrap SuSE 8.2 and try another installation?

Thanks.

ok bro. try to follow me here. I dont mean to sound harsh, and Im genuinely trying to help you out.

first off, this isnt windows/dos, so you are not going to find a linux equivelent to a dos boot disk with fdisk. you are trying to do linux stuff the windows way, and if you continue with that approach your going to get nowhere, get frustrated and quit. It is very important that you understand that point!

did you try any of the steps I outlined for you (I also have the username t3___)? if so, what did you do and what were the results (GIVE DETAILS).

Ill say it again. do not try to set up linux partitions before the install. as AAA pointed out, you cant create linux partitions with fdisk. THAT APPROACH WILL FAIL.

very simple - pay attention to this instruction - JUST GO AHEAD AND RUN THE SUSE INSTALL. during the install you will have the option of deleting the old partitions and creating the necessary linux partitions for you system. I outlined the process above.

try that and report back with details.

oh, and regarding trying another distribution....

virtually all of the other linux distros work the exact same way (partitioning happens DURING THE INSTALL), and in fact many of them use the same partitioning tool.

I dont know of any distros that offer a basic boot disk with an fdisk-like tool.

One would think all distros include fdisk (the linux version is far more powerful than the dos one) somewhere, esp. on rescue disks (I think when you put the suse cd in rescue mode you'll find it). Useful rescue floppies include tomsrtbt.

Anyways, you should probably stick with the yast2's (the suse installer) partitioner to partition, it'll be easier. Follow t3___'s instructions. Remember that the Linux partitions have to be of Linux (83) or Linux Swap (82) for it to install, not Win95 (0c).