LinuxQuestions.org
Help answer threads with 0 replies.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie
User Name
Password
Linux - Newbie This Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question? If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 11-09-2007, 07:34 AM   #1
hargal
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2007
Posts: 6

Rep: Reputation: 0
I am now ready to install Linux. Some questions befor action:


I have now downloaded Ubuntu Studio. Ready to install it on my laptop.
I also do want to have WinXp installed.

What is the best procedure?
Installing Winxp, partition one part to Xp and leaving the other part unformatted for LINUX?

And this is very important:
I have a 60 gb hard drive.
How much should go to Xp and how much to Ubuntu Studio?

And one last question:
I've read from other threads, that it's important to divide the partition of Linux into several drives. Is that something i can do later or does it has to be done during installation?

I appreciate any comments/help.
Thanks in advanced!

Sincerely,
hargal
 
Old 11-09-2007, 07:47 AM   #2
indienick
Senior Member
 
Registered: Dec 2005
Location: London, ON, Canada
Distribution: Arch, Ubuntu, Slackware, OpenBSD, FreeBSD
Posts: 1,853

Rep: Reputation: 65
Step 1: Partition your drive using Linux.
This can usually be done from within the installer. Just make sure you don't go ahead and install the OS as you'll find yourself repeating the "Install Linux" step.
Linux needs at least two partitions; one for / and one for swap (swap doesn't need to be very big; approx. twice the amount of RAM on your system). So, at the very least, you will have three partitions on your drive.

Step 2: Install Windows.
You should make a mental note as to which partition you set aside for Windows, and which one for Linux. The reason this step comes first is because different bootloaders (GRUB, LILO, BOOT.INI) loooOoOooOve to overwrite each other. What we want is for Linux (GRUB) to overwrite Windows' (BOOT.INI) bootloader.

Step 3: Install Linux.
Just point the installer to set everything up on the other two paritions now. GRUB (The GRand Unified Bootloader) will overwrite Windows' BOOT.INI setup and will add a boot entry for Windows.

As for the partition sizing, that's completely up to you. A good formula to follow is:
- Start with 50% of your HD for each OS.
- Which will you use more often?
- Which will you install more stuff to? (Usually related to the amount of daily use.)

My particular layout would be:
- Windows (20GB)
- Linux (/boot 150MB, / 10GB, /home 25GB)
- Swap (whatever is left over)
 
Old 11-09-2007, 08:06 AM   #3
pixellany
LQ Veteran
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Annapolis, MD
Distribution: Mint
Posts: 17,809

Rep: Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743Reputation: 743
Another point of view:

1. 8-10 GB for each operating system

2. Don't bother with a separate /boot or /home partition--just "/" is fine

3. 20-30 GB for shared data. For this, I now use ext3, which is nicely accessible from Windows using the the ext2fsd driver. You can also use FAT32.

4. The rest of the drive empty (unpartitioned) for future changes.
 
Old 11-09-2007, 08:15 AM   #4
hand of fate
Member
 
Registered: Nov 2003
Distribution: Mandriva
Posts: 441

Rep: Reputation: 31
Have you already got Windows installed and want to install Linux along side it, or are you looking to install both?

If you've already got Windows installed then you can just run the Linux installer, which should give you all the options you need to set up a dual boot system.
 
Old 11-09-2007, 08:20 AM   #5
mrrangerman
Member
 
Registered: Oct 2007
Location: MI
Distribution: Debian Slackware
Posts: 528

Rep: Reputation: 59
The above suggestion will work fine, I will say one thing about the swap partition though, 512mb is more than big enough with todays pc's. The double your ram size was the old rule of thumb.
 
Old 11-09-2007, 08:30 AM   #6
SlowCoder
Senior Member
 
Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Southeast, U.S.A.
Distribution: Debian based
Posts: 1,250

Rep: Reputation: 164Reputation: 164
Quote:
Originally Posted by pixellany View Post
Another point of view:

1. 8-10 GB for each operating system

2. Don't bother with a separate /boot or /home partition--just "/" is fine

3. 20-30 GB for shared data. For this, I now use ext3, which is nicely accessible from Windows using the the ext2fsd driver. You can also use FAT32.

4. The rest of the drive empty (unpartitioned) for future changes.
Good list, just interjecting a little.
1. What are you doing with your XP installation? If you're playing newer games, some of them may require a few gigs each of hard drive space. 8GB may not be enough. You may be able to get by by installing onto your shared data drive. Many Linuxers don't play games, so they don't take game requirements into consideration. (Sorry, pixellany )
3. ... Or NTFS with the ntfs3g driver?
 
Old 11-09-2007, 09:20 AM   #7
hargal
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2007
Posts: 6

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
I decided to make my LAPTOP as Linux-workstation

I decided to make my LAPTOP as a total non-WinXP Linux-workstation.
I will let you know how it did go.
Let's hope I won't regret.

If I do I will take your advices from the above and make it dual-bootable.
Thanks for help so far :-)

Sincerely,
hargal
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
ready to be MSfree. a few questions before I do it. davehateMS Linux - Newbie 3 09-22-2007 04:24 PM
LXer: SimplyMEPIS 6.5 beta ready for 3D action LXer Syndicated Linux News 0 02-14-2007 12:01 PM
Questions befor Install of Ubuntu rbad Ubuntu 3 06-24-2006 12:37 AM
Ready for Action - Mandrake 9.1 deejayqf Linux - Newbie 10 10-01-2003 09:53 AM
RedHat user ready for Slack, but I have a few questions lopoetve Linux - General 4 03-17-2003 05:20 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:56 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration