I have 4 question regarding to Mandrake Installation.

1-Question.

I have 40 GB Hard Disk & want to use both Linux & windowsxp on it.
The Hard Disk has 4 Partions( 10 GB Each) with FAT32 .
Ok i want to give 25 GB space to windows & remaining will allocate to Linux.
One way is to use partion magic to resize the partion & remain the 15 GB area
as Unallocated for linux.
If i try to install Linux then durning installation it shows Four
options.

a) Use Existing Partition
b) Erase Entire Partition
c) Use the free space on the windows partion
d) Custion Disk Partition.


Now which option should i choouse so that Linux will exactly install on the remaining
unallocated area i.e 15 GB.

2- Question

How can i formate a hard disk which has linux already installed in it.


3-Question
In the Mandrake File system during partition there are two tabs buttons

hda ,sda

4-Question
Durning Mandrake Linux10 Installation it requires 4th CD. I bought Mandrake Linux 10 in 3 CD's . So why Linux ask to insert the 4th Cd
in the CD Rom ?

So plz guide me how it that why it require 4th cd durning installation.

Plz enlight on it also.
Thnaks

1) Use the "Custom Disk Partition". When the partitioning tool comes up, set a "swap" partition of ~512MB, a "/" partition of around ~5GB, and a "/home" partition of the rest. (Create 3 partitions of those sizes in the empty space, assign them as indicated.)

2) Not quite sure what you want here.

3) Give us your hardware specs. "hda" insicates a hard disk on IDE1/master, "sda" indicates a disk on a scsi device. (maybe a CD-drive? a USB thumb drive?)

4) The 4th CD is only available in the "purchased" set. It contains purely optional applications, and is not needed for the installation. (When it asks, just indicate you don't have it.) You can set up your online repositories using Easy Urpmi (see my sig for link) after you are done with the installation, and have access to everything on that 4th CD that way. (KDE 3.3, and some other "contrib" apps.)

Here are the answers for your question.

1-Q

a) Use Existing Partition
d) Custion Disk Partition.

Choose a) and see if the unallocated partition is listed. If it's listed then use it. Else choose d) and partition the unallocated partition as LInux partition Id: 83

2-Q
Why you have to format in first place. Formating means creating a new filesystem in linux. Use bootdisk and run fdisk, cfdisk or diskdrake to partition and run mke2fs or mkreiserfs or whatever to make the filesystem

3-Q
hda - For first IDE Hard Disk
sda - For first SCSI Hard Disk

4-Q
Free Mandrake linux downloaded from mandrake's doesn't requires it.
But the Official CD's have four CD's.
You can download the 4th cd from net. Try googling.
Or you don't select the packages from 4th cd.

ok is it fine to use 15 GB space to mandrake10 for installtion ?

I want to use it at home. For partion should i make

/
/user
/User/local
/var
/home
/swap

Let me know about /user,user/local & /var partion .Why there are used as seperate partitions ?

Thanks

All you *need* is "swap" and "/".

I just suggest using a separate "/home" in case you want to wipe your basic installation and reinstall without messing up any user-specific settings/data.

The rest of those don't need separate partitions normally. A "guru" might want to tweak and fine-tune his system using them, but most users have no such need.

Edit: contusion: The purchased version has 4 CDs. OFFICIAL Edition has 3 if downloaded. But in any case, it is just optional apps. Nothing required to get a system up and running.